Chelsea vs Brighton preview, predictions & team news
After Wednesday’s thrashing of Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, Frank Lampard will be dreaming of his first league victory at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager against Brighton.
But Graham Potter will look to take inspiration from Leicester City and Sheffield United, who both managed to leave the Bridge with a point.
Brighton are still without a league win since their 3-0 victory at Watford on the opening weekend and a trip to one of the ‘Big Six’ isn’t exactly an ideal remedy for their disjoined start to the campaign.
But as Chelsea know all too well, anything can happen in the Premier League. Read on for our preview, predictions, key men, teams news and more.
When is Chelsea vs Brighton and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Saturday, 28 September 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM BST
TV coverage (UK): N/A
Last five meetings: Chelsea vs Brighton
3 April 2019: Chelsea 3-0 Brighton (Premier League)
16 December 2018: Brighton 1-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
20 January 2018: Brighton 0-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
26 December 2017: Chelsea 2-0 Brighton (Premier League)
15 March 1989: Brighton 0-1 Chelsea (Second division)
Aggregate Score: Chelsea (WWWWW) 12-1 Brighton (LLLLL)
Ones to watch
Chelsea: Reece James
Reece James couldn’t have asked for a better debut. The 19-year-old right-back scored and provided two assists in his long-awaited first appearance for Chelsea against Grimsby in midweek. With calls for Lampard to use a back three, James could make his Premier League debut this weekend, with captain Cesar Azpilicueta moving inside to centre-back. The 19-year-old will be in confident mood and could give Brighton’s left side plenty of problems.
Key stat: Reece James created more chances (5) than any other player on the pitch against Grimsby.
Brighton: Aaron Mooy
Aaron Mooy finally made his first Premier League start for Brighton against Newcastle United last weekend and impressed in spells. The Australian was Huddersfield’s best player during their first season in the Premier League, and although he was a bit quieter last term, he could make a huge impact for Brighton when he gets some games under his belt. Mooy will be hoping to shine if handed a second successive league start here.
Key stat: Mooy has played more league minutes for Huddersfield this season (90) than he has for Brighton (85).
Team news
Chelsea
Emerson Palmieri is out until after the next international break and Anthony Rudiger will also miss out due to a groin injury. Ruben Loftus-Cheek isn’t quite ready to return but Olivier Giroud and Andreas Christensen are back in contention. The biggest question is whether Lampard will put faith in James at right wing-back.
Predicted XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Willian; Abraham.
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Brighton
Graham Potter has confirmed Shane Duffy will be out for a few weeks with a calf injury. Alireza Jahanbakhsh has a chance of returning but probably won’t start, nor will Solly March, who is set to return against Tottenham next week. Glenn Murray and Neal Maupay are back in training after their recoveries. Full-back Bernardo and summer signing Leandro Trossard remain sidelined.
Predicted XI: Ryan; Webster, Dunk, Burn; Montoya, Stephens, Propper, Alzate; Gross, Mooy; Maupay.
Squawka prediction
Wednesday’s thrashing of Grimsby brought that winning feeling back to Stamford Bridge and anything but a follow-up victory against Brighton will be seen as a huge disappointment for Chelsea. As a result of that pressure, Lampard’s men might show a few nerves but in the end, their quality will see them through.
Scoreline prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Brighton
