- Form: Chelsea have won four and lost two of their six home games across all competitions
- Away form: Brighton & Hove Albion have won none of their three away games in all competitions
- Recent goals: Chelsea have scored 14 goals in their last five games while Brighton have scored seven times in the same period
Blues and Seagulls will be happy with recent form
Chelsea are 1.97 favorites to beat Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the Seagulls coming in at 3.45 and the draw 3.7. Xabi Alonso's Blues have won two, drawn one and lost two of their five games in all competitions since the last international break with the 3-0 victory over AC Milan and 3-1 triumph at Real Sociedad showing their bite.
However, they have conceded nine times in six home fixtures in all competitions, so they are far from watertight at the back.
The Seagulls have won four and drawn one of their previous five matches across all competitions and arrive unbeaten. So they should be able to take the match to the Blues. Fabian Hurzeler's side beat Chelsea 3-0 in the last head-to-head meeting of the two clubs four months ago in the Premier League 2025-2026 to make it three consecutive wins in this rivalry.
Alonso and Hurzeler have differing views on how to play
Tactical approaches
Although this should be a high-tempo game, it is likely to be a relatively close match that is finely poised with Alonso's control-first, back-three structure set to run into Hurzeler's press-and-break set-up. The Chelsea boss has built his blueprint around proactivity and has his players pressing high up the field to try and win the ball back, while his fullbacks overload the wide areas. Hurzeler's Brighton are built on a high-tempo, pressing game but their strength is in vertical transitions, where they will punish any loose touches or sloppy play in the Blues' midfield.
Match expectations and betting
- Chelsea have averaged 2.5 goals in their five meetings with Brighton, who have averaged 2.5 in their trips to Stamford Bridge, so we expect this rivalry to remain feisty this Sunday.
- Both Teams to Score at 1.62 and Over 2.5 Goals at 1.7, although our preferred play is to side with the head-to-head edge and backing Chelsea to dig out a win.
