With revenge on their minds, Chelsea travel to the Amex Stadium for a second time in less than a week to face Brighton & Hove Albion, this time for a Premier League fixture.
The Blues were dumped out of the FA Cup last Saturday, with the Seagulls winning 2-1 to advance to the competition’s fifth round. This means their only chance for silverware this season lies in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Enzo Maresca’s side have underperformed in the Premier League of late, winning just two of their last eight matches. They are fourth in the table, but with the race for the Champions League so fiercely contested, the Pensioners need points and will be desperate to complete a league double over Brighton on Friday evening.
Chelsea Team News
Nicolas Jackson suffered a hamstring tweak in the 2-1 win over West Ham last Monday and subsequently missed the FA Cup tie at Brighton. Maresca believes it is a significant injury and Jackson will be sidelined until April.
Marc Guiu, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Omari Kellyman, and Romeo Lavia are all sidelined. Like Jackson, Reece James also missed the FA Cup tie at the Amex Stadium, but Maresca calmed down injury fears by stating after the game that his absence was pre-planned.
Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez started in goal in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton last weekend, however, Filip Jorgensen is likely to replace him in the Chelsea lineup on Friday. The Swede will be keen to repay the faith shown by the manager with a strong display between the sticks.
Defence
Reece James missing the FA Cup tie was planned as a part of the strategy to keep him fit and fresh, so the Chelsea skipper is expected to start at right-back against the Seagulls. Marc Cucurella should be aiming to produce a strong display from the opposite side of the defence and prove a point against his former employers.
Reece at the Amex. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/PYQXqLEhKB
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 13, 2025
Levi Colwill was an unused substitute last weekend, so he should be fresh to start here. The Englishman is likely to partner Trevoh Chalobah at the heart of Chelsea’s defence, hoping to keep Danny Welbeck quiet.
Midfield
Enzo Fernandez came on as a substitute in the FA Cup tie last weekend but he is poised to start alongside Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park. The South American duo must look to take control of the game as early as possible and try breaching Brighton’s high defensive line.
Cole Palmer is the Blues’ creative magician and the onus will be on him to feed the forwards. With five goals in his last two outings against Brighton, the England international will be aiming to haunt Fabian Hurzeler’s side once again.
Attack
Nicolas Jackson has been ruled out for Friday’s game, so Maresca may stick with Christopher Nkunku as a false 9. Noni Madueke is expected to replace Pedro Neto on the right flank, but Jadon Sancho will retain his spot on the opposite flank despite an underwhelming display in the cup game last weekend.
Chelsea’s front three will be looking to combine well and find gaps behind Brighton’s backline to exploit.
