Chelsea are set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge, with a kick-off time of 3pm. Can the Blues give their season a late kickstart?

Chelsea are set to be without Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka and Kalidou Koulibaly for their game against the Seagulls. Thiago Silva will be fit to play, after he featured in Chelsea’s 2-0 loss against Real Madrid in midweek – additionally, Ben Chilwell will also be available for selection. Despite being sent off against Madrid, his ban will only apply to Champions League games.

In their last Premier League game, Chelsea slumped to a loss against a resurgent Wolverhampton Wanderers outfit. The only goal of the game came by the way of a screamer from Matheus Nunes – the Blues failed to find an equaliser.

Brighton, meanwhile, were also beaten in their last league fixture, as they were controversially defeated by Tottenham Hotspur. In that game, the Seagulls were denied a stonewall penalty – a decision that attracted criticism from fans and pundits alike. In the end, Spurs were triumphant, thanks to goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

When the two teams last came to blows, all the way back in October, it was Brighton who were victorious – and in dominant fashion. they won by a score of 4-1, with Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross getting their names on the scoresheet – so did Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevor Chalobah, both scoring own goals. Chelsea’s sole response came through Kai Havertz, a brief ray of light on a dark day for the Blues.

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