Chelsea Battle Brighton: Key Matchups, Bold Predictions and Starting XI Revealed
Chelsea are looking to break their two-match winless streak in the Premier League when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.
Enzo Maresca's squad managed to overcome League One side Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup during the week to bounce back from consecutive losses, though the Italian manager was hardly satisfied with his heavily rotated team's showing. He'll be demanding a much better performance this weekend, particularly compared to what he saw in Chelsea's previous two encounters against the Seagulls.
The Blues endured two losses within six days to Brighton back in February, including a crushing 3–0 defeat at the Amex Stadium. With just two victories from their five Premier League fixtures so far this season, they cannot afford any lapses in concentration against Fabian Hürzeler's squad.
The encouraging aspect for Chelsea is that Brighton have dropped both their Premier League away fixtures this campaign. The concerning element is that the Seagulls are riding high after netting six goals without reply against Barnsley in midweek, and they've already claimed points from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Brighton will undoubtedly ensure their collection of former players now starring for Chelsea experience a challenging afternoon on Saturday.
Here's Sports Illustrated's preview of the clash at Stamford Bridge.
What Time Does Chelsea vs. Brighton Kick-Off?
Chelsea vs. Brighton Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Chelsea | Brighton |
|---|---|
Lincoln City 1–2 Chelsea - 23/09/25 | Barnsley 0–6 Brighton - 23/09/25 |
Man Utd 2–1 Chelsea - 20/09/25 | Brighton 2–2 Tottenham - 20/09/25 |
Bayern Munich 3–1 Chelsea - 17/09/25 | Bournemouth 2–1 Brighton - 13/09/25 |
Brentford 2–2 Chelsea - 13/09/25 | Brighton 2–1 Man City - 31/08/25 |
Chelsea 2–0 Fulham - 30/08/25 | Oxford United 0–6 Brighton - 27/08/25 |
How to Watch Chelsea vs. Brighton on TV
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Not televised – Audio coverage available on BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT |
United States | Peacock, Amazon Prime Video |
Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Amazon Prime Video, Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada |
Mexico | Caliente TV, Amazon Prime Video |
Chelsea Team News
Cole Palmer was withdrawn after only 20 minutes during Chelsea's turbulent loss to Manchester United last weekend, with a persistent groin problem sending him to the medical room. Maresca has stated the attacking midfielder will be back following the October international break.
Tosin Adarabioyo will also return after the forthcoming international window following a calf injury, while Wesley Fofana will be absent for the Brighton fixture after sustaining a concussion in midweek. The center-back pair join Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Dário Essugo among the unavailable players.
Roméo Lavia might return against Brighton having been sidelined since the FIFA Club World Cup, while Marc Guiu and Josh Acheampong should be ready after missing the Lincoln victory due to injury and illness respectively.
Facundo Buonanotte cannot play against his parent club and Mykhailo Mudryk remains banned for a failed drug test.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton
Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Estêvão, Fernández, Neto; Pedro.
Brighton Team News
Hürzeler has announced that Brighton will have Mats Wieffer and Maxim De Cuyper back in contention, while Yankuba Minteh and Brajan Gruda have been cleared despite experiencing minor injury concerns recently.
Regrettably for the Seagulls, Jack Hinshelwood, Solly March and Adam Webster remain sidelined, though the midweek thrashing of Barnsley provided Hürzeler with the chance to rest important players before traveling to London.
Diego Gómez has almost certainly earned his place in the starting eleven following his remarkable four-goal performance against Barnsley, which featured two spectacular long-range efforts. He could operate in an attacking midfield position.
Brighton will encounter former players João Pedro, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sánchez and Moisés Caicedo this weekend.
Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea
Brighton predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Gómez, Mitoma; Rutter.
Chelsea vs. Brighton Score Prediction
Chelsea are dealing with injury concerns ahead of Saturday's match and will be missing their star player Palmer. Despite winning all three games without him this season, his creative influence will be greatly missed against a disciplined Brighton side.
Chelsea's recent performances have been concerningly inconsistent, with preseason discussions of a title bid now appearing overstated. The Blues still possess the tendency to deliver underwhelming displays seemingly at random, with Brighton positioned to exploit any such lapse this weekend.
The Seagulls have demonstrated their capacity to trouble the league's top teams, defeating Man City and earning a draw with Spurs. While their away form isn't impressive, they could secure victory against a Chelsea team missing crucial players in defense and attack.