Brighton likely to be without four players for Chelsea game

Brighton welcome back former manager Graham Potter to the Amex Stadium this Saturday for the first time since the 47-year-old left the club to become head coach at Stamford Bridge.

Potter’s unbeaten start to life in West London continued on Tuesday, qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-1 win away in Austria against Red Bull Salzburg, thanks to goals from Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz.

De Zerbi is still searching for his first win since taking over from Potter on the south coast, having drawn two and lost three of his first five games in charge, most recently losing 3-1 to champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday (October 22).

The Italian will be without the attacking talents of Kaoru Mitoma for this weekend’s game, who continues his recovery from an ankle injury he sustained against Brentford two weeks ago.

De Zerbi will also be awaiting assessments on the condition of Adam Lallana and Joel Veltman, with both players coming off against Manchester City with knocks.

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Jakob Moder’s recovery from a long-term knee injury sustained in April will also keep him out of De Zerbi’s plans for the foreseeable future.

However, the Brighton boss is excepted to have Jan Paul van Hecke available at his disposal, after the defender had spent time on the treatment table in recent weeks.

Brighton play Chelsea at The Amex Stadium on Saturday, October 29, kicking off at 3pm.