Chelsea vs Brighton: Preview, team news, predicted XI | Premier League 2019-20
Frank Lampard's Chelsea will be aiming to record a second win on the bounce when they host Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Despite having produced promising displays at various stages of the season so far, Chelsea are yet to translate moments into victories, as typified during the 2-1 loss to Liverpool.
The new Blues boss got a troublesome monkey off his back by recording his first win at home since taking charge. He'll now be eyeing a maiden league home win against an out-of-sort Seagulls outfit, who are win-less in four matches.
Most recently, Brighton saw themselves on the wrong side of the result against Aston Villa in mid-week.
Their record against the Europa League winners will not boost their confidence either, as they have lost all four of their PL games against Chelsea, shipping 11 goals in the process.
On that note, let's look at the team news and probable line-ups ahead of the much-awaited fixture.
Team news
Chelsea
Lampard saw two of his young stars return in the 7-1 thrashing of Grimsby Town, but faces an issue with the fitness of center-halves Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Emerson meanwhile is ruled out until the next international break.
Olivier Giroud, who has been used sparingly so far this season, may be involved in the match day squad.
However, the most interesting part ahead of kick-off will be whether Lampard fulfills his temptation to field both Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the playing XI.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Central defender Shane Duffy recently joined the treatment room, as Graham Potter confirmed ahead of the game. The likes of Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Solly March are expected to return soon, but may not be pushed to the starting XI against the Blues.
Neal Maupay could get a go at the sharp end of the pitch, with Glenn Murray tipped to play a part off the bench as well. Leandro Trossard and full back Bernardo remain sidelined.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma; Reece James, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Mason Mount; Tammy Abraham
Brighton and Hove Albion (3-5-1-1): Matt Ryan; Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, Dan Burn; Martin Montoya, Davy Propper, Dale Stephens, Aaron Mooy, Steven Alzate; Pascal Gross; Neal Maupay
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