It will be fascinating to see how Brighton respond to their Premier League pasting at Nottingham Forest when they take on Chelsea in a tasty fourth-round FA Cup tie.
The Seagulls slumped to an embarrassing 7-0 loss at the City Ground last weekend, with two bets landing for Slips Tips as Forest's red-hot attack ran riot.
Boss Fabio Hurzeler will now be desperate to bounce back in their cup and league double-header against Chelsea as he bids to stop a season that started so promisingly from petering out.
Chelsea's campaign has also gone off the rails of late after a storming run that saw them climb to second in the table earlier in the season. But Monday's 2-1 win over West Ham, which saw two bets come agonisingly close for Slips Tips, fired Enzo Maresca's side back into the top four.
The Blues have a squad that's capable of challenging on all front this term so fans will be expecting Maresca's side to pile on the misery for Brighton after their Nottingham nightmare.
How the bookies view it: Chelsea to march on
With Brighton potentially vulnerable after last weekend's heavy defeat, BoyleSports make Chelsea 4/6 favourites to go through. That's not a great price but backing the Blues to win inside 90 minutes take you to a decent 23/20.
The Seagulls are 21/20 to reach the fifth round and 17/10 to get the job done without extra-time or penalties. The draw at 90 minutes pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: Blues to the four
Chelsea won 4-2 when these sides faced off at Stamford Bridge in the league earlier this season and that made it four victories in a row for the Blues in this fixture. The Seagulls can take some heart from the fact they went five unbeaten against Chelsea before that.
Players to watch: Veteran Wel overdue a goal
Danny Welbeck will be desperate for a goal after drawing a blank for Brighton in his last 11 outings. With Evan Ferguson loaned to West Ham and new signing Stefanos Tzimas not arriving until the summer, the veteran should lead the line again and is 9/4 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Chelsea have used cup ties and European games to rotate their squad this season and it will be interesting to see if Maresca picks his strongest side for this tricky trip to the south coast. Christopher Nkunku could come in and the French forward could be good value at 2/1 for a goal after netting four times in two domestic cup ties this term.
Probable line-ups
Brighton still have lots of players out injured, with Igor Julio, Pervis Estupinan, James Milner, Ferfi Kaglioglu, Mats Wieffer, Jason Steele and Solly March sidelined. Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari are also doubts after missing out last weekend.
Chelsea's healthy is in a much healthier state, with only Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia and Omari Kellyman still out.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Gomez, Dunk, van Hecke, Veltman, Hinshelwood, O'Riley, Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma, Welbeck.
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Gusto, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Palmer, Neto, Sancho, Nkunku.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither side has impressed in defence this season so it bodes well for an entertaining cup tie with plenty of action at both ends. Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals only pays 8/11 at BoyleSports but adding no draw to BTTS is better at 11/10. I also like over 1.5 first-half goals at 5/4.
With the Seagulls shipping seven goals last weekend it could also pay to back over 2.5 Chelsea strikes, which pays a decent 5/2.
Maresca's side have been a bit flaky of late but they still have more quality than Brighton so a Chelsea win with over 1.5 goals looks good at 13/8 in a BoyleSports bet builder.
This FA Cup match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea will be played on Feb 8, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Brighton and Hove Albion vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
