Chelsea welcomes Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the English Premier League.
In their most recent league match, the host suffered a 1-0 defeat against Julen Lopetegui’s Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves won thanks to a goal from Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes in the first half.
On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 in a league match, on the other hand. Spurs won thanks to goals from ace striker Harry Kane and South Korean attacker Son Heung-min. Lewis Dunk, a center-back for Brighton & Hove Albion, scored the winning goal.
There have been 12 head-to-head matches between the two teams, and Chelsea has won six, lost two, and tied four. Kai Havertz, a German forward for Chelsea, has made eight goal-related contributions in 26 league starts this year. Ben Chilwell, a left defender for Chelsea, has made four goal-related contributions in his first 11 league starts. Argentine international Alexis Mac Allister has nine goal contributions in 24 league starts for Brighton & Hove Albion thus far. Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma has 11 goal contributions in 16 league starts for Brighton & Hove Albion this season.
Marc Cucurella, a Spanish left-back, was acquired by Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer for €65 million. A few months later, Chelsea made another surprise appearance to hire Graham Potter as manager. Cucurella’s season should be discussed as little as possible since Potter has been fired.
Brighton & Hove Albion may have sold Chelsea some of its pieces, but they were unable to transfer Brighton’s success. Chelsea is now 11th in the league, seven points behind their next opponent, while the Seagulls are currently seventh.
The Seagulls has been quite successful in signing players like Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma, and Pascal Gross because of their capacity to sign undervalued talents from throughout the world for low prices. Due to this, the team will continue to punch above their weight even after losing players like Potter, Cucurella, and Leandro Trossard.
Chelsea’s business model depends on them shelling out astronomical sums of money to sign top-tier football players. Although it is difficult to determine who is superior, only one squad is currently winning.
Chelsea’s current form: WDLDL
Brighton’s current form: DWDWL
When and Where?
Location: London, England.
Stadium: Stamford Bridge.
Date: Saturday, 15 April.
Kick-off Time: 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00.
Referee: Robert Jones.
VAR: Chris Kavanagh.
Chelsea team news
In Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Real, Chelsea center defender Kalidou Koulibaly staggered off the field. If he doesn’t recover by Saturday, Frank Lampard could go to a back-four system and replace him with a midfielder.
While Armando Broja continues to be out for an extended period of time, Carney Chukwuemeka has sustained a knock that needs to be evaluated. After receiving a red card in midweek, Ben Chilwell is now eligible for Premier League duty; nevertheless, Marc Cucurella may start in place of the England international.
Brighton team news
Since Levi Colwill is unavailable to play against his parent club Chelsea, Adam Webster will partner Lewis Dunk as the Seagulls’ center defender. The starting XI will be roughly the same as the one that was narrowly defeated at Tottenham the last time out. However, Evan Ferguson might take Danny Welbeck’s spot up front.
Jakub Moder is nearing recovery from a chronic knee ailment, but he is not expected to play against Stamford Bridge. Additionally excluded are Jeremy Sarmiento and Adam Lallana.
After getting sent off against Spurs, Brighton’s manager Roberto De Zerbi is still awaiting word on whether he would receive a second touchline suspension for the year.
Player to Watch: Karou Mitoma
The 25-year-old Japanese international for Brighton has been a revelation this year, contributing to the Seagulls’ successful campaign with goals and assists.
Mitoma, who scored seven goals for the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise last year, has continued where he left off. The Japanese star has already scored seven goals and provided four assists in the Premier League this year. His ability to finish expertly under pressure and adapt to this league like a duck to water make his goals much more astounding than the mere fact that he has scored them. The Chelsea defenders will need to be on the lookout for Mitoma this weekend, as he is our man to monitor.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; James, Fofana, Silva, Cucurella; Gallagher, Fernandez, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Felix.
Brighton predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Caicedo; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson.
