Chelsea will be out for revenge when they face Brighton and Hove Albion in this Premier League clash, with the Blues crashing out of the FA Cup to the Seagulls just a few days ago.
I tipped Enzo Maresca's side to come out on top in the cup tie as Brighton were coming off the back of a 7-0 battering on the road at Nottingham Forest.
Things looked good when Bart Verbruggen's comedy own goal put Chelsea into an early lead but they failed to build on it and Fabian Hurzeler's side roared back to claim a 2-1 win that thankfully brought up my other two bets.
That made it just three wins in 10 games for the Blues and the early-season optimism that swept around Stamford Bridge is in danger of evaporating. They still sit inside the top four – and are odds-on to stay there – but another loss would increase the scrutiny on manager Maresca.
Brighton went through their own blip earlier in the campaign as they went eight games without a win but they've recovered well and a run of four wins in the last six games has boosted confidence in the ranks.
How the bookies view it: Blues ready to come good
Despite losing that cup tie on Saturday night, Chelsea are BoyleSports' 5/4 favourites for this one. Brighton and Hove Albion are 19/10 outsiders and the draw pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: Seagulls end the slump
Brighton's weekend win ended a run of four successive victories for Chelsea in this fixture. Brighton had gone five unbeaten against the Blues before that so it has been close between these sides in recent seasons.
Players to watch: Mitoma out to wreak more havoc
Kaoru Mitoma scored a brilliant winner in the weekend cup tie and Chelsea struggled to cope with his pace and movement. The winger is 3/1 at BoyleSports for another goal but an assist might be more likely at 4/1 with Bet365.
Chelsea have been relying on Cole Palmer for inspiration a bit too heavily in recent weeks and the playmaker hasn't been at his brilliant best. But he's always likely to create a moment of magic out of nothing and is 11/8 with BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea skipper Reece James was rested for the cup tie but should return here. Striker Nicolas Jackson is a doubt though after injury kept him out at the weekend. Marc Guiu and Benoit Badiashile are also sidelined.
Brighton still have a host of players sidelined, with Igor Julio, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, Mats Wieffer, Jason Steele, Pervis Estupinan and Solly March injured.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Webster, van Hecke, Veltman, Rutter, J Pedro, Baleba, Mitoma, Hinshelwood, Welbeck.
Chelsea: Jorgensen, James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Neto, Madueke, Nkunku.
Anything else catch the eye?
This is the third meeting of these sides this term and the last two games have been opening and entertaining, with a total of nine goals scored. This should be another good watch and combining BTTS with no draw pays 21/20 at BoyleSports.
There's not much between these teams so the half-time draw also looks good at 13/10, a bet that landed at the weekend.
Joel Veltman picked up his fifth card of the season on Saturday and could have another tough day against Chelsea's tricky wingers. The full-back is 3/1 at Bet365 to go into the book again.
This English Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea will be played on Feb 14, 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.
