Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned his players that they will have to “earn the right to win” when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, September 19, as the Premier League champions pursue an eighth consecutive victory in all competitions.
The Gunners travel to the Amex Stadium having won all seven of their competitive matches this season, including four Premier League fixtures, a Champions League victory over Napoli and a Carabao Cup win at Ipswich Town. Arsenal also began the campaign by beating Manchester City in the Community Shield.
A victory against Brighton would extend Arsenal’s perfect start to eight matches and move the club closer to matching a historic winning-start record.
Arteta, however, has stressed that the record will only matter if his team first handles the challenge presented by Brighton.
Arteta expects a difficult Brighton test
Speaking ahead of the match, Arteta acknowledged the quality of Brighton and said Arsenal would have to work for any positive result.
“We’ve got a really tough opponent tomorrow so we’re going to have to earn the right to win the game,” Arteta said, according to reports from his pre-match press conference.
The warning comes after Arsenal negotiated a demanding sequence of fixtures.
The Gunners defeated Sunderland 2-0 away in the Premier League on September 12 before travelling to Ipswich Town and recording a 4-2 victory in the Carabao Cup third round on September 15.
Arsenal had also secured a 1-0 Champions League victory away to Napoli and defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the Premier League earlier in September.
Saturday’s encounter will therefore come during a busy period for Arteta’s squad, with the manager expected to balance performance levels and player fitness.
Brighton arrive in positive form
Brighton are also entering the match with confidence.
The Seagulls defeated Coventry City 5-0 away from home on September 13, producing one of their most convincing performances of the season.
Stefanos Tzimas, Yalcouyé, Pascal Groß, Lewis Dunk and Amario Cozier-Duberry were among the players involved in Brighton’s emphatic victory.
The result left Brighton with seven points from their opening four Premier League matches, while Arsenal had collected 12 points from four games.
Brighton then recorded another important victory during the week, defeating Manchester United 3-2 in the Carabao Cup on September 16.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side will therefore approach the Arsenal fixture having won their previous two competitive matches.
The Premier League fixture is scheduled to take place at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Arteta puts previous Hürzeler dispute behind him
The match also brings Arteta back together with Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler after a disagreement between the two coaches earlier in the year.
Arsenal defeated Brighton 1-0 in March, following which Hürzeler criticised aspects of Arsenal’s approach and accused the London club of making “their own rules”.
Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, however, Arteta indicated that the matter had been resolved.
Reuters reported that Hürzeler had apologised to Arteta by text and that the Arsenal manager said he had no grudge against his Brighton counterpart.
Arteta also acknowledged Brighton’s development under Hürzeler, shifting the focus away from their previous disagreement and towards Saturday’s contest.
Arsenal’s perfect start
Arsenal’s opening weeks of the 2026/27 campaign have produced a perfect competitive record.
The Gunners opened their Premier League title defence with a 3-0 home victory over Coventry City before beating Aston Villa 1-0 away.
They then defeated Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium before recording a 2-0 victory over Sunderland.
The Sunderland match was particularly demanding, with goalkeeper David Raya saving a penalty before Bruno Guimarães opened his Arsenal account and Bukayo Saka added a late penalty.
Arsenal subsequently defeated Ipswich 4-2 in the Carabao Cup, with teenage forward Max Dowman scoring twice.
The result allowed Arteta to rotate his squad while maintaining the team’s winning momentum.
Defensive concerns before Brighton
Arsenal’s preparations have also been affected by concerns over several defenders.
Reports ahead of the match indicate that Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are injury doubts, while Jurrien Timber continues his recovery from a longer-term groin problem.
Those concerns could require Arteta to make changes to his defensive line.
The situation is particularly relevant because Arsenal are facing a Brighton side that has demonstrated its ability to create attacking problems.
The Seagulls’ five-goal performance against Coventry highlighted their attacking potential, while their subsequent victory over Manchester United provided further evidence of their current confidence.
Arsenal chase a historic winning start
An eighth consecutive victory would have significance beyond the three points.
Arsenal’s seven-match winning run has placed the club within one victory of matching its best-ever start to a season.
The record dates back to the 1903/04 campaign, when Woolwich Arsenal won their opening eight matches.
That historical achievement provides an additional storyline around Saturday’s fixture, although Arteta’s comments indicate that Arsenal’s immediate priority remains securing the result rather than pursuing a statistical milestone.
For the manager, maintaining concentration and performance standards will be particularly important against a Brighton side that has started the season strongly.
Brighton’s opportunity
For Brighton, the match represents an opportunity to test their progress against the defending Premier League champions.
The club’s recent results have provided momentum, while playing at home gives Hürzeler’s players the advantage of familiar surroundings and home support.
Brighton’s 5-0 victory over Coventry showed their capacity to produce a high-scoring performance, while the 3-2 win against Manchester United demonstrated their ability to compete in a high-profile fixture.
Facing Arsenal will provide a considerably different challenge.
The Gunners have conceded relatively few goals during their Premier League campaign and have shown an ability to win close matches.
What the match means for Arsenal
For Arsenal, the immediate objective is to maintain their perfect start and collect another victory.
The longer-term importance is connected to their defence of the Premier League title.
Four victories from four league matches have given Arsenal maximum points at this early stage of the campaign.
A victory at Brighton would preserve that perfect league record while extending their winning run across all competitions.
It would also take Arsenal to eight consecutive victories and potentially match a club record that has stood for more than a century.
However, the match comes during a demanding period of the season, making squad management, player fitness and consistency important factors for Arteta.
A test of Arsenal’s depth
The fixture also provides another test of Arsenal’s squad depth.
The club is competing on multiple fronts, with Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup commitments already placing demands on the squad.
Arteta’s ability to rotate players without reducing Arsenal’s competitiveness could become increasingly important as the season develops.
The Carabao Cup victory at Ipswich demonstrated that the manager has options beyond his regular starting XI, with younger players also being given opportunities.
Dowman’s two-goal performance in that match was one of the notable developments.
The teenager’s emergence provides another option as Arsenal navigate a crowded fixture schedule.
Brighton seeking to disrupt Arsenal’s momentum
Brighton, meanwhile, will be aware that stopping Arsenal’s winning run would represent a significant result.
The Seagulls have already demonstrated attacking confidence in their recent matches, but Arsenal’s defensive organisation and ability to control possession could present a different tactical problem.
The contest is also likely to test Brighton’s ability to maintain discipline against an Arsenal team that has become accustomed to controlling matches under Arteta.
With both teams arriving after victories, the fixture carries the ingredients of a competitive Premier League encounter.
What happens next?
Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal are scheduled to meet at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. UK time.
Arsenal will be seeking an eighth consecutive victory in all competitions, while Brighton will attempt to build on their recent victories and challenge the league leaders.
For Arteta, the central task is to ensure that Arsenal remain focused on the performance required to win rather than the possibility of matching a historic record.
For Brighton, the match offers an opportunity to demonstrate their progress against one of the strongest teams in the Premier League.
The outcome will provide another early indication of how Arsenal are handling the demands of defending their league title and competing across several competitions.
For now, Arteta’s message is clear: Arsenal must first earn the right to win before they can think about records.
Weng Global — Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Reuters — Report on Mikel Arteta’s comments ahead of Arsenal’s Brighton match, September 18, 2026
- The PUNCH — Report on Arteta warning Arsenal ahead of the Brighton clash, September 18, 2026
- The Independent — Report on Arsenal, Brighton and the Arteta-Hürzeler build-up
- Premier League — Official 2026/27 fixture information and competition coverage
- Brighton & Hove Albion — Official club and match information
- Sky Sports — Brighton vs Arsenal match preview and recent form
