Chelsea V Brighton
Saturday 28th September 2019 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Chelsea to WIN & Over 2.5 Match Goals
Odds: 21/20
Bookmaker: Betway
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/5 | 18/5 | 33/5 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 25th September 2019 at 16:45)
Preview: A meeting involving clubs currently in the bottom half of the Premier League sees Brighton, who are without a win in five in the league, travelling to London to take on a Chelsea side still searching for a first home win of the season. However, the West Londoners have been victorious at Stamford Bridge in each of the past two seasons when facing The Seagulls.
English Premier League Betting – 22Bet
Chelsea Preview – Blues to build on valiant display versus Liverpool?
Excelling against the current league leaders was all good and well but the fact remains Chelsea were beaten in the Premier League for the second time this season, and are still to record their first home win of 2019-20 (D2 L1), after losing 2-1 at home to Liverpool last weekend. The Blues slipped into the bottom half of the table as a consequence, beginning this latest bout of top-flight fixtures in 11th (W2 D2 L2, GF12 GA13).
Not often does a team gain something in defeat but Chelsea should have taken plenty of heart and belief from how they performed against Liverpool, with the 2-1 scoreline harsh to say the least (xG: CHE 1.54 – 1.08 LIV). Frank Lampard’s side were applauded from the Stamford Bridge pitch at full-time, despite that defeat extending their winless run at home (D2 L1). Earlier home encounters included draws with Leicester (1-1) and Sheffield United (2-2).
The one aspect of their game which does continue to draw criticism, and rightly so, is the defending. This young and expansive side are a joy going forward, with Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham menacing in full flow, but remain naïve at the back. No clean sheet in the league this season requires urgent improvement. Moreover, each of their last five league contests produced both teams to score.
Some good news, however, comes in the shape of their upcoming opponents. Chelsea have never dropped a point versus Brighton, winning all four previous Premier League meetings in the past two seasons. The two Stamford Bridge encounters produced 2-0 and 3-0 triumphs, perhaps even teasing a first clean sheet of the campaign.
Brighton Preview – Can The Seagulls pick up first ever points versus Chelsea?
That opening day success against Watford, winning 3-0 at Vicarage Road, feels an awfully long time ago now. And when you consider the downward path The Hornets have continued to plummet down ever since, what seemed an impressive result at the time barely even stands up to scrutiny anymore. Brighton have since gone five games in the league without winning (D3 L2), with the latest a drab affair at Newcastle United which ended goalless.
On another day, Brighton may have been celebrating a priceless away win after creating enough chances to possibly warrant the win at St James’ Park (xG: NEW 1.06 – 1.41 BRI). In the end it was another instance whereby Graham Potters’ supposedly more attack-minded side failed to score, doing so for the third occasion in the last four league fixtures. Since the opening day, in fact, The Seagulls have found the back of the net only twice.
Up next is a Chelsea side without a clean sheet in the league so far. Therefore, visiting Brighton should be salivating at this prospect – though no points, nor even a goal scored, on each of their previous two visits to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League is perhaps ominous. Last season would see them concede three in a straightforward 3-0 defeat.
Striker Neal Maupay has looked the most threatening for them thus far and as the current leading scorer in this side with two league goals, would appear their best bet to become the first Brighton player ever to breach a Chelsea defence. The France U-21 international should have scored against Newcastle and is 29/10 with Unibet to do so on this occasion.
Chelsea V Brighton Key Facts:
- Chelsea dropped to 11th in the Premier League table (W2 D2 L2) after losing at home to Liverpool (1-2) last time out.
- Brighton have not won a league game since beating Watford on the opening weekend, dropping to 15th in the standings (W1 D3 L2).
- All four previous meetings in the Premier League were won by Chelsea, who were 3-0 victors at home last season.
Betting Summary
Even when comfortably the better team, Chelsea still found a way of conceding at home to League Two Grimsby in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. That was the only gripe on an otherwise successful night, as The Blues ran out 7-1 winners in a game which saw Frank Lampard rest most of his first-choice regulars. Attentions now turn towards securing a first home win in this season’s Premier League, on the back of recently losing 2-1 to Liverpool.
Graham Potter would also make wholesale changes in midweek, although the end product would be elimination from the EFL Cup at the hands of Aston Villa, losing 3-1 at home. In the league it is no win for Brighton since beating Watford in their very first fixture (D3 L2 since), picking up a point in a dull 0-0 draw at Newcastle in their latest outing.
This is a glorious opportunity for Chelsea to finally get over the line at home, and I fully expect them to do so. Brighton have found goals hard to come by, failing to score in three of their last four league games, but could conceivably have some joy facing a Chelsea rearguard which has conceded in every fixture thus far. The home side to prevail in a high-scoring encounter seems a no-brainer.
