Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea Preview

Less than a week after squaring up in the FA Cup, Brighton and Chelsea will meet again at the same venue on Friday evening, this time in a Premier League game.

Brighton secured a 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round the last time these two sides met, and they will be looking for a repeat of a similar result here. A win will end the Seagulls’ run of five winless home league games (D3, L2), and manager Fabian Hürzeler will also be looking for a reaction in their first league match following their 7-0 drubbing at Nottingham Forest.

Getting a reaction against an illustrious opponent can’t be ruled out, as Brighton are unbeaten in Premier League home games against teams starting the day in the top four (W2, D1) so far this campaign.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will look to avenge the 2-1 loss in the FA Cup and close the gap between themselves and the top two. They currently sit in fourth place, two points ahead of Manchester City in fifth.

However, their chances of remaining there looks slim as they are without an away win across all competitions since mid-December (D2, L3). Their downturn in away form certainly isn’t timely, particularly as their remaining seven away league games this season all came against sides currently sat 11th or higher in the table.

The Blues have struggled post-Christmas, as after posting a 12-match unbeaten run (W9, D3) throughout November and into late December, they have won just two of their seven league games from Boxing Day onwards (D2, L3). But four successive H2H wins before the weekend’s reversal would suggest they have what it takes to continue their revival here, having won two of their last three league outings.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table