Chelsea v Brighton Predictions, Betting Tips and Previews

Stamford Bridge - Premier League

Pressure is mounting on Maurizio Sarri as Chelsea host a struggling Brighton on Wednesday evening for Premier League action. The Seagulls' weekend loss to Southampton puts them within five points of the relegation zone, although with a game in hand.

Past Meetings

Chelsea won the reverse fixture by two goals to one, thanks to strikes from Eden Hazard and Pedro, with a second-half goal from Solly March giving Brighton an unutilised life-line.

Team News

Whole-sale changes are expected from Maurizio Sarri from the side that narrowly beat Cardiff on Sunday. Eden Hazard and N'golo Kante will both start, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi likely to feature at some stage.

Solly March will hope to get the chance to score a second goal against Chelsea this season, but only featured off the bench against Southampton. Pascal GroB and Florian Andone both remain sidelined through injury, limiting the Seagulls offensive options.

Chelsea v Brighton Predictions and Preview

Having required a healthy dose of luck to beat Cardiff at the weekend, Maurizio Sarri will be hoping for a more dominant performance against Brighton. The Seagulls will have their own plans however, and will provide difficult to break down at Stamford Bridge.

Despite all the negativity surrounding Chelsea at the moment, the Blues sit just one point off the top three, and have a decent chance at winning the Europa League. At the beginning of the season, this would have constituted a good campaign for a side under new management, but fans are clearly unhappy with Sarri's approach this season.

Unwillingness to change from his patient build-up approach, and refusal to hand a Premier League start to fan-favourite Callum Hudson-Odoi has done little to boost the manager's popularity. However, with the 18-year-old winger likely to start on Wednesday, and at 15/8 to score, and tough games for their rivals, this week has a lot of potential for Chelsea.

Brighton supporters may also be aggrieved with the way their season has panned out. A solid start to the campaign dropped off after a few months, and has gone from bad to worse in the new year. Chris Hughton's team have won just two league matches in 2019, and could probably do without their FA Cup run.

Against Chelsea, the Seagulls will set up to defend, using willing runners such as March and Anthony Lockheart to provide an outlet. For all of Brighton's struggles, they remain a well organised team, and will work to limit the influence of the likes of Hazard and Willian.

For Sarri, the key will be an early goal, if Chelsea can force Brighton to come out of their shell, all three points should remain in West London.