Chelsea’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday will be a desperate attempt to go back to winning ways.
Half of the games in Gameweek 14 of the 2023–24 Premier League season will take place on Sunday. Four matches will take place simultaneously to start the action, one of which will pit Chelsea against Brighton & Hove Albion in the afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had high hopes for their results leading up to the international break, hoping to begin an incredible run of form. The Blues had held Manchester City to a respectable 4–4 tie while defeating Tottenham Hotspur. But after a dismal display last weekend, Mauricio Pochettino’s team was defeated 4-1.
Conversely, Brighton & Hove Albion halted their Premier League losing streak of six games last week. However, they had to put in a lot of effort to get three points, defeating Nottingham Forest 3-2 after trailing at the half. Then, in order to take control of their Europa League knockout-stage qualification, Roberto De Zerbi’s team defeated AEK Athens 1-0.
In the comparable match from the previous season, Brighton & Hove Albion overcame a goal down to defeat Chelsea 2-1. In advance of the most recent meeting between the two parties, The Hard Tackle examines the interaction in greater detail.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Ahead of his team’s most recent match, Mauricio Pochettino has been met with a mixed bag of team news. The Chelsea manager will be without the services of at least seven first-team players on Sunday against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The unfortunate news is that Reece James is out due to injury sustained against Newcastle United last week. This Saturday, the Chelsea captain will fulfil a one-match suspension. Marc Cucurella has also been sidelined, but he will be back in action the following weekend after picking up his fifth booking of the season.
Meanwhile, Wesley Fofana (knee), Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) remain unavailable. In addition, Malo Gusto will likely miss the game after picking up a knock this week.
But there is some good news, as Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are in contention to make it to the matchday squad after stepping up their rehabilitation programs. The game has come too soon for the duo to feature in the starting eleven. But they might be on the bench on Sunday.
Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him. With James, Gusto, and Cucurella unavailable, the defensive quartet of Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, and Levi Colwill picks itself.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernandez. Gallagher will often drift forward to reprise the no. 10 role, with the other two being primarily defensive-minded. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Brighton, with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling supporting him in the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling
Albion, Brighton & Hove
Similar to his colleague in the Chelsea dugout, the much sought-after Roberto De Zerbi is facing a new roster problem that is impeding his readiness for the trip to Stamford Bridge. On Sunday, the manager of Brighton & Hove Albion will be missing nine players from the first team.
The most recent absence is Lewis Dunk, the captain of Brighton, who was sent off against Nottingham Forest the previous Saturday. Dunk will serve out his sentence on Sunday. Ansu Fati, meantime, has been out for a few weeks due to a hamstring issue.
Together with Tariq Lamptey (hamstring), Adam Webster (knock), Solomon March (knee), Julio Enciso (knee), Pervis Estupinan (thigh), and Danny Welbeck (muscle injury) on the sidelines, the pair has also been injured.
Bart Verbruggen will start in goal, with Brighton arranging themselves in a 4-2-3-1 shape in front of him. As a backup central defence duo, Jan-Paul van Hecke and Igor will play together in place of Dunk and Webster.
James Milner and Joel Veltman will round out the defensive lineup, leaving De Zerbi as thin as a ghost. Billy Gilmour and Pascal Gross are the obvious choices in the middle. Brighton’s creative maestro Gross will be holding the fort with the other person in the middle of the park.
One of Brighton’s strengths this year has been Simon Adingra, who will start on the right wing. The youthful player is expected to enter the final third alongside Evan Ferguson, Joao Pedro, and Kaoru Mitoma, with the intention of causing mayhem at Stamford Bridge.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Igor, Milner; Gilmour, Gross; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
