Chelsea vs Brighton promises to be an intriguing clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (watch live, 2:30pm ET on Peacock Premium) as the Blues and Seagulls collide for their final PL game of 2021.
STREAM LIVE CHELSEA v BRIGHTON
Thomas Tuchel saw his Chelsea side battle back to beat Aston Villa last time out, as their injury and illness issue continue to mount. N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva came off due to injury against Villa, as Chelsea are currently missing six key players for various reasons. However, Tuchel does have Romelu Lukaku back fit and scoring goals which is a huge boost and the Blues are only six points off leaders Manchester City as they’re at the halfway point of the season. Given all of their injury issues in attack in recent weeks, that’s not bad going.
Brighton finally won again last time out as they beat Brentford 2-0 on Boxing Day to secure their first victory since September. Graham Potter’s side are sitting pretty in midtable and the duo of Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay continue to provide their main goalscoring threat. Brighton need to start chipping in with goals from elsewhere if they’re going to push for a top 10 finish but they are extremely difficult to play against and Potter should be praised for seeing them through a tough stretch as defensive injuries have piled up.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Chelsea vs Brighton.
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Chelsea team news, injuries, lineup options
Tuchel is likely to be without Ruben Loftus-Cheek once again as he battles back from an ankle injury. Timo Werner and Kai Havertz tested positive for COVID-19 recently, while Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante both suffered thigh injuries against Aston Villa. Ben Chilwell is now out for the season after he required surgery on his serious knee injury, which is a big blow for the Blues. Given all of that info, it is likely that Romelu Lukaku will start against Brighton and Tuchel will rotate the attackers around him as Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Ziyech and Mount will all continue to play key roles. Jorginho and Kovacic are likely to start in midfield after the latter finally returned.
Your Chelsea team news tonight! 🔵@ParimatchGlobal | #CheBha pic.twitter.com/wPjevIyJnz
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 29, 2021
Brighton team news, injuries, lineup options
Captain Lewis Dunk will be out until mid-January with a knee issue, while Leandro Trossard will have a late fitness test. Yves Bissouma will return from suspension, which is huge. Jurgen Locadia and Jason Steele have tested positive for COVID-19, while Joel Veltman and Shane Duffy have a small chance of returning in defense. Jeremy Sarmiento remains out after surgery. The likes of Solly March, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck could all start as Potter rotates his squad over the festive period.
COME ON ALBION! 💪 Here's how we line up against Chelsea in the @PremierLeague. 📝
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) December 29, 2021
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIedJv ✘ #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/UnnhWhZ812