Head-to-head history
While Brighton did come out victorious last Saturday in emphatic fashion, Chelsea has been the more dominant side when these two clubs face off. The Blues won four in a row before the defeat, but two of those games were decided by just one goal. Brighton and Chelsea often make for an exciting match and it should be another thriller on Valentine’s Day.
Brighton looking to get into top 10
The Seagulls are having a respectable campaign in 2024-25, sitting in 10th with an 8-10-6 record. They’ve bagged 35 goals in 24 appearances while conceding 38. Brighton’s form has been quite inconsistent, however, failing to string together positive results on a weekly basis. Prior to taking down Chelsea in England’s premier cup competition, the Seagulls lost back-to-back matches to Everton and Nottingham Forest, with the latter smashing them 7-0.
In fact, during those two games, Fabian Hurzeler’s men failed to score a single goal. The fixture against Chelsea was crucial in more ways than one because Brighton had to prove they could respond after an embarrassing performance. Thankfully they did, with Japan international Kaoru Mitoma bagging the winner in the 57th minute to send his club through to the fifth round.
Mitoma has served as one of Seagull’s most reliable players in the final third this term, scoring five times and supplying three assists.
Danny Welbeck also has six goals, while Joao Pedro has netted five of his own as well. Brighton has a disappointing 3-6-2 Premier League record on home soil this season and as previously mentioned, has lost three consecutive league outings to Chelsea. But, after finding a win earlier in the month against them, the hosts will fancy their chances. Brighton has +190 odds at Sports Interaction sportsbook.
Huge match for Chelsea
The battle for a top-four spot is fierce right now in England. Chelsea holds the final Champions League berth with 43 points, but Man City and Newcastle are breathing down their necks, sitting on 41 points. Bournemouth and Aston Villa are still in the mix, too. That being said, every single match is crucial for Enzo Maresca’s side.
The Blues are just 2-2-1 in their last five Premier League games, unfortunately losing to City during that run at the Etihad. They’ve also grabbed wins against Wolves and West Ham. While hitting the back of the net has been an issue in recent years, Chelsea is definitely producing the goods in ‘24-25. The English giants have bagged 47 goals in 24 games while allowing only 31.
Cole Palmer is enjoying another marvelous campaign, scoring 14 times and tallying six assists. Strike partner Nicolas Jackson also had nine goals and five assists, but he’s out until April due to injury, which is a tough blow for the Blues. Despite the defeat to Brighton on Saturday, the visitors have lost just once in their last seven games at the Amex Stadium and have slightly better odds for this encounter at soccer betting sportsbooks.
Brighton vs Chelsea injury news
Eight players are expected to miss this clash for the hosts, including Lewis Dunk, Solly March, and James Milner, among others. As for Chelsea, Jackson is of course on the shelf for the foreseeable future, while Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, and Marc Guiu are injured as well. We could see a similar starting XI for both sides as last weekend.
