A place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup will be up for grabs when Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
The EFL Cup has resumed this week with the fourth round, with the latest stage delivering some intriguing fixtures. One of those will see Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion lock horns at Stamford Bridge, with the home side desperate for a win.
Chelsea would have hoped to have put the miseries of the 2022/23 season behind them in the new campaign. But Mauricio Pochettino has not had the galvanising effect on the West London club he would have hoped for thus far. The Blues have won only two of their seven games this term, one of those coming in the EFL Cup. Even in the third round, they were well off their best, coming from behind to beat AFC Wimbledon.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have been one of the most impressive teams in the Premier League thus far this season. They might have lost their UEFA Europa League bow last week. But five wins in six top-flight fixtures have catapulted the Seagulls to third on the table, with only Liverpool and Manchester City ahead of Roberto De Zerbi and his charges.
Brighton won both fixtures against Chelsea last season, with the Blues managing only two goals in as many fixtures. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Watch Mauricio Pochettino preview our Carabao Cup tie with Brighton LIVE! https://t.co/sN216XNxPo
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 26, 2023
Mauricio Pochettino has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of the EFL Cup fourth round. Against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, the Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of nine first-team players.
Malo Gusto is the latest absentee, with the Frenchman seeing red against Aston Villa this past weekend. The 20-year-old has joined Marcus Bettinelli (knee), Wesley Fofana (knee), Romeo Lavia (ankle), and Christopher Nkunku (knee) on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Reece James (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), Benoit Badiashile (hamstring), and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) have made progress in their recovery from their injuries. But the game against Brighton & Hove Albion has likely come too soon for them. The same goes for Noni Madueke, although he should be on the bench.
Djordje Petrovic will likely make a rare start for Chelsea on Wednesday, taking his spot between the sticks. The Blues should line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the Serbian international against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Gusto’s absence means Pochettino needs to be clever with his team selection. So, Axel Disasi will be the right-back, with Ben Chilwell returning on the left flank. Meanwhile, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill should form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Lesley Ugochukwu should return, pairing up with Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Enzo Fernandez should be the third midfielder, with the Argentine international taking up advanced positions. Finally, Nicolas Jackson should spearhead the attack, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Cole Palmer being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Ugochukwu; Palmer, Fernandez, Mudryk; Jackson
Brighton & Hove Albion
Unlike his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Roberto De Zerbi does not have many pressing concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be without four first-team players on Wednesday.
James Milner and Pascal Gross are close to recovering from their respective muscular injuries. But the EFL Cup third-round clash has come too soon for the duo. Meanwhile, Jakub Moder and Julio Enciso are long-term absentees due to their knee complaints.
"When we wear our shirt, we have to push." ✊ RDZ on how he's approaching #CHEBHA. ⤵️
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 26, 2023
Bart Verbruggen committed a dreadful error against Bournemouth and will lose his spot to Jason Steele. Brighton should line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of Steele, with Tariq Lamptey, Jan Paul van Hecke, Igor, and Pervis Estupinan forming the defensive unit.
As for the midfield department, Adam Lallana and Carlos Baleba should pair up in the double pivot. The duo will aim to help Brighton control the proceedings against Chelsea. Their presence in the middle of the park will also allow the four attackers to express themselves better. Finally, Joao Pedro, Kaoru Mitoma, Ansu Fati, and Solly March should form the offensive unit for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Lamptey, van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Lallana, Baleba; March, Fati, Mitoma; Pedro
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in their last seven League Cup away games (W5 D2), although their two draws in that run have resulted in penalty shootout defeats (vs Leicester City in 2021/22 and Charlton Athletic last season).
- Chelsea lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the League Cup third round last season, but have not gone out at this stage of the competition in consecutive campaigns since 1999/00/2000/01.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won their last two meetings with Chelsea in all competitions (both in the Premier League last season), having won just one of their first 18 against the Blues (D5 L12).
- Wednesday will be the first-ever League Cup meeting between Chelsea and Brighton in any cup competition since a 2-0 win for the Blues in the 1972/73 FA Cup.
- Chelsea have failed to score in each of their last three games.
Player to Watch
Armando Broja
Broja will not feature from the get-go against Brighton, with Mauricio Pochettino confirming that he is not ready to start games yet. However, the Albanian international should appear off the bench, as he did against Aston Villa this past weekend.
With Chelsea desperately struggling to score goals consistently, they need their attackers to step up. So, Broja’s return comes at an opportune time for the West London club, who will be desperate for a win on Wednesday.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Things are going from bad to worse with each passing week for Chelsea. So, facing Brighton & Hove Albion is not an ideal scenario for the West London club. And they will unlikely have a good time this midweek, with another early ouster from the EFL Cup on the cards.
Cole Palmer should make an impression in his first start for Chelsea. But the relentless waves of Brighton attacks will be too much for the Blues to contain. So, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Roberto De Zerbi and his charges on Wednesday
