Brighton v Chelsea Match Preview
Chelsea will be hoping for a more successful afternoon at the Amex Stadium than the one they endured last Saturday as they visit Brighton for the second time in six days on Friday.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday evening, with Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma securing a much-needed victory for the Seagulls after Bart Verbruggen’s early own goal.
Fabian Herzeler will hope the victory will provide his side with a confidence boost as they look to arrest a poor run of just one league win in 11 games.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are still in fourth after beating West Ham in their last game but know they have Manchester City chasing them down a place behind them.
A top-four place previously looked nailed on to qualify for the Champions League after starting the season strongly but have suffered a recent dip in form, as well as their exit from the cup.
But manager Enzo Maresca said before their return to the South Coast: “Our journey in the Premier League and Conference League has been fantastic. We will try and finish in the best way we can.
“Don’t forget in the last two years Chelsea have not been top four and this season all the time in the top four.
“This shows everyone we are in the right direction. This club belongs in the Champions League.”
🥶 vs Brighton: 28.09.24 pic.twitter.com/5KhVWzfEWY
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 13, 2025
Brighton v Chelsea Team News
Maresca is seeking a solution up front after Nicolas Jackson was ruled out until the end of March, with Marc Guiu also out for a lengthy spell.
Both were missing in last Saturday’s defeat, with Christopher Nkunku deployed as a false nine, which seems the most likely option again, although Maresca admitted he is open to trying other options.
He said: “We are trying to find different solutions, can be Christoph [Nkunku] or a different kind of player. When you don’t have a proper nine who can be a threat always you have to change.
“Pedro [Neto], Noni [Madueke] or even Tyrique [George] can try and maybe be the solution. Jadon [Sancho] maybe with different skills.”
Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia are also absent for the Blues but Reece James is fit after missing last week’s FA Cup clash.
Brighton are without captain Lewis Dunk still, with Pervis Estupinan and Solly March also out despite the latter recently returning to training.
Brighton v Chelsea Predicted Line-ups