Chelsea FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Chelsea FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion Match Prediction & Analysis

Frank Lampard’s much talked about return to Stamford Bridge hasn’t started as well as he would have hoped. The Blues have lost their first two games under his management.

Following a 1-0 defeat away to Wolves in the Premier League, Chelsea were deservedly beaten 2-0 in their Champions League Quarter Final first-leg by Real Madrid.

The return of Ngolo Kante, Reece James and Ben Chilwell from injury problems has given Chelsea a lift in terms of performance, but Lampard will expect much more from his team in the coming weeks.

Brighton were handed an apology from the officials last week, after the VAR made an incorrect decision in denying the Seagulls a penalty in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.

It’s not the first time this has happened this season and Brighton can feel wronged on a number of levels. Still, they are in a great place right now and still in with a chance of finishing in a European position.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chelsea FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Return of Kante from injury has improved performances

     Creating plenty of chances without being clinical enough

Reasons to be fearful:

     Haven’t beaten Brighton at home since 2019

     Could go six games without victory in all competitions

Frank Lampard’s return to Chelsea was either going to go one of two ways – either he galvanises the team and they recover some dignity towards the end of the season, or it gets even worse.

So far, there have been few signs of improvement over the two games since his appointment, although managers are always judged too quickly these days. Potter only lasted eight months, of course.

Chelsea’s aim will be to score more goals in their remaining eight games. Only six teams have scored fewer than their 29 goals this season, despite creating plenty of chances in most of their matches.

The inefficiency of players like Havertz, Sterling, Felix and co. have left them frighteningly short upfront. They’ve now gone four games without a goal.

They won’t find Brighton easy either, a team that they haven’t beaten at Stamford Bridge since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Star Man – Ngolo Kante

Is a driving force in midfield, breaking up play and carrying the ball forward with speed. He has been a big miss for Chelsea over the months but can play a big part in their run-in.

Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Games in hand put them in a commanding position

     Good record against Chelsea

Reasons to be fearful

     Manager De Zerbi could be suspended after red card last weekend

     Can’t afford to run out of steam with big games coming up

Brighton lost for the first time in nine games last weekend, despite being on the end of more bad refereeing decisions against Tottenham.

It means that they were overtaken by Aston Villa, although they will have three games in hand over Unai Emery’s team when this game kicks off. 

Brighton could still finish the season positively but must be careful to not run out of steam at the wrong time. Their FA Cup Semi Final with Manchester United is next weekend.

The Seagulls may be missing their manager, Roberto De Zerbi, on the touchline this weekend, after the passionate Italian was shown a red card in their 2-1 reverse to Tottenham.

Star Man – Kaoru Mitoma

The Japan international has been in sensational form over the second part of this season and is constantly a threat. His battle up against Chelsea’s Reece James will be one to watch this weekend.