Chelsea vs Brighton is shaping up to be an exciting watch for fans as the two teams will meet this Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Brighton have had a tough start to the season only winning one game while Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend to Manchester United away. Chelsea will be looking to bounce back at home this weekend while Brighton will be trying to cause an upset and make a statement at the bridge.
Chelsea and Brighton Relationship
In recent years the relationship between the two clubs off the field is a very positive one with the teams regularly doing business with one another. The positive relationship is largely a result of the incredible job Brighton do at their recruitment. They have a history of finding gems for cheap and then developing them into players with real quality. Naturally these players will want to take the next step in their career and that is when Chelsea come knocking. The Blues have purchased many Brighton players under their new ownership and as the relationship continues to grow i believe more players will make the switch from Brighton to Chelsea. This is beneficial for Brighton because they make a large profit on the players they sell and similarly beneficial for Chelsea who are always trying to strengthen to compete for major silverware.
Predicted Lineups and Key Matchups
Both teams have some key players out at the moment through injury. Cole Palmer was just ruled out until after the international break which is a big blow for the Blues. On the other side there is not much to report on with most of the injured players for Brighton still out and progressing through their respective rehab. Danny Welbeck, however, could come back into the starting lineup which will be a boost for the Brighton side.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup (4-3-2-1) Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Pedro
Brighton Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1) Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Heckle, Veltmen, Kadioglu, Ayari, Baleba, Mitoma, Gomez, Minteh, Rutter
Key Matchups
Pedro vs Dunk is a key matchup to keep your eyes on. Pedro has hit the ground running in the Premier League with 2 goals and 3 assists to start the year. He is going up against his ex teammate Dunk, who is no easy matchup for any striker in this league. Will Dunk be able to play to his strengths and will he have an advantage having been Pedro's teammate before or will the quality of Pedro shine? He won't be an easy player to stop but i am intrigued to see what Dunk can do.
Prediction
The game is shaping up to be an exciting encounter with both teams having defensive struggles at the moment. Chelsea I would say are slight favourites here because they are playing at home however anything can happen. Brighton will be up for it and it is a good opportunity for them to turn their season around. Chelsea are also looking to get back on track after successive losses in the Champions League to Bayern Munich and in the Premier League to Manchester united. I think it will be a close game, however, Chelsea will win it 3-1 in the end.
