Chelsea v Brighton: Likely line-ups for Premier League clash

Brighton & Hove Albion will bid to bounce back from their weekend defeat to Southampton when they travel to Chelsea this evening.
Florin Andone. Picture by PW Sporting PhotographyFlorin Andone. Picture by PW Sporting Photography
Florin Andone. Picture by PW Sporting Photography

The Seagulls had won back-to-back Premier League games before losing 1-0 at home to the Saints. They remain five points clear of the relegation zone after Cardiff lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea on Sunday.

Chelsea fans were unhappy with manager Maurizio Sarri during the game but late goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek took them to victory.

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The Blues have won all three of their Premier League matches against Brighton. They won 4-0 and 2-0 last season and recorded a 2-1 victory at the Amex earlier this season after goals from Pedro and Eden Hazard.

CHELSEA

Maurizio Sarri rested N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard in Sunday's win at Cardiff and both are likely to come back into the starting line-up.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek came off the bench to score the winner and he will be pushing for a place in the starting 11.

Callum Hudson-Odoi will hope to make his first Premier League start after making his full England debut last week and Sarri has hinted he will be in the starting line-up. Hudson-Odoi was an unused substitute at the Bluebirds when Pedro and Willian started out wide.

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The back four is likely to be Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz and Emerson as Marcos Alonso has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Gonzalo Higuain is set to lead the line, with Olivier Giroud on the bench.

Likely line-up: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Emerson; Jorginho, Kante, Barkley; Hudson-Odoi, Higuain, Hazard. Subs (from): Caballero, Christensen, Willian, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Giroud, Kovacic, Zappacosta.

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

Striker Florin Andone is set to return to the Brighton squad after missing the last three games. He returned to training on Thursday but missed out on a place in the 18-man squad on Saturday.

Pascal Gross has missed Albion's last four matches and is also out of the game at Stamford Bridge.

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Hughton may opt to make changes to his starting line-up with the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City coming up on Saturday but is unlikely to make too many.

The back four is likely to remain the same from recent weeks but Beram Kayal could start in midfield if Hughton decides to rest one of his three central midfielders.

Solly March and Jose Izquierdo will be pushing Anthony Knockaert and Alireza Jahanbakhsh for a starting spot out wide, while Jurgen Locadia could also get a run out up front if top-scorer Glenn Murray is rested.

Likely line-up: Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo; Stephens, Propper, Bissouma; March, Locadia, Jahanbakhsh. Subs (from): Button, Bong, Burn, Balogun, Kayal, Knockaert, Izquierdo, Andone, Murray.

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