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It’s an all Premier League clash in the FA Cup fourth round as Brighton take on Chelsea in Saturday’s late kick off.
The Seagulls hope to get back to winning ways after an embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in their last outing and manager Fabian Hurzeler will hope a marquee win over Chelsea can boost his team’s confidence. Brighton cruised into this round of the competition with a 4-0 win over Norwich but Chelsea will be a wildly different test.
The Blues are expected to make plenty of changes for the game as Enzo Maresca juggles his squad and looks to give game time to players trying to recover from injuries. Chelsea’s 2-1 win over West Ham last time out sent them back into the Premier League’s top four and they’ll be hoping to continue that form into a strong cup run.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match:
When is Brighton vs Chelsea?
The FA Cup fixture will kick off at 8pm GMT on Saturday 8 February at the Amex Stadium in Brighton.
What TV channel is it on?
This fixture will be shown free-to-air on ITV4 in the UK, with subscribers also able to stream online via ITVX. Coverage begins at 7.15pm.
What is the team news?
Brighton’s Mats Wieffer is training again but Saturday’s game is too soon for a return. Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari both missed last Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest and are doubts for the game along with Pervis Estupinan. Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler said: «They are all doubtful but there might be a possibility that two out of three have a chance to play.»
Jason Steele, Igor Julio, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner and Solly March are all out due to injury.
For Chelsea, Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended while Wesley Fofana, Omari Kellyman, Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile all remain unavailable for selection.
Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu both picked up injuries in Chelsea’s win over West Ham and are doubts for this weekend’s contest though Christopher Nkunku is expected to start.
Predicted line-ups
Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Webster, Lamptey; Hinshelwood, Ayari; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Rutter
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; James, Adarabioyo, Acheampong, Chalobah; Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Nkunku, George; Guiu
Odds
Brighton to win – 17/10
Draw – 15/8
Chelsea to win – 11/10
Prediction
A close affair should come down to which coach manages their squads better as substitutes and fringe players could be key to getting over the line. Chelsea will be the favourites to progress but Brighton’s need to banish the memories of their loss to Nottingham Forest may mean they are up for a fight.
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea.
