Chelsea face Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday evening, with just one point separating the teams in the Premier League table. The visitors arrive on the back of four successive league defeats without scoring, including a 1-0 loss to Manchester United. Brighton, who drew 2-2 at Tottenham, aim to climb into sixth place.
Chelsea sit sixth but trail the Champions League spots by seven points with five games remaining. Their recent slump has them glancing nervously at pursuers like Brighton, who won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September and have lost only once in their last seven league matches. A win would boost Brighton's hopes of matching their best-ever Premier League finish from 2022-23 and returning to Europe after last season's Europa League run to the last 16. Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler urged his side to embrace the moment, saying, “It’s a position we should really embrace and we need to enjoy these moments and games because it’s a great opportunity for us to grow.” He added of Chelsea, “They have enough individual quality to beat every team in the league.” Chelsea striker Liam Delap echoed the need to bounce back quickly after the United defeat, telling the club's website, “We’re frustrated, but it’s on us and we have to put it right. We’ve got a big chance to do that on Tuesday.” Delap expressed belief in achieving a top-five finish and FA Cup success, with a semi-final against Leeds upcoming. Team news sees Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma available despite an injury scare, but Diego Gomez out with a knee issue. Chelsea's Joao Pedro is a doubt with a thigh problem, while several others including Reece James remain sidelined. The match kicks off at 8:00pm and will be shown on Sky Sports.
