Brighton v Chelsea – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Brighton face Chelsea The Blues are chasing a place in Europe whilst the Seagulls are looking for just their second win in eight league fixtures. Chelsea have won the last three meetings between the clubs.

Brighton Form

Brighton have just one win in eight league fixtures. A heavy 3-0 home loss by Arsenal ended a 12-match unbeaten streak at home. A 1-1 draw at Burnley preceded a 4-0 home loss to Man City which could have been by a bigger margin.

A 3-0 loss to Bournemouth saw Roberto De Zerbi’s stock fall. Thanks to a late goal, they eked out a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa with 2.53 xG produced. On Saturday, they continued a mini-revival with a strong 1-1 draw away to Newcastle.

Brighton Team News

Roberto De Zerbi has nine injuries ahead of this match. Solly March, Evan Ferguson, and Kaoru Mitoma will play no part. Joao Pedro suffered an ankle injury in training and is very doubtful for this match.

Jack Hinshelwood and James Milner are injured in midfield. Pervis Estupinan is ruled out at left back and both Jan Paul Van Hecke and Joel Veltman need late fitness tests in defence.

Brighton Motivation

Brighton will play on the front foot. This is a bit of a grudge match which will increase motivation.

The Seagulls would be satisfied to harm Chelsea’s European ambitions with a draw here.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea are in strong league form with one loss in 13 matches. In 10 of their last 11 league matches, they’ve scored two or more goals. A 6-0 home win over Everton was followed by a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final loss to Man City. A 5-0 loss at Arsenal was the lowest point of the season a few days later.

After a strong fightback to draw 2-2 at Aston Villa from 2-0 down, Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 at home. They thumped West Ham 5-0 at home a few days later with 4.22 Expected Goals. On Saturday, an iffy performance saw them 2-1 down at Nottingham Forest before a late comeback to win 3-2.

Chelsea Team News

Chelsea are down to just six injuries. Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell are back in training but this match may come soon. Romeo Lavia and Ezno Fernandez will play no part in midfield and Wesley Fofana remains absent.

Reece James is back after five months out injured. He could feature as a substitute once again. Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku are pushing for starts in attack.

Chelsea Motivation

The Blues need a win as they look to chase down Newcastle and stay ahead of Man Utd.

A draw is not of much use and Pochettino won’t settle for a point at any stage.

Key Stats

Brighton have just 1 win in their last 8 league matches

Brighton have lost 2 of their last 3 home EPL matches (unbeaten in 12 before that)

Brighton have lost their last 3 matches vs Chelsea

Chelsea have lost just 1 of their last 13 league matches

Chelsea have scored 2+ goals in 10 of their last 11 league matches

Chelsea’s Palmer has scored 26 goals this season

Verdict

Based on the current form of the teams, Chelsea are favoured to win here. Brighton have lots of injuries whilst the Blues finally have a strong bench to call upon.