THE English Premier League continues on Monday night and the standout fixture comes from the Amex Stadium as Brighton play host to a new-look Chelsea side who have splashed the cash over the Summer.
Brighton vs Chelsea (20:15)
Big things are expected of big-spending Chelsea this season and the Blues will be desperate to lay down an early marker when they meet Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Monday night.
Frank Lampard's vibrant young side exceeded expectations last season and the Chelsea legend has since forked out over £200m on the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, amongst others.
Consequently, the Stamford Bridge faithful will start the new season full of hope and they will expect their side to hit the ground running when they come up against a Brighton outfit who ended last season seven points above the basement zone.
Graham Potter's possession-based style of play earned the Seagulls plenty of plaudits last term, however, a clash with cash-rich Chelsea looks like an arduous first assignment of the season for Albion.
Only Liverpool and Man City made the net bulge more than Chelsea last season, and it's worth noting that the capital club averaged over two goals on their travels in the top-flight last term.
Two or more Chelsea strikes on the south coast looks a bit short at 4/6 with Bet 365, however, adding at least one Brighton card will boost the price up to 20/21 (Bet 365) when making use of the Bet Builder feature.
Chelsea's last seven league games away from home have produced three or more goals and the Blues have hit the back of the net at least twice in 10 of their last 12 top-flight tussles.
What's more, both teams got on the scoresheet in 15 of the Blues 19 away fixtures last season – the highest in the division – and a repeat here wouldn't come as a surprise given that Lampard's leaky defence recorded just one Premier League clean sheet away from Stamford Bridge last season.
With Chelsea's new defensive recruits set to sit out this season opener and having failed to address their goalkeeping issues thus far, I suspect the west London side could need at least two goals if they are to start the new season successfully.
With that in mind, I'm happy to back the Blues to bag a brace in this bout but I also fancy Brighton to pick up at least one booking when trying to tame Chelsea's top-heavy attack – a combination that will give us a 20/21 shot with Bet 365.
Recommended Bet
- Chelsea Over 1 Goal & Brighton Over 0 Cards (20/21, Bet 365)
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