Chelsea meet unbeaten Brighton at Stamford Bridge in a huge Premier League encounter.
Victory would see Chelsea potentially go top if Manchester City lose and Arsenal fail to win elsewhere.
Brighton meanwhile can go third with a win if Arsenal loses elsewhere.
Team News
Romeo Lavia (hamstring) is set to return for Chelsea.
Omari Kellyman and Reece James (both hamstring) remain sidelined.
Brighton will be without Joao Pedro after he suffered an ankle injury in their 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Yasin Ayari (illness) and Brajan Gruda (knock) could return but James Milner (hamstring), Solly March (knee) and Matt O’Riley (ankle) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Chelsea host Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 28 September at 3pm BST, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Chelsea are unbeaten in five of their last seven league meetings against Brighton (W2, D3, L2).
- Brighton have won one of their seven previous Premier League visits to Chelsea (W1, D2, L4).
- Eight of Chelsea’s last nine league meetings against Brighton has seen both teams find the net.
- 10 of Chelsea’s 11 league goals this season has been scored from inside of the box.
- Two of Danny Welbeck’s three league goals for Brighton this season came on his right foot.
Prediction
Since their opening-day defeat, Chelsea seem to have found their attacking boots and following their clinical demolitions of West Ham and Barrow in the past week, I do feel like this will be a huge test of their current form against stronger opposition.
Brighton though seem to have stuttered with three consecutive draws in the league but they were often wasteful against Forest, which they can’t afford to be here if they want a chance at victory.
I however do sense that this could actually be quite an openly-competitive battle, and a draw wouldn’t be a bad result.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Brighton
Result: Chelsea 4-2 Brighton