Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea

A place in the FA Cup round of 16 is up for grabs as Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea lock horns at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton may find the impending FA Cup return a welcome distraction after losing back-to-back Premier League games, including a humiliating 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest last week. That’s a far cry from a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions beforehand (W3, D4), which featured a comprehensive 4-0 win against second-tier Norwich City in the FA Cup. The return to Amex can’t inspire much confidence either. Indeed, since a 2-1 comeback against perennial English champions Manchester City at the start of November, they’ve gone winless in their last five home outings (D3, L2), averaging just 0.6 goals per game! It’s also worth noting that the Seagulls have only won one of their seven home encounters against Chelsea in the 21st century (D2, L4), including a 2-1 league loss last season in East Sussex.

Meanwhile, Chelsea bounced back from a 3-1 mauling at Man City with a 2-1 home triumph against West Ham United last weekend, posting only their third competitive win in 2025. Indeed, the Blues’ six matches this calendar year have fluctuated between various outcomes (W3, D2, L1), with their only clean sheet in that run coming in this competition. However, a 5-0 thrashing of lower-league Morecambe was hardly comforting, knowing Enzo Maresca’s porous backline has since capitulated in all four outings! Scoring has also been a problem for Chelsea, especially on the road, as they’ve averaged only 0.5 goals per game across their last four competitive trips (D2, L2).