Chelsea and Brighton are set to face off at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a highly anticipated English Premier League encounter, with both teams looking to build on promising starts to the season. Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm local time (13:00 GMT).
Chelsea began life under new coach Xabi Alonso with a thrilling 3-2 victory over local rivals Fulham, with the attacking trio of Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers, and Cole Palmer all finding the net. They followed that up with a solid 2-0 win over Luton in the League Cup on Thursday.
Brighton, managed by Fabian Hurzeler, arrive in buoyant mood after recording back-to-back 4-0 home wins over Aston Villa in the Premier League and Norwegian side Tromso in the Europa Conference League playoff. The Seagulls have won their last three league meetings with Chelsea, scoring three times on each occasion.
Alonso said he wants players who "feel a desire" to play for Chelsea after Enzo Fernandez was left out of the League Cup win over Luton. The Argentina midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester City, but no suitor has yet met Chelsea's reported £120 million ($162m) valuation.
Chelsea have spent heavily this summer, bringing in Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Valentin Barco, Pep Chavarria, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, and Geovany Quenda for combined fees exceeding £300 million ($406m). Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez is also expected to join as a new first-choice goalkeeper.
Hurzeler warned his side cannot defend against Cole Palmer on a "one-to-one" basis and must be collectively strong. He confirmed that new signings Jaouen Hadjam and Promise David are available for the match.
The Opta supercomputer makes Chelsea favourites with a win probability of 49.6 percent, while Brighton are given a 26 percent chance and a draw is estimated at 24.4 percent. Historically, Chelsea have won 16 of 28 meetings, Brighton 7, with 5 draws. Brighton have won the last four encounters, with Chelsea's last victory coming in September 2024.
Chelsea will be without Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson due to injuries, while Moises Caicedo is a doubt. Brighton have several long-term absentees, including Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas, and Evan Ferguson.
Source: www.aljazeera.com