Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has talked up the qualities of Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
After scoring 17 goals in 44 appearances during his debut campaign with the Blues last season, Jackson has since made a bright start to 2024-25, scoring four goals and providing two assists in his opening five Premier League matches.
Jackson scored and assisted in Chelsea's thumping 6-2 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers before netting the opener in a 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace.
The Senegalese striker then produced a man-of-the-match display in Chelsea's 3-0 win at West Ham United last weekend, becoming the quickest Blues player in almost two decades to net a brace, before setting up Cole Palmer for his goal in the second half.
Chelsea were heavily linked with signing a new centre-forward in the summer, but Jackson - who recently penned a new long-term contract - has sent an early message to the club's hierarchy as to why he can be the man trusted to lead the line for Enzo Maresca's side.
Jackson was rested for Chelsea's comfortable 5-0 victory over fourth-tier Barrow in the EFL Cup third round in midweek, but he is expected to start up front against Brighton on Saturday.
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Hurzeler heaps praise on "very dangerous" Jackson
Ahead of the contest, Hurzeler has suggested that his Seagulls side will look to double-up on Jackson, as players find it difficult to defend against him "one-against-one."
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Hurzeler said: "I think he is the full package. He wants to combine. Sometimes he's getting more space where he can combine with his teammates, where he's there with [Cole] Palmer, with [Moises] Caicedo, with Enzo [Fernandez].
"He's also very fast - he can attack the defence. This mix, this balance, makes him very dangerous for us. Of course, he is a top striker and at the moment he's in very good shape, so you can't defend against them in a one-against-one.
"You have to always try to on one side get pressure on the ball so that they can't play the long ball, on the other side you always need to find a good balance, how close you want to defend them."
Jackson was unable to find the net in two Premier League meetings against Brighton last season, but he did score the decisive goal in a narrow 1-0 home victory against the Seagulls in the EFL Cup third round this time last year.
Chelsea, who sit fifth in the current top-flight table, head into Saturday's contest bidding to win their third league game in a row, but they come up against a Brighton outfit who sit just one point and two places further back in seventh and are one of only four teams who are yet to lose after five matches this term.
Oliver Thomas
