After both taking down lower-league opposition in the EFL Cup, Chelsea and Brighton now resume Premier League duties at the former’s Stamford Bridge home on Saturday.
While the Blues had to survive a scare to conquer Lincoln City 2-1 in midweek, the sensational Seagulls hit Barnsley for six without reply.
Last weekend’s chaotic 2-1 loss to Manchester United spelled the end of Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season; a particularly damning statistic, the 10-man Blues collected more cards (six) than they had shots (five) at a rain-soaked Old Trafford last Sunday.
However, the Club World Cup winners have been rebuilding the Stamford Bridge walls over the past couple of seasons and enter the weekend unbeaten in 12 straight Premier League games at home, while also recording seven clean sheets from their past nine.
Midweek fatigue should not come into play for either side, as Maresca and Hurzeler are sure to make a plethora of changes from their EFL Cup XIs, and we can therefore not look past a first-choice Blues lineup.
Chelsea have plenty to shout about on home soil, where they have also kept three clean sheets in their last three.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
