Chelsea host Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, August 30 (9:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM CT / 6:00 AM PT).
Chelsea will be without the suspended Fofana, while wrist injury victim Henderson, thigh injury absentee Emegha and the sidelined Sarr are also out, with Anselmino and Welbeck considered doubtful. Fernández and Caicedo anchor a midfield expected to feed João Pedro, Palmer and Neto up top. Brighton travel without calf injury absentee Minteh, knee injury victim Tzimas, and the injured pair of Ferguson and Baleba, with O’Riley, Kadioglu and Mitoma all doubtful.
US viewers can watch Chelsea vs Brighton on NBC and Peacock.
Chelsea vs Brighton: Best Bets & Predictions
João Pedro and Cole Palmer lead the line as Chelsea look for their first points of the new season against a Brighton side already up and running.
Our approach: we cross-reference recent form, injury news and player output from last season to land on a result, goals and scorer combination that tells one consistent story.
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Season Form & Standings
Brighton head into this one on three points from their opening match, boosted by a goal difference of plus four, while Chelsea have yet to play their first match of the season.
Premier League
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | +4 | 3 | |||
| Chelsea | 11 | 0 |
Chelsea vs Brighton Predicted Lineups
Predicted XI — updated for the latest team news.
Chelsea
3-4-3Brighton
4-2-3-1Potential Match-Winners
- João Pedro (Chelsea): João Pedro scored 15 goals and created 29 chances last season, comfortably Chelsea’s most prolific attacking outlet.
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea): Cole Palmer added 10 goals from 64 shots last season, underlining his knack for finding the net from the number 10 role.
- Jack Luca Hinshelwood (Brighton): Jack Luca Hinshelwood scored 2 goals from just 3 shots last season, a sharp conversion rate in limited minutes off the bench.
Recent Form
Chelsea: L L L D W
- 2026-05-19: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham (W, home)
- 2026-05-09: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (D, away)
- 2026-05-04: Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest (L, home)
- 2026-04-21: Brighton 3-0 Chelsea (L, away)
- 2026-04-18: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United (L, home)
Chelsea’s last five outings last season read three defeats in a row, a draw at Anfield, and a win over Tottenham to finish.
Brighton: W L W L W
- 2026-08-23: Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa (W, home)
- 2026-05-17: Leeds 1-0 Brighton (L, away)
- 2026-05-09: Brighton 3-0 Wolves (W, home)
- 2026-05-02: Newcastle 3-1 Brighton (L, away)
- 2026-04-21: Brighton 3-0 Chelsea (W, home)
Brighton opened this season with a four-goal win over Aston Villa, following on from a run last time out that also brought away defeats to Leeds and Newcastle either side of home wins over Wolves and Chelsea.
Chelsea vs Brighton Prediction
Brighton already have three points in the bank; Chelsea are still searching for their first. Expect the hosts to shade a goal-filled opener at Stamford Bridge, 2-1, with João Pedro among the scorers.