Chelsea vs Brighton: Preview and Prediction

Wednesday 3rd April 2019

England Premier League
Wednesday 3rd April 2019
Kick off at 7.45pm BST
Venue: Stamford Bridge

Match Preview:

Though Chelsea got three points and beat Cardiff at the weekend the reality was in stark contrast and The Blues put in a poor display and just got the rub of the green. An offside equaliser and a last minute Ruben Loftus-Cheek goal sealed the points for Maurizio Sarri’s side and drove a a dagger through Neil Warnock’s Cardiff in what was a tense and frustrating finish to the game.

The win keeps Chelsea in with a shot for a top 4 spot and they are just 2 points behind Tottenham. There are still question marks over Chelsea with Sarri as manager and even in the Cardiff game the Italian seemed to make strange choices. Which manager for example takes off a striker at 1-0 down to replace him with another? At that point many managers may have chosen to have two up front?

At Stamford Bridge Chelsea are unbeaten this year and we must remember that they have lost just one game at home all season. Their last game here ended in a 1-1 draw with Wolves.

Brighton looked to have been improving and their Premier League status looked like it would be rubber stamped at the weekend. Then came the visit of Southampton who beat them 1-0 and doubts have crept back in. The good news is that the club are still 5 points clear of the drop because Cardiff lost and of course another game has gone by. By and large they should be safe, but everyone involved with the club wants early clarification.

Form is not the best with 3 losses from their last five games and away from home they have lost 10 from 15 games although they did win their last away game when they beat Crystal Palace 2-1.

Team News:

Chelsea: Marcos Alonso has a minor hamstring injury but it is enough that he will miss this game. Davide Zappacosta will be assessed after his knock.

Brighton: Florin Andone will be hoping to return to the team after his groin injury.

Chelsea vs Brighton Head to Head:

Earlier this season the game finished 2-1 to Chelsea.

Chelsea have won the last 3 fixtures in a row.

There is a 75% chance to see over 2.5 goals.

Chelsea vs Brighton Prediction:

Perhaps Chelsea needed that bit of luck against Cardiff and can push on at home against a Brighton side that they should beat. Had this been another away game that could be questionable but despite Chelsea’s stop start season they have been reasonably strong at home. Fans are screaming out for Sarri to put out a different formation and it might be worth checking out this one before diving into this game. Sarri loves 4-3-3 but it’s becoming predictable to teams in the league. Having said that it looks difficult to see Brighton getting anything from this game.

Chelsea vs Brighton Betting Tips:

Chelsea to be winning at half time at 1.72

Anytime goalscorer: Gonzalo Higuain at 2.00