Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea
Brighton and Chelsea will square off at the Falmer Stadium for the second time in six days this Sunday following their FA Cup clash last weekend which saw the Blues bowing out of the fourth round.
Chelsea are looking for revenge, as they will miss a trophy opportunity. However, they can take solace in the fact they’re in contention for a Top 4 spot in the Premier League while being one of the heavy favourites to win this year’s Europa Conference League. Enzo Maresca’s men are the fourth seed with 43 points.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side is six notches below Chelsea in the English top-flight standings with 34 points and getting another home win would help their European cause. The Seagulls have their work cut out for them, as they have lost back-to-back league matches before beating Chelsea in the Cup.
Talking Points
Brighton’s rotation players push for starts
Jason Steele (shoulder), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Igor Julio (hamstring), and James Milner (hamstring) are unlikely to play, and Lewis Dunk is questionable after sustaining a rib injury during the FA Cup fourth round. If Dunk is absent against Chelsea, Adam Webster could draw a rare start. Pervis Estupinan (thigh), Solly March (thigh), and Mats Wieffer (knee) are also questionable this weekend.
Winter signing Diego Gomez is pushing for his first start after impressing against the Blues last weekend when he subbed for Jack Hinshelwood in the 68th minute. Joao Pedro was also a sub during the weekend and could draw a start.
Chelsea will have their hands full with trying to slow down Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma, who scored the goals last weekend, but the Blues will also have to worry about Danny Welbeck and Tariq Lamptey. Welbeck is the Seagulls’ leading scorer with six league goals and is excellent with his hold-up play, while Lamptey tortured Malo Gusto on the right side of the park the last time they met.
Sancho has been disappointing for Chelsea
Jadon Sancho made a quick start to life in West London, as he recorded three assists in his first three appearances under head coach Enzo Maresca. Since then, his goal involvements have only come few and far between.
The former Manchester United forward has two goals and six assists in 21 games across all competitions this season. Sancho’s performances recently have drawn scrutiny. The Blues will need more from him since the team will be without Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk in the next few weeks. Either way, the Blues are stuck with Sancho since they’re obligated to activate his buy option this summer, unless they somehow end up as the 15th seed or lower.
In other team news, Filip Jorgensen, Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, and Noni Madueke are pushing to start after dropping down to the bench at the weekend.
History
Sunday marks the third meeting between Brighton and Chelsea, and these two teams have split their first two encounters this season. Chelsea won 4-2 in the reverse fixture last September at Stamford Bridge, as Cole Palmer scored four goals to nullify Georginio Rutter and Carlos Noom Quomah Baleba’s scores. Brighton won in the second encounter 2-1 last weekend in the FA Cup fourth round at the Falmer Stadium, as they overturned a one-goal deficit (via Bert Verbruggen’s own goal) through goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.
After a five-game undefeated run against the Blues in the Premier League (W2, D3), Brighton have lost their last three league games against Chelsea. Brighton are winless in five consecutive home league matches since they beat Manchester City 2-1 in November.
Chelsea have lost only one of their seven Premier League away matches against Brighton (W4, D2). However, the Blues are currently on the longest winless run away from home in the league (D2, L2).
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2025 odds expect another banger from the Seagulls and the Blues. Because of their place in the table, Chelsea have a slight advantage at 2.25, whereas Brighton are at 2.71 odds to win in the 1X2 market. Given how close their recent matchups have been, I’d say this could be a draw (pegged at 3.47).
Expect these two teams to light up the scoreboard, so Premier League 2025 highlights are to be expected. Besides our recommended bet above, SBOTOP bettors and football fans can opt for alternatives like Over 2.75 at 1.64, Over 3.00 at 1.85, Over 3.25 at 2.11, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.56. Moreover, a Correct Score of 2-2 sounds about right, and it is priced at 11.00 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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