Chelsea vs Brighton Predicted Lineups, Preview, Odds & Prediction

Both of these teams have had disappointing starts to this season. Chelsea after their Club World Cup victory in the summer were looking at a title challenge this season; their fans certainly were. They started their season off with a draw at Palace, followed up by 2 wins against West Ham and Brentford. Things were looking good, but they followed up those wins by conceding a last minute equaliser to relegation candidates Brentford and losing to arguably the worst Man United team we have ever seen. Brighton on the other hand, looked to have one of the stronger squads in the league on paper heading in to the season, but have only won 1 game this season and currently sit 14th. The Seagulls drew with Fulham in the opener, have lost to Everton and Bournemouth, beat City in a comeback win and drew 2-2 with Spurs last weekend. Both of these teams will be desperate to follow up dropped points last weekend with a win to get their season’s back on track. Chelsea will likely be without star man Cole Palmer, but there will be no excuses for a side that has spent as much as they have. Brighton will look to punish a struggling Chelsea team that looks weak defensively with their brilliant attacking talents in Mitoma and Minteh.

• Can Chelsea win without Cole Palmer?
• Can and sure things up defensively and get their season back on track?
• What will Maresca’s team selection be with Palmer and his apparent understudy Buonanotte unavailable for this game?

Find out all of that and much more in our preview of Chelsea vs Brighton. We have a match preview, predicted lineups, team and injury news, live odds, our score prediction and more for this GW6 matchup.

Match Details:

Fixture: Chelsea vs Brighton

Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Date: Saturday 27th September

Kick-off: 3:00pm BST

Premier League Head-to-Head Record:

Chelsea have had the better of things over the recent years and meetings in the league. Each team won their respective games at home last season, with 9 goals total between the two games. We will be expecting goals in this one too. Over their last 5 meetings, Chelsea have won 3 and Brighton have won 2 – no draws. So my prediction of 2-2 in this one doesn’t have recent history in it’s favour.

Chelsea Brighton Last 5 Premier League Results

14/02/25 - Brighton 3-0 Chelsea

28/09/24 - Chelsea 4-2 Brighton

15/05/24 - Brighton 1-2 Chelsea

03/12/23 - Chelsea 3-2 Brighton

15/04/23 - Chelsea 1-2 Brighton

Chelsea Overview and Form:

Chelsea have had a underwhelming start that has some critics looking at Maresca and the BlueCo recruitment already. A drab 0-0 was how the season kicked off against Palace, which was followed up by a 5-1 thrashing of West Ham at the London stadium. They followed that up with a 2-0 win over Fulham that involved a controversial Fulham opening goal being disallowed. They then gave up a stoppage time equaliser against Brentford to drop 2 points. Then came the loss to United that started with an absurd red card from Sanchez. They have not played up particularly well in any of their games besides West Ham. None of the new signings bar Joao Pedro are making any real impact. Given the expectations after the Club World Cup win, the ship needs to be righted and soon.

As an attacking unit Chelsea have been good but nothing that far removed from what they were last season. They have scored 10 goals in 5 games although obviously half of those goals came against West Ham, and they sit 4th in xG. However, without Palmer in the last couple of games, they have struggled to create. They created barely anything against Brentford in GW5 before he came on and changed the game, and they barely created anything after he came off in GW6 vs United. Joao Pedro is carrying the attacking load and impetus solo it seems when Palmer isn’t on the pitch. Estevao has had some bright moments and for Maresca’s sake, hopefully he and Neto can help Joao Pedro out and keep Chelsea’s attack firing while Palmer is out.

Defensively, without Colwill, Chelsea look fragile. Chalobah has played fairly well but his partners in Tosin and Fofana have not. They started the season off looking solid defensively, but in their last 4 games they have then conceded 2 to Brentford, 3 to Bayern, 2 to a bad Manchester United team and conceded against Lincoln in the EFL Cup with their Chalobah and Fofana starting. They look easy to get at and Caicedo is having to put out fires. The centre-back and goalkeeper situation is not going to improve until January at the earliest, and Brighton will feel confident in their ability to create and score multiple against this Chelsea defence.

What exactly Maresca is going to do without Palmer, and with his decision making, is a mystery. It will be difficult to completely control possession and the tempo against this Brighton team, and I don’t see Chelsea being able to control proceedings without Palmer. This might become a transition heavy game that is like a tennis match, back and forth, and that could be something that works out for Chelsea with atttacking talent like Joao Pedro, Estevao, Enzo and Neto against this weak Brighton defence. Outscoring Brighton might be Chelsea’s best bet to secure 3 points.

Brighton Overview and Form:

Brighton despite an uneven start, aren’t quite in the state of panic Chelsea seem to be in. However, their start is not good enough for a team with as much talent as they have. The performances have been good, especially from an attacking perspective. Despite good performances, they gave up a stoppage time equaliser against Fulham on the opening day, lost to Everton 2-0 despite playing well and gave up a 2-0 lead against Tottenham last weekend to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw. They came from behind against City in a great comeback, but to only win 1 game out of 4 good performances isn’t the level required to secure European football which should be Brighton’s aim. Their other league game was a poor performance in a 2-1 loss away from home to a strong Bournemouth side.

As an attacking outfit, Brighton have been excellent this season. They have scored 2 in every game bar Everton and Bournemouth, with Everton being the only game they blanked in. They have scored 6 in both their EFL Cup games too. Minteh and Mitoma are a devastating winger duo. Rutter has looked very good in central roles this season, as had Gruda whenever he has played. They sit 5th in xG in the league and with young players like Rutter, Minteh and Gruda among others, their attack may only improve as their young stars do. Can’t forget about the trusty veteran Welbeck up-front too. I don’t fancy Chelsea to keep a clean sheet in this one.

Defensively is where Brighton have struggled mightily. They have conceded 2 goals in every game bar Fulham and City, but they still conceded in both of those games. They sit mid table in xG conceded, but the defensive personnel is sub par. Dunk is past it, Van Hecke is a solid but not great player, and De Cuyper strengths are more on-ball but defensively he can be found out. They need to tighten things up at the back if they are going to start picking up wins against top half opposition.

Brighton should look to try to dominate this game and I think that’s how Hurzeler will set them up to play. To play with the ball and control possession, and look to push Chelsea back into their own half and pile on the pressure. This will leave them vulnerable to Chelsea counter attacks, but if Brighton can get the first goal while playing their game, they then can be a bit safer in possession and provide more cover against counters from the likes of Estevao, Neto and Joao Pedro. Chelsea will likely have spells where they put Brighton under some pressure but without Palmer, Brighton should feel like they can outscore Chelsea and kick-start their season.

Match Betting Odds:

Chelsea: 4/5

Draw: 11/4

Brighton: 3/1 (Great value and favourite bet)

Both Teams to Score Odds: 

Yes: 4/7

No: 7/5

Player to Score Odds:

Cole Palmer: 13/10

Joao Pedro: 27/20

 

Betrino is currently offering over 10% better value on Brighton to win compared with the average market line at most major sports books!

Lineups will be updated throughout the week in live time as and when injury and lineup news is announced.

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup:

Chelsea Predicted Lineup GW6

GK - Jorgensen

RB - Gusto

CB - Acheampong

CB - Chalobah

LB - Cucurella

CM - James

CM - Caicedo

AM - Enzo

RW - Estevao

LW - Neto

ST - Joao Pedro

Chelsea Team News:

Speaking on Palmer’s injury on Friday, Maresca informed the media that “Yes, we decided to protect a little bit Cole (by taking him off early at Man Utd) in terms of not letting his injury get worse. We decided to rest him for two-three weeks until the international break to see if with that rest he can recover 100% and to be fit after the international break”. So, Chelsea will be without Palmer for the next 3 league games at least. Enzo will shift forward to start in the 10 and James will likely come in to start in midfield. Buonanotte has been the choice to replace Palmer when he has not started this season but he is loan locked for this game.

Maresca also revealed surprising news that “Tosin is injured. He will probably be out until the international break, he has a small problem in his calf. Wes Fofana had concussion against Lincoln. The rest are okay”. Chelsea’s defence is now incredibly thin and Acheampong will now have to start alongside Chalobah, and Gusto will likely start at RB with James playing in midfield.

Robert Sanchez is suspended after picking up a foolish red card racing out of his box and bringing down Mbeumo through on goal early in the first half. Jorgensen replaced him and did well in the circumstances. He will start against Brighton. Sanchez will return from suspension in GW7.

Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Enzo and Gittens were the only true potential starters who started against Lincoln in the EFL Cup in a game Chelsea scraped by the underdogs. Cucurella, Estevao and Neto made cameos. Joao Pedro and Palmer did not make the squad.

Buonanotte is loan locked as Brighton is his parent club. Lavia has returned to team training but is not fit enough to play or start yet. Maresca revealed “He is not back yet. He took part in the session yesterday which is good news, but we wait for him”, so it sounds like it might be a few more weeks until we see Lavia starting games.

Liam Delap left the game against Fulham with a hamstring injury. Delap did not need surgery on his hamstring. Maresca informed the media that “Liam is around 10 to 12 weeks. Long way to go!”. A lengthy layoff for Delap.

Chelsea Players to Watch:

Palmer: Has a groin issue that is reportedly going to sideline him for the next 3-6 weeks.

James: Likely won’t take part in Chelsea’s cup game and should be fit to start on Saturday. Might play in midfield with Enzo moving into Palmer’s role.

Tosin: Out until after the international break.

Fofana: Out with a concussion.

Estevao: Only did not start the Brentford game due to returning to London late on Thursday from Brazil NT duty. Was only subbed off due to Sanchez’s red card.

Garnacho: Maresca said he’s ready to start. He did not start however.

Lavia: Still out despite returning to training.

Fofana: May start at right-back again if Reece James moves into midfield to cover where Enzo would usually play.

Buonanotte: Loan locked

Delap: Out 10-12 weeks.

Brighton and Hove Albion Predicted Lineup:

Brighton Predicted Lineup GW6

GK - Verbruggen

RB - Wieffer

CB - Van Hecke

CB - Dunk

LB - De Cuyper

CM - Baleba

CM - Ayari

AM - Rutter

RW - Minteh

LW - Mitoma

ST - Welbeck

Brighton Team News:

Speaking on Friday, Hurzeler revealed “There’s some positive news, Mats Wieffer is back and Maxim De Cruyer will be back. Jack [Hinshelwood] is still out. Overall, some more options regarding our full-backs, so good news”. Wieffer and De Cuyper will start in either full-back spot.

Hurzeler also revealed that “Brajan Gruda recovered this week. He had some days off because of these  small issues. He had some treatment but it changed yesterday so he will be fine.” Gruda is certainly someone that will start games in the 10 role this season but Rutter and Welbeck suit this game more and he is recovering from a knock. He will not start against Chelsea.

Fabian Hurzeler, speaking on Friday, revealed some key injury news on Hinshelwood. Hurzeler revealed “Jack [Hinshelwood] will be out for a long time. He has a ligament injury in his ankle, it happened in a very unlucky way, but that’s football”.

Rutter started as the striker against Spurs with Gruda in behind. I think those two players plus Welbeck will rotate between those 3 spots. I think Welbeck starts against Chelsea’s shaky centre-back pairing featuring an inexperienced Acheampong, and Rutter will play the 10 this game.

Brighton Players to Watch:

Wieffer: Will start at right-back against Chelsea.

De Cuyper: Returns from his injury and will start.

Hinshelwood: Set to be out for an extended period with potential ligament damage.

Rutter: Will start in the 10 role this weekend.

Welbeck: Dropped likely for tactical reasons against Tottenham but against Chelsea’s weak centre-back pairing Welbeck starting makes sense.

Chelsea vs Brighton Preview & Predicted Score:

Both teams should set up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formations. Naturally Chelsea will be shifting some players around to accommodate for Palmer’s injury.

Chelsea will look to be in possession and control the ball as much as possible. That is how Maresca likes to play and if Chelsea have the ball, Brighton’s terrific attacking players can’t cause their defence issues. They will look to see if they can control proceedings, push Brighton back into their own half and unleash Joao Pedro, Estevao, Neto and Enzo on Brighton’s weak defence. The key for Chelsea will be to stop Brighton getting any early transition chances, and getting the first goal. If they get the first goal, they can slow tempo, take less risks and provide their own weak defence more cover against Brighton attacks.

Hurzeler and Brighton will look to do similar, to control possession, play with the ball, establish territory in Chelsea’s half to push their defence back, and see if they can’t pick apart Chelsea’s weakened and fragile defence. Brighton certainly have the players and system capable of dominating a game and controlling proceedings, and won’t mind small spells Chelsea try to do the same to them, because that leaves more space for transition opportunities with Minteh, Mitoma, Rutter and Welbeck to hurt Chelsea and get ahead. If Brighton can get ahead, things might get ugly for Chelsea.

I’m going to predict an away win for the Seagulls here. I think without Palmer, Sanchez and Colwill this Chelsea team are there for the taking. The energy around the club is bad at the minute, especially after scraping by Lincoln 2-1 after being 1-0 down at HT in the EFL Cup. Brighton absolutely have what it takes to cause Chelsea issues and create plenty of chances, whether in settled play or transition, and should be able to break Chelsea down. And without Palmer, I think Brighton can keep Chelsea to 1 goal maximum. I think Brighton leave Stamford Bridge with all 3 points and start their ascent up the table.

Score Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Brighton