Chelsea vs Brighton prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-04-14 14:00.
Chelsea remain a club in crisis as they return to Premier League (PL) action, with their 2-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in midweek all but ending their dreams of European glory for another season. Returning to the continental stage in any capacity next year requires a serious improvement, as the Blues have now failed to score in each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time since 1993 (D1, L3) – their longest such run since 1981!
Interim manager Frank Lampard insisted ‘special things can happen at Stamford Bridge’, but that’s not been the case this term whatsoever, as Chelsea have won just one of their last six PL home games (D3, L2), only finding the net in two of those matches. The Blues have failed to score in the first half in each of their last eight league outings at the Bridge, while another first-half blank would mark their longest run in the PL era.
Brighton return to the capital on the back of their first away PL defeat since October, although they’ve since received another apology from PGMOL for the decisions that went against them in the 2-1 loss at Tottenham last week. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi was sent off and will therefore be missing from the touchline here as the Seagulls look to stay in contention for a top-six finish.
Chelsea may be good opponents then as De Zerbi’s first win as Brighton boss came against the Blues, but the Italian will be looking to keep his players focused, with an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester United next week acting as a potential distraction. Ending a three-match PL losing streak in London serves as extra motivation here, and with only three teams in the division earning more points on the road than Brighton (22) this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Seagulls carry away all three points.
Players to watch: Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling could be the man to end his side’s scoring woes, after netting four times in eight personal H2H meetings with Brighton (W7, L1). For the visitors, midfielder Pascal Groß could step up here having already contributed to 14 goals in 34 appearances this season (G7, A7).
Hot stat: Chelsea matches average the lowest number of goals in the PL (2).