Brighton travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend, where they will look to defeat Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea. The two clubs have already faced this season, with the Blues winning 1-0 in the EFL Cup.
Chelsea
At the beginning of the season, Chelsea were rather solid defensively, but they struggled in front of goal. Fast forward to the last few weeks and they’ve netted four goals against Spurs and Man City, whilst also conceding eight in their last two matches. The Blues lack consistency and that is evidenced by their position in tenth. Pochettino’s side score 1.69 goals per game on average and concede 1.54.
Last time out, Chelsea suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United. The score was 1–1 at half time but conceding two goals in the space of a minute on the hour mark was demoralising. Reece James was sent off and Newcastle added a fourth before full time.
Brighton
Roberto De Zerbi will be slightly frustrated with how his side has performed at times, but it is clear that injuries have impacted the season so far. After 13 matches, Brighton sit in eighth, winning 6 games. As always, the Seagulls are scoring for fun (2.15 goals per game on average) and they are yet to blank in front of goal all season. However, their biggest issue lies within the defensive department as they’ve also conceded in every single match and concede an average of 1.77 per game.
The Seagulls picked up a vital yet potentially undeserved 1-0 victory in Athens on Thursday evening. Joao Pedro scored the only goal, and he netted twice last weekend in the 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Verdict?
Unfortunately for Chelsea, they perform much better on the road than they do at home. The record at Stanford Bridge is poor for Chelsea’s standards, winning just once in seven attempts. On the other hand, Brighton have won their last three away matches in all competitions and they’ve tasted victory in 50% of their games on the road in the Premier League. Both teams to score is extremely likely, as both teams will give away chances, goals will be guaranteed.
The final prediction is Chelsea 2-2 Brighton.
