Chelsea are still without a league win and a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge this season, an anomaly which Frank Lampard and his team will be desperate to correct when Brighton pay a visit on Saturday afternoon.
Frank Lampard welcomes youngsters Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham after the trio sat out the 7-1 humiliation of a hapless Grimsby Town team in midweek.
That huge win was Chelsea’s first at the Stamford Bridge since Frank Lampard’s appointment, having failed to win any of their first four fixtures at home.
Brighton are the visitors on Saturday with the Seagulls desperate to get back to winning ways after Graham Potter’s decision to field a team largely made up of teenagers backfired when they were turned over 3-1 by Aston Villa.
Otherwise, Brighton have been really competitive with the Seagulls losing only one of their four competitive away games this season, and that solitary defeat came at the home of the champions, Manchester City.
Graham Potters men would be silently optimistic of following the footsteps of other teams that have visited Stamford Bridge this term and didn’t leave empty-handed.
Leicester and Sheffield United both left West London with a point this season, while Valencia and Liverpool left with three each in the Champions and Premier League respectively.
What Lampard says
“The fact we haven’t won at home in the league is something we obviously want to correct. We need home wins.
“We were very unlucky last week against Liverpool, but that doesn’t help the points situation. We need a similar performance to Liverpool. If we get that level of performance, then I expect a home win to come very soon.
‘We must respect Brighton hugely. They are playing some very good football, a new manager, change of style, maybe not the points on the board they deserve.
“Each game has to be prepared for on its own merits, and having watched a lot of Brighton, and knowing a little bit about Graham Potter from last year, we have to be ready for anything.’
Match Facts
Chelsea have won their last 4 matches against Brighton in all competitions.
Brighton have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 away matches in the Premier League.
Chelsea have been winning at both half time and full time in their last 3 matches against Brighton in all competitions.
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Chelsea’s last 4 games (Premier League).
Brighton already have the tools to make life difficult for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and there appears to be significant value in backing them in the double chance market this weekend.