Premier League 2018-19: 5 Arsenal players to watch out for against Brighton & Hove Albion

Arsenal have been the surprise package in this year's league by a mile.

When the season started, they weren't considered even top six contenders. Let's face it, with Arsene Wenger gone and a new manager who had no experience in English football coming in, no one expected much from them.

But they have managed to bring in a number of good players in Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Bernd Leno.

The fans were eager to see how their team performed post-Wenger, and honestly, they have performed better than expected.

Against Brighton away, the team is expected to face a disciplined and defensive side that will look to spring the odd counter-attack.

There are a number of players who would be crucial if Arsenal are to win this game. Here are the players to watch out for:

1. Bernd Leno

He was one of the top keepers in Germany before he left Bayer Leverkusen for Arsenal. Leno has won 6 caps for Germany, but don’t be fooled by the number of international caps to his name.

If it wasn’t for Manuel Neuer and Ter Stegen being in front of him in the pecking order, Leno would have won more caps by now. He’s the man that Arsenal will look upon to organize their defence and be vocal while at it.

Against a side that will rarely attack, Leno needs to keep his concentration levels up to sniff out any attack by Brighton.

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

With 12 league goals already to his name this season for Arsenal, the Gabonese striker is the premiership's top scorer. He will be expected to bang in the goals against Brighton too.

With a playing style that is quite similar to Arsenal great Thierry Henry, Aubameyang will be the go-to-guy for Arsenal in this game.

With Brighton expected to be defensive, Aubameyang will have to kill off the game with the clear-cut chances he gets.

3. Mattéo Guendouzi

There have been a number of standout performers in the post-Wenger Arsenal, and Matteo Guendouzi is definitely one of them. The former FC Lorient midfielder has been a true revelation to the Premier League.

With him being so technically adept and orchestrating from midfield with an eye for forward passes, Arsenal don't have to drop the tempo of the.

Brighton are expected to go all out defensive, so the young Frenchman will be tasked with picking out the passes that will unlock that defence.

4. Lucas Torreira

Still on the revelations of the season, Lucas Torreira has been one as well.

The Arsenal number 11 is one of those players that you love to watch; a player that works hard on and off the ball. When he loses the ball, he's quick to win it back, without leaving that responsibility to his fellow players.

The 22-year-old Uruguayan also likes to get forward to great effect, and that is demonstrated by the number of goals he has scored.

He's not your average destroyer as he can pick a pass from deep and he's creative enough too. Brighton will sure have their hands full with this little man.