Chelsea vs Brighton Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Chelsea vs Brighton taking place? Chelsea vs Brighton will take place on Wednesday 29th December, 2021 at 19:30 (UK)
Where is Chelsea vs Brighton taking place? Chelsea vs Brighton will take place at Stamford Bridge in London
Where can I get tickets for Chelsea vs Brighton? Ticket information for Chelsea vs Brighton can be found on each club’s official website
What TV channel is Chelsea vs Brighton on in the UK? Chelsea vs Brighton will be televised live on the Amazon Prime app on smart TVs
Where can I stream Chelsea vs Brighton in the UK? Chelsea vs Brighton can be streamed live on Amazon Prime
THE LOWDOWN
CHELSEA
- After progressing to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup last Wednesday, Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Boxing Day, beating Aston Villa 1-3 in the West Midlands.
- Head coach Thomas Tuchel has bemoaned the Christmas schedule, claiming that he not only makes substitutes for injury rather than tactical purposes and players such as Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante who were forced off against Aston Villa are unlikely to feature here.
BRIGHTON
- After a run of 11 Premier League fixtures without a win, Brighton finally managed to snap that streak last time out, recording a crucial 2-0 victory over Brentford to ease the pressure on head coach Graham Potter.
- Potter will be boosted by the availability of midfielder Yves Bissouma following suspension and he is likely to come straight back into the side, although Boxing Day goalscorer Leandro Trossard suffered a tight hamstring against the Bees and is touch-and-go for this one.
THE TEAM NEWS
CHELSEA
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Mount; Lukaku
UNAVAILABLE: Chilwell (Isolating)
QUESTIONABLE: Havertz (Isolating), Thiago Silva (Injured), Kante (Injured), Loftus-Cheek (Injured), Werner (Isolating)
BRIGHTON
PREDICTED XI (4-1-3-2): Sanchez; Veltman, Webster, Burn, Cucurella; Bissouma; Mwepu, Lallana, Gross; Welbeck, Maupay
UNAVAILABLE: Dunk (Injured), Locadia (Injured), Sarmiento (Injured), Steele (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Trossard (Injured), Veltman (Injured), Duffy (Injured)
THE PREDICTION
With such a quick turnaround from a fixture perspective, the strength-in-depth of both these squads will prove crucial heading into this clash and despite Tuchel’s comments that his side are “struggling”, the Blues are still expected to field an extremely strong side who must beat Brighton here to keep the pressure on league leaders Man City. Brighton rarely prove to be pushovers in fixtures such as these, which they showed when they held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Anfield earlier in the season. However, the visitors’ preparation time has been miniscule with just a two-day rest gap between their win over Brentford and this trip to Stamford Bridge and it would be no surprise if Potter’s men were to run out of gas as this match goes on, with Chelsea ultimately coming out on top.
Tip: CHELSEA TO WIN
