Brighton vs Chelsea: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Chelsea travel down south to take on Brighton, hoping to pick up another three points in their battle to secure European football for next season.

Date: 15/05/24

Kick-off time: 19:45

Venue: AMEX Stadium

Just two games remain for both of these sides, but there is much more at stake for the visitors Chelsea. The Blues have enjoyed an upturn in form of late, winning three games in a row against Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. It is a streak that has seen them climb the table, overtaking Man United and putting them in a strong position to finish in the top seven. Seventh is the place they currently occupy, trailing Newcastle in sixth by three points, though they have a much inferior goal difference to the Magpies. Victory will be crucial if they want any chance of overtaking them. Any dropped points would most likely mean seventh is the highest they can finish.

Brighton, in contrast, have struggled in recent weeks and this has meant they have fallen to 10th. They are four points behind West Ham, who are ninth, so they will need at least a win and a draw to leapfrog them. A top half finish will be the expectation, but there are a couple of teams just behind them who could move ahead of them should they drop points this week.

Goals will be a feature in this one, particularly for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Chelsea have scored at least two goals in each of their last four games, which included a five goal outing against West Ham. Cole Palmer has scored 21 goals this season, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland. He has also registered 10 assists. Nicolas Jackson is a dangerous threat, with his 14 goals making for a promising debut campaign. They should be confident in adding to their tally against a defence who have kept just one clean sheet in their last six.

There has not been much to split these two teams in recent years. The last five meetings has seen two wins each and a draw. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 3-2 in Chelsea’s favour. The hosts took a quick 2-0 lead through Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill, before Facundo Buonanotte halved the deficit. Conor Gallagher saw red, but Fernandez converted from the spot to extend the lead. Joao Pedro pulled another back late on.

Brighton

Brighton have a number of season-ending injuries, but the status of Joao Pedro is yet to be determined. He missed the last game with an injured ankle and the hope is that he will be able to make an appearance before the end of the campaign. Jan Paul van Hecke and Joel Veltman are also doubts.

Chelsea

Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are all out for the remainder of the season, but Chelsea were boosted by the recent returns of Reece James, Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill to the matchday squad.

Brighton

In their last five games, Brighton have won one, drawn two and lost two. It has been a rough stretch for the Seagulls as they have seen themselves slide down the table. Their most recent game was a tricky trip to St James’ Park to take on European hopefuls Newcastle, in which they drew 1-1. Joel Veltman gave the Seagulls the lead early on, but Sean Longstaff equalised on the stroke of half-time.

They could not continue the momentum gained from their home fixture against Aston Villa, a game they won 1-0 thanks to a late Joao Pedro goal, after he rebounded from his missed penalty. This followed a disappointing 3-0 loss at Bournemouth. They had dominated possession, but failed to take advantage of their opportunities and struggled at the back. Marcos Sensi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert were the goalscorers.

This was the second heavy defeat in a row after they fell 4-0 at home to Man City. Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock, before Phil Foden scored a brace to extend the lead before the break. Julian Alvarez added a fourth in the second half to complete the rout. They dropped points once more at the beginning of this run with a 1-1 draw at Burnley. The goals came late, with Josh Brownhill putting the hosts in front with 16 minutes to go. The equaliser was scored by goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who converted into his own net.

Chelsea

In their last five games, Chelsea have won three, drawn one and lost one. It had been a downward trend in form for the Blues, but they have picked it back up as of late with three wins in a row. Their most recent game was a trip to relegation battling Nottingham Forest, in which they won 3-2. Cole Palmer threaded a perfect pass to Mykhailo Mudryk, who finished past the keeper. Forest levelled it through an unmarked Willy Boly from a free-kick, before ex-Blues winger Callum Hudson-Odoi put them in front. The visitors were able to turn it back in their favour as substitute Raheem Sterling found the bottom corner. Reece James marked his return from injury with an assist as he set up Nicolas Jackson’s winner.

This followed an emphatic 5-0 win at home against West Ham. It was a fantastic display with Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and Jackson (x2) all on the scoresheet. It was a second win in a row against a London rival after they beat Tottenham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. The hosts were on top throughout, and were rewarded with an opener from Trevoh Chalobah, who scored with his head. Jackson doubled the lead in the second half with a header of his own, rebounding from Palmer’s free kick which had hit the bar. It was a good response to the disappointment of dropping points at Aston Villa, as they drew 2-2. They came back from two down after a Marc Cucurella own goal and Morgan Rogers strike had given Villa a comfortable advantage at the break. Chelsea fought back in the second half with goals from Madueke and Gallagher. They were unlucky not to win at the death, as VAR ruled out a potential winner from Axel Disasi for a foul.

Their heaviest defeat of the season came at Arsenal, a game they lost 5-0. The Gunners got off to a quick start with a goal from Leandro Trossard, before Ben White and Kai Havertz both scored braces in the second half.

Chelsea have entered some good form as of late, and we expect that to continue at an inconsistent Brighton. It should be a close game, with both teams on the scoresheet, but the visitors’ quality will mean they edge it – Brighton 1-2 Chelsea

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Brighton vs Chelsea will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

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