Brighton and Chelsea meet at the Amex for the second time in the space of six days.
Last Saturday, the two clashed in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, with the Seagulls coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1.
A repeat of that scoreline would heap yet more pressure on the shoulders of Blues boss Enzo Maresca.
NetBet has previewed the latest instalment of Friday Night Football in the Premier League (which may ruin a few Valentine’s Day plans), complete with online betting odds for your football betting.
And if you want to test your predictive skills, make sure to try our Correct Score Predictor, which is free to play for NetBet customers!
Brighton vs Chelsea
Friday, February 14, 8pm
The Amex, Brighton
Live on Sky Sports
Brighton vs Chelsea Preview
Brighton’s FA Cup win, secured by goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma, will have tasted even sweeter for manager Fabian Hurzeler after his side’s 7-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in the previous fixture.
Questions were being raised about the Seagulls’ capabilities this season, but last Saturday’s performance on the South Coast was a welcome reminder of their quality.
As for Chelsea, they just cannot find any consistency, with two wins, two defeats and a draw in the last five matches across all competitions.
What will be of serious concern to Maresca is the fact the Blues were unable to keep a clean sheet in that quintet of fixtures, a worrying record when you factor in the quality and depth of Brighton’s attack.
However, Chelsea are still well positioned in the Premier League table, sitting fourth on 43 points thanks to a 2-1 comeback win over London rivals West Ham last Monday.
So if they can put a positive run together starting this weekend, a place in next season’s Champions League beckons.
But suffering another defeat to Brighton would present the chance for either Manchester City or Newcastle – who play each other on Saturday – to move above them into fourth.
The pressure is on…
Brighton vs Chelsea Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Despite last weekend’s result, Chelsea open as favourites at 2.24. Brighton are 2.91 to collect all three points, while the draw is priced at 3.64.
Brighton vs Chelsea Betting Tips
Chelsea to be winning at half-time, Brighton to win the match @ 19.00
We fancy this match to follow a similar plot to the FA Cup tie, albeit with Brighton not responding until after the interval. Chelsea are having no issues scoring of late, but their inability to keep out opposition attacks for a whole match is clear for all to see.
First half result – Chelsea @ 2.65
If you want to remove the Brighton comeback element of the above selection, but are also wary of the match finishing as a draw, this looks like a great avenue to go down.
Brighton to win either 2-1, 3-1 or 4-1 @ 5.20
But again, we are following the road of a Brighton win, one with Chelsea on the scoresheet. The Seagulls to achieve victory and both teams to score is priced at 4.33, if you fancy taking less of a risk with your wager.
Brighton Team News
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen, Veltman, Van Hecke, Webster, Lamptey, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma, Pedro
Injuries/Doubts: Dunk, Estupinan, Wieffer, March, Kadiolgu, Steele, Milner, Julio
Suspensions: None
Chelsea Team News
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez, James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Nkunku
Injuries/Doubts: Jackson, Guiu, Badiashille, Fofana, Lavia, Kellyman
Suspensions: Mudryk
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