Chelsea will aim to continue the charge towards securing a top-six finish when they face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.
Just a dozen more games remain for the long-winding 2023/24 Premier League season to culminate. This midweek features six teams catching up on the rest of the division, playing their postponed games. And the action on Wednesday will kick off at the Amex Stadium, where Brighton & Hove Albion host Chelsea.
Brighton & Hove Albion have endured an underwhelming campaign by their recently rising standards. Roberto De Zerbi had guided the club to a top-six finish last season, enduring UEFA Europa League qualification. While the Seagulls did well in Europe, reaching the round of 16, they have been sub-par in the Premier League and might finish outside the top half of the table.
As for Chelsea, they have endured a mixed bag of a debut campaign under Mauricio Pochettino. The West London club spent most of the 2023/24 season outside the top half of the Premier League table. However, the Blues have lost only one of their last 13 games to rise to seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle United. In addition, Chelsea reached the EFL Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals.
The reverse fixture saw Chelsea eke out a narrow 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. They also beat the Seagulls 1-0 in the EFL Cup third round. 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
Roberto De Zerbi has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Chelsea on Wednesday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of nine first-team players.
The Italian tactician is sweating over the fitness of Joel Veltman (knock) and Joao Pedro (ankle) after picking up minor issues this past weekend. Meanwhile, Jack Hinshelwood (foot), Pervis Estupinan (ankle), Jan Paul van Hecke (thigh), James Milner (thigh), Solly March (knee), Kaoru Mitoma (back), and Evan Ferguson (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
Brighton will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Chelsea, with Bart Verbruggen taking his place between the sticks. The backline should feature Tariq Lamptey, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Igor.
As for the midfield unit, Billy Gilmour and Pascal Gross will be automatic picks in the double pivot. Facundo Buonanotte will reprise the no. 10 role, with Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra taking charge of the flanks. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton against Chelsea.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Dunk, Webster, Igor; Gilmour, Gross; Adingra, Buonanotte, Fati; Welbeck
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Mauricio Pochettino has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea boss will be without only four first-team players on Wednesday.
Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka are closing in on returning from their respective knee injuries after stepping up their recoveries and resuming full training. So, Robert Sanchez (match fitness), Wesley Fofana (knee), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Enzo Fernandez (groin) are the only players on the sidelines.
Djordje Petrovic is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, and Marc Cucurella. So, Reece James will likely make another cameo instead of taking the field from the get-go.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will spearhead the Chelsea attack on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Key Stats
- After a five-game unbeaten run against Chelsea between 2021 and 2023 (W2 D3), Brighton & Hove Albion have lost both meetings with the Blues this season.
- Chelsea lost the corresponding fixture 4-1 in the 2022/23 season. But the Blues have never appeared on the wrong end of a result on consecutive visits to Brighton in all competitions.
- Chelsea have only won their final away league games in one of the last six seasons (D1 L4), beating Leeds United 3-0 in 2021/22.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to score more than once in 11 Premier League games, their longest run in the competition. They last had a longer such streak between March and August 2015 (12).
- Chelsea have racked up 29 points in the Premier League in 2024 (P16 W8 D5 L3), with only Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool amassing more since the turn of the year. The Blues can win four successive Premier League games for the first time since October 2022.
Player to Watch
Nicolas Jackson
While Cole Palmer will invariably be under the spotlight due to his exceptional performances this season, we have picked Nicolas Jackson for this section. The Senegalese international has attracted plenty of criticism and trolling since joining Chelsea from Villarreal last summer, with his wastefulness contributing to it.
However, he has turned things around spectacularly since March, scoring seven goals in 11 appearances while nearly doubling his shooting accuracy and conversion rate. For context, he had found the back of the net only seven times in 22 games until March. So, amid Chelsea’s links with several strikers, including Victor Osimhen, Jackson will be eager to continue making his mark.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Chelsea
This time last year, Brighton & Hove Albion would have been the favourites to clinch three points, considering they were flying high and Chelsea could not buy a point. However, things have taken a 180 for both teams, with Chelsea vying for a top-six finish and Brighton at risk of finishing in the bottom half of the table.
In addition, Nicolas Jackson’s improving form gives Chelsea the added impetus to breach Bart Verbruggen’s goal multiple times. On the other hand, the Seagulls are struggling to find the back of the net and might only score once. The Hard Tackle thus predicts a 3-1 win for Mauricio Pochettino and his charges.
