Graham Potter will return to the Amex Stadium for the first time since joining Chelsea when Brighton & Hove Albion host the Blues on Saturday.
Gameweek 14 of the 2022/23 Premier League season will kick off on Saturday when Leicester City and Manchester City meet at the King Power Stadium. And the standout fixture in the “Goal Rush” segment will feature Chelsea, who will visit Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion started the season strongly, with Graham Potter overseeing a brilliant run of results that included an opening-day win over Manchester United. But the Seagulls have been on a slide since Potter’s departure to Chelsea. Roberto De Zerbi is now at the helm at the Amex Stadium but is waiting for his first win as the Brighton manager. And the latest setback came in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
On the other hand, Chelsea had a topsy-turvy ride at the onset of the 2022/23 campaign, with Thomas Tuchel losing his job after just one month. Potter is now in charge of the Blues, with the Englishman overseeing a superb run of results. The west Londoners are on a nine-game unbeaten run under Potter, with the latest success coming against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Brighton come from a goal down to hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw. Hakim Ziyech broke the deadlock in the first half before Adam Webster scored the equaliser to earn a point. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
"We need one win to change this moment. This moment is not bad but when the results aren't good, you are sad.
"The quality of play and skills we've showed have been very good." #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/D1VWpw8V92
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) October 28, 2022
Roberto De Zerbi has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the visit of Chelsea. On Saturday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager could be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
Joel Veltman is the major absentee for Brighton, with the Dutchman dealing with a knock. But the good news is that Kaoru Mitoma (ankle) and Adam Lallana (knock) have recovered from their respective issues. However, Mitoma might still not feature as he needs to regain match fitness.
De Zerbi is also sweating over the fitness of Tariq Lamptey, who copped a knock last weekend. Jakub Moder (knee) is a long-term absentee for Brighton, while Levi Colwill is ineligible to feature against his parent club, Chelsea.
Colwill might have featured if not for being ineligible. And in his stead, Jan Paul van Hecke will deputise for Veltman in the back three. The Dutchman will join Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster in the central defensive unit. Robert Sanchez will take his usual place between the sticks.
Solly March picks himself as the right wing-back, with Pervis Estupinan an automatic selection on the left flank. The two wing-backs will have to provide width in the final third as Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard will take up central positions.
At the same time, they will give defensive support to Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park. Gross and Trossard will be the chief creators for Brighton, with the latter also being the danger man in the final third. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for the Seagulls.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sanchez; van Hecke, Dunk, Webster; March, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Estupinan; Gross, Welbeck, Trossard
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Graham Potter does not have any new concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Chelsea boss will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Mateo Kovacic had sustained a calf injury against Red Bull Salzburg. But Potter has revealed that the Croat suffered from fatigue. Kovacic will thus be available to take on Brighton on Saturday. But Kalidou Koulibaly is yet to recover from a knee injury and remains on the sidelines. Reece James (knee), N’Golo Kante (hamstring), and Wesley Fofana (knee) are long-term absentees.
Watch Graham Potter speak to the media ahead of Brighton! https://t.co/t3Dr7dXGHh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 28, 2022
Cesar Azpilicueta has featured regularly in James’s absence. But the Chelsea captain will earn some rest on Saturday, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek featuring as the right wing-back. And Trevoh Chalobah will man the right-hand side of the central defensive unit. Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella will partner Chalobah at the back, with Kepa Arrizbalaga an automatic pick in the goal.
Ben Chilwell should return to the starting eleven on Saturday after Potter experimented with Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic as the wing-backs against Red Bull Salzburg. Sterling, in turn, will reprise the left-winger role in the final third.
Kovacic, who was crucial for Chelsea against Manchester United last weekend, will likely start on the bench. Potter has been managing the Croat’s fitness lately, meaning Conor Gallagher should start alongside Jorginho in the middle of the park. Finally, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount should complete the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Gallagher, Chilwell; Mount, Aubameyang, Sterling
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have never beaten Chelsea in the Premier League in 10 previous meetings (D4 L6), with the last three all ending as draws. The Blues have never lost against Brighton in 14 previous league clashes (W10 D4). Only three fixtures in Football League history have been played more often with one team unbeaten: Manchester City vs Bournemouth (17), Cardiff City vs Halifax Town (16) and Crystal Palace vs Wrexham (16).
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games (W4 D2), although they have drawn the most recent two. The Blues last drew three successive league matches in January/February 2012 under Andre Villas-Boas.
- Since Graham Potter’s departure, Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win any of their five Premier League games (D2 L3). Should the Seagulls fail to win this match, Roberto De Zerbi would become just the third manager in the club’s league history to fail to win any of his first six games at the helm, after Don Welsh in 1948 (8) and Barry Lloyd in 1987 (12).
- No side has scored more Premier League goals in the final 15 minutes of games this season than Chelsea (6). However, Brighton & Hove Albion are one of just three sides yet to concede in that period thus far this term, along with Arsenal and Southampton.
- After scoring in his first three Premier League games against Brighton between 2018 and 2019 (including twice at the Amex Stadium), Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has failed to find the net in any of his last five against the Seagulls.
Player to Watch
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang had started his Chelsea stint strongly, scoring a few crucial goals in his early outings. But his form has been substandard in the last few weeks, with the veteran striker struggling to find the back of the net regularly.
With Chelsea reportedly in the market for a striker and having a pre-contract agreement to sign Christopher Nkunku, Aubameyang needs to rediscover his form. Brighton & Hove Albion are not an easy opponent, but the 33-year-old needs to start taking his opportunities. Saturday’s game will be critical for the former Arsenal captain.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea and Brighton have been playing out a few draws lately, and Saturday’s game might be another closely-contested affair. The Blues are far from a prolific team, and Graham Potter is rightly frustrated with his attacking contingent.
On the other hand, the Seagulls are searching for goalscorers not named Leandro Trossard. The added background of Graham Potter returning to the Amex Stadium certainly spices things up this weekend.
The visitors might have an easier task of preventing Brighton from scoring on Saturday. And while the Seagulls might leave Chelsea exasperated, the west Londoners should have enough quality to edge a win here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 victory for Potter’s men on the Chelsea manager’s first visit to the Amex Stadium since joining the Blues.
