Brighton and Hove Albion’s reward for beating Brentford in the third round of the FA Cup is a match against reigning holders Arsenal in front of their own supporters. This gives Brighton a great opportunity to take a break from the league fixtures and hope to beat a top team.
After coming close to reaching the Premier League in the last few seasons, Brighton are struggling with the threat of relegation this time around. The three consecutive victories in all competitions has definitely improved the mood around the club, but they remain only three points away from the drop zone.
Former Norwich City manager Chris Hughton says that the club are already looking forward to playing against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Before that, he knows that his team will have to beat Ipswich Town in the league. Arsenal appear to be coming into form after regaining a number of players back from injury.
They recently enjoyed an impressive 2-0 win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad stadium, which has proven to be one of the toughest places to visit in English football over the last five years. Results have not improved dramatically after the arrival of Hughton and he needs a huge result in order to lift the morale.
“The first thought was one of excitement. I am not thinking about how difficult it is going to be to beat them but about the day itself. The FA Cup day is a special day and mostly a special one for the supporters. There won’t be too many of our supporters unhappy with that draw. I was reminded that a couple of seasons ago we had a very close cup tie against Arsenal at the Amex. If the game can be anything as exciting as that one, then it could be a very good day,” said Hughton.