Premier League: Chelsea take on Brighton in key battle as both sides target crucial victory

After both progressing in the Carabao Cup during the week, Brighton and Chelsea face off at Stamford Bridge in one of the many Saturday 3pm kick offs.

The hosts currently sit in 6^th place after 5 games, after most recently suffering a defeat at the hands of Manchester United in a game that featured cards, unexpected substitutions and goals. Brighton on the other hand, are in 14^th place. In their last league outing, they secured a point at home to Tottenham Hotspur – a disappointment given they had a 2-goal lead by the half-hour mark thanks to goals from Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari.

This fixture has always been one abounding with entertainment. Last season, the aggregate scoreline between these two sides was 5-4 in Brighton’s favour, with both teams managing to pick up wins at home. The most recent meeting played out to be a comfortable 3-0 win for The Seagulls – a game in which forwards Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh shone brightly.

One player who has stood out for Chelsea in a challenging start to the campaign is Joao Pedro, who ironically signed from their opponents. He has had a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists in the first 5 games of the season. Chelsea have struggled with creativity without Palmer’s presence in attacking midfield, but Pedro has become a presence in the striker position.

For the visitors, Yankuba Minteh has been an attacking threat. Brighton have only scored 6 goals so far in this campaign – Minteh has contributed to 1/3 of these. Brighton’s play often involves their wingers, and the Gambian international is heavily involved in the team’s intricate passages of play.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler could have Maxin De Cuyper back in contention for the left-back position, but Adam Webster, Jack Hinshelwood and Solly March all remain out. This would mean that Brighton will most likely start similarly as to how they did against Tottenham, though Hurzeler could have a selection headache after a 5-star performance from Diego Gomez in a 6-0 win against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, in which he scored 4 astonishing goals.

Possible Starting XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, De Cuyper, Veltman, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Gomez, Mitoma, Rutter

After serving his suspension mid-week, Robert Sanchez will most likely make a return between the posts. Cole Palmer will be assessed, so Chelsea fans hope that he is fit enough to play on Saturday. Chelsea have, at times, struggled without the presence of Palmer, lacking goals and creativity to win games. Even if he is not available for the weekend, the Blues will need to quickly adjust and bring attacking threat to games, especially in open play.

Possible Starting XI: Sanchez, Chalobah, Tosin, James, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Estevao, Neto, Pedro, Gittens

Despite playing midweek, both teams should be rejuvenated after plenty of rotation, allowing for an energetic and exciting game in another weekend of Premier League football.