An all-Premier League FA Cup fourth-round tie takes centre stage at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night as Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Chelsea.
The Seagulls will be seeking revenge against the West Londoners after suffering a 4-2 league defeat at Stamford Bridge in their most recent meeting just over four months ago.
Match preview
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Premier League victories earlier in the campaign against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle now seem nothing but distant memories for Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who has come under intense criticism from some of the club's supporters following a humiliating 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest last weekend.
The 31-year-old half-heartedly acknowledged the disgruntled Seagulls fans in the away end, who watched their side suffer their heaviest defeat for 67 years and their second-heaviest league loss in their 124-year history against a ruthless Forest outfit, who converted seven of their nine shots on target and had only 37% possession.
Following a run of just two wins in 12 games that has seen then slip to 10th in the Premier League table and six points behind the top seven, Hurzeler believes his Brighton side will come through a 'test of character' and he is keen to quickly see a reaction from his players, starting with Saturday's clash against Chelsea.
Success against Chelsea could prove challenging for Brighton, though, as they have lost each of their last four meetings with the Blues and have come out on top in only one of their last 11 home encounters in all competitions.
Having said that, the Seagulls have progressed from five of their last six FA Cup fourth-round ties since securing promotion to the Premier League in 2017, with the exception being a 3-1 defeat at Spurs in 2021-22.
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After ending the month of January with a 3-1 defeat at top-four rivals Manchester City, Chelsea returned to winning ways in their first game of February as they came from behind to beat West Ham United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
Pedro Neto's second-half equaliser was followed by an Aaron Wan-Bissaka own goal to secure maximum points for the Blues, who endured a 'tough game mentally' in the eyes of calm and composed head coach Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea, who have now collected 13 points from losing positions this season, capitalised on Man City, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Aston Villa all losing last weekend, as their victory has seen them climb up to fourth in the Premier League table, two clear of the Citizens in fifth.
The West Londoners will face Brighton in their next Premier League match on February 14, but they will first test their mettle against the Seagulls in the FA Cup, with the eight-time winners seeking to advance to the fifth round of the competition for the 26th time in 28 seasons.
Chelsea travel to the Amex without a win in their last four away matches (D2 L2), but they have won seven of their last 11 visits to Brighton in all competitions and have also progressed from their last two FA Cup ties against the Seagulls - winning a fourth-round replay 4-0 in 1966-67 and winning a third-round tie 2-0 in 1972-73.
Team News
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Brighton are still having to cope without Jason Steele (shoulder), Igor Julio (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), James Milner (thigh) and Solly March (muscle) due to injury, while Mats Wieffer (thigh), Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari (both muscle) and Pervis Estupinan (unspecified) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.
New signing Eiran Cashin is eligible to make his debut after he missed Derby County's third round penalty-shootout loss to Leyton Orient last month with a hamstring injury, so the centre-back is a contender to play alongside captain Lewis Dunk.
Hurzeler's decision to play with just one recognised centre-midfielder, Jack Hinshelwood, against Forest did not pay off, so January signing Diego Gomez and Matt O'Riley will both be pushing to start on Saturday, while Danny Welbeck could lead the line once again, unless Joao Pedro is moved into the centre-forward position.
As for Chelsea, Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended), Wesley Fofana, Omari Kellyman (both hamstring), Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile (both thigh) all remain unavailable for selection, although the latter is believed to be closing in on a return.
Nicolas Jackson (hamstring) and Marc Guiu (groin) both picked up injuries in Chelsea's win over West Ham and have emerged as doubts for this weekend's contest. Christopher Nkunku could therefore start as a centre-forward.
Cole Palmer, who scored four goals in Chelsea's aforementioned league win over Brighton earlier this season, will likely continue in the number 10 role, while the likes of Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Malo Gusto and Trevoh Chalobah will all be looking to force their way back into the first XI.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Cashin, Lamptey; O'Riley, Hinshelwood; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Nkunku
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Chelsea
It is difficult to back against a wounded Brighton outfit who conceded seven goals last time out and another four as they were carved wide open by Chelsea in their previous meeting earlier this season.
Taking the Seagulls' defensive frailties into account and the fact that they have won just one of their last eight home games, we are backing the Blues to come out on top, even if Maresca opts to make multiple changes to his lineup.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
