Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Chelsea to AMEX Stadium in a rearranged Premier League clash.
Victory could see Brighton climb above Wolves to eighth if they win by two or more goals, whereas Chelsea would improve to second with a win.
Team News
Adam Lallana is a doubt for Brighton after being substituted in Friday’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace with a hamstring injury.
Shane Duffy (ankle) is also a doubt but Lewis Dunk (knee) could return if he is declared match fit by club doctors, otherwise he won’t be risked in this match.
Yves Bissouma (international duty), Jason Steele (back), Enock Mwepu and Jeremy Sarmiento (both hamstring) remain absent.
Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns to report as Andreas Christiansen (Coronavirus), Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah (both hamstring), Ben Chilwell (knee) and Edouard Mendy (international duty) remain ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Brighton are winless in their nine previous Premier League meetings against Chelsea (D3, L6).
- Chelsea have claimed 10 out of a possible 12 points from four Premier League visits to Brighton (W3, D1).
- Two of three draws between Brighton and Chelsea in the Premier League have finished in a 1-1 result.
- Brighton have failed to score in four of their ten home league games this season.
- Chelsea are looking to avoid consecutive away defeats in the Premier League for the first time since a three-match losing away streak in December 2020.
Prediction
Although dominant against Crystal Palace, Brighton were extremely frustrating to watch because they were incredibly wasteful with their finishing which simply cannot be repeated here, despite having fought hard until the end with a deserved equaliser.
Chelsea meanwhile were simply outplayed by a ruthlessly clinical Man City team despite enjoying a bright start, yet they were just poor in finishing their chances but defended well to limit City to just the one goal which is a valuable positive to take into this game.
Rotation though is likely but if Brighton play like they did on Friday yet better in their finishing then they will fancy their chances, although I have a feeling that Chelsea will bounce back here if they get on the front foot given their form in this fixture.
Prediction: Brighton 1-2 Chelsea
Result: Brighton 1-1 Chelsea