Chelsea will be looking for some respite from their Premier League struggles when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out, while the high-flying Seagulls claimed a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth.
Match preview
© Reuters
Chelsea's season went from bad to worse as they endured another disappointing defeat at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Malo Gusto's 58th-minute red card preceding Ollie Watkins's 73rd-minute winner.
Mauricio Pochettino's men have now lost three of their six Premier League games in 2023-24, picking up a solitary victory in the process, while only two teams - Luton Town and Burnley - have scored fewer Premier League goals than Chelsea's five this season.
As a result, the Blues occupy 14th place in the table - 10 points behind third-placed Brighton and only four points clear of the relegation zone - while the 2020-21 Champions League winners already find themselves nine points shy of the top four.
Chelsea kicked off their EFL Cup campaign with an unconvincing victory over AFC Wimbledon last month, coming from behind to claim a narrow 2-1 win against the fourth-tier outfit, so Pochettino will be looking for an improved performance on Wednesday.
© Reuters
By contrast, Brighton have started the season in eye-catching fashion, winning five of their six Premier League matches to remain within touching distance of Manchester City and Liverpool at the summit of the standings.
Following successive 3-1 victories over Newcastle United and Manchester United, Roberto De Zerbi's side recorded a 3-2 loss against AEK Athens in the Europa League last week, but they swiftly returned to winning ways with a 3-1 triumph over Bournemouth at the weekend.
With the teams locked at 1-1 after 45 minutes, Kaoru Mitoma came off the bench to bag a second-half brace and complete the comeback for the Seagulls, who have now scored at least three goals in five of their six league outings this term.
Thanks to De Zerbi's innovative attacking approach, Brighton are the top scorers in the Premier League this season, having netted 18 goals across their opening six outings, so they will be confident of heaping more misery on struggling Chelsea.
Team News
© Reuters
Although Chelsea have forked out millions upon millions of pounds to completely revamp the squad in recent times, Pochettino is short of options ahead of Wednesday's clash due to an injury crisis at Stamford Bridge.
With Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and Marcus Bettinelli all sidelined through injury, the hosts cannot afford to rest many key players in the EFL Cup.
Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is expected to make his debut, meaning that Robert Sanchez will not face his former club on Wednesday, while Cole Palmer and Ben Chilwell should be restored to the starting XI.
As for Brighton, injured pair Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, while James Milner and Pascal Gross are doubts for the midweek trip to the capital.
De Zerbi has proved that he is not afraid to make multiple changes to his starting XI, meaning that we could see a new-look Brighton side on Wednesday, with the likes of Jason Steele, Adama Lallana, Solly March, Ansu Fati and Joao Pedro pushing for a start.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Fernandez, Sterling; Broja
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steele; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Lallana, Gilmour; March, Fati, Mitoma; Pedro
We say: Chelsea 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
When you couple Chelsea's poor recent record with Brighton's impressive form, all the signs point towards another difficult night for Pochettino's side.
Given that Brighton have scored 20 goals in seven outings across all competitions this season, we expect the Seagulls to notch another high-scoring victory at Stamford Bridge.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
