4 Chelsea vs 2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Chelsea gunning for three successive victories as Brighton visits.
From dominating the League Two side Barrow to returning to Premier League action with hopes of a third consecutive victory, Chelsea hosts a resilient Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge this Saturday, setting the stage for a thrilling encounter.
Chelsea
Having swept Barrow aside in a 5-0 EFL Cup third-round win, Chelsea will return to Premier League duties. Hero from the game against Bournemouth, Christopher Nkunku, who produced the winner with Jadon Sancho’s help, bagged a hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of the EFL League Two side.
Chelsea will now reconvene on home soil for the weekend’s clash against the Seagulls, ahead of their Europa Conference League clash against Gent. Revitalised by recent victories, the Blues are coming off the back of a strong 3-0 win over West Ham in last weekend’s London derby.
The win helped Chelsea move into 5th place with 10 points. It also left the hosts unbeaten in four games, having earned three victories and one draw in those fixtures.
The second-best goal-scoring side behind table-topping Manchester City, Chelsea will be hoping to put a few goals past troublesome Brighton. Following a double over them last season, a win here would give the Blues three successive victories over the Seagulls.
However, a poor home record that leaves Chelsea winless in two games could end their celebratory mood. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Nicolas Jackson in attack is expected. Reece James remains ruled out.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion extended their unbeaten run to five games after last weekend’s 2-2 draw against ten-man Nottingham Forest. The 7th-placed team has 9 points ahead of the weekend’s clash against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, a fine record on the road for the Seagulls leaves the visitors with only one defeat in the last four Premier League away games against Chelsea (1W, 2D, 1L). However, it remains to be seen if Brighton can secure a point from Stamford Bridge, especially with the confirmation of João Pedro's absence.
'I'm not sure how long he will be out,' head coach Fabian Hürzeler said. 'I think that he is a good healer, and I'm convinced that he will be back soon. But we can't take any risk. We all know that he's a player who can make the difference for us,' he added.
The Brazilian has scored in two of his four league appearances this season and will surely be a missing piece in Hürzeler’s attacking line-up. A 4-2-3-1 formation with Danny Welbeck in attack is anticipated.
Team form
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