Whenever Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion get together, there are always numerous storylines: record-breaking transfer fee generating midfielder Moises Caicedo, polarizing defender Marc Cucurella and procured, and then quickly fired manager Graham Potter come to mind first.
These two sides, both currently sitting mid-table and hanging on to the first page in the standings, have already played in a cup competition this season too.
Chelsea FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Dec. 3, 4pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News Detailed Injury List
Premier League Standing: Chelsea 10th, 16 pts, Brighton 8th, 22 pts
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 56% Brighton 22% Draw 22%
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
In the grand scheme of things, this clash could be huge in terms of European football qualification ramification (hey, it is to the time to rhyme!). Brighton have a Europa League group stage clash on Thursday night, so we’ll add their team news and starting lineup prediction later.
Also, congrats to the Seagulls on achieving that last season- the first European football berth in club history. Chelsea have no continental competition to speak of this year, after having finished with their lowest position in close to a generation last season. Both sides really need to start racking up the points if they are to climb the ladder and get a UEL/UECL/UCL berth for next season.
Here is the first team that we think Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino will go with in the cause of doing just that.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Robert Sanchez; Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Malo Gusto; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling; Nicolas Jackson
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.