Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea

Resurgent Chelsea head to the Amex Stadium to take on mid-table Brighton & Hove Albion in their penultimate game of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

Battles on multiple fronts have taken their toll on Brighton this season as they’ve relinquished their hopes of securing back-to-back European qualifications following a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United last weekend. With only two games left, the Seagulls lag nine points behind seventh-placed Chelsea after only winning two of their 11 top-flight matches since late February (D4, L5). Goals have been extremely hard to come by for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, as you’d need to go back to mid-February for the last time they scored more than once in Premier League action, courtesy of a 5-0 demolition of basement boys Sheffield United. Since that game, they’ve averaged only 0.54 goals per game across 11 league outings, though they squeaked past Aston Villa 1-0 in their most recent home match.

In contrast to Brighton’s rough patch, Chelsea’s form continues to soar after an epic late comeback in a 3-2 away win over Nottingham Forest extended their winning league streak to three games. Only the current top-three sides have collected more Premier League points than the Blues’ 35 since Boxing Day, testifying to Mauricio Pochettino’s sterling job following a stuttering start. Pochettino will look forward to this trip, considering he’s excelled in his previous managerial encounters against Brighton (W6, D1, L1). But winning outside Stamford Bridge has proved elusive for Chelsea as they had gone winless on five consecutive Premier League travels (D4, L1) before beating the Tricky Tress at the weekend. It’s also worth noting that they’ve conceded 2+ goals in their last five away league games.