Chelsea will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they head to the Amex on Tuesday evening to take on Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 defeat to division leaders Manchester City on Saturday, while Brighton played out a 1-1 draw with M23 rivals Crystal Palace on Friday.
Match preview
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Brighton had to come from behind to secure a point against Palace on Friday, with Joachim Andersen's own goal in the 87th minute ensuring that the Seagulls would avoid defeat in the M23 derby in East Sussex.
Graham Potter's side are now unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, including their last four in the Premier League, which includes the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the league on December 29.
Brighton have actually only lost once in England's top flight since November 20, and a total of 28 points from 20 matches has left them in ninth position in the table, just four points behind seventh-placed Manchester United on the same number of games.
Potter's team have lost just four of their 20 Premier League games this term, but they have won just three of their 10 league matches in front of their own supporters, collecting only 13 points in the process.
The Seagulls have never won a Premier League match against Chelsea, with their last success coming in the FA Cup back in 1933, but three of the last four league games between the two sides have finished level.
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Chelsea's Premier League title hopes suffered a huge blow on Saturday afternoon when they lost 1-0 at Man City, with Kevin De Bruyne's second-half effort proving to be the difference between the two sides.
The Blues are now 13 points behind the Citizens in the table and dropped to third when Liverpool, who have a further game in hand, beat Brentford on Sunday.
Thomas Tuchel's side have actually only won one of their last six league matches, drawing four times in the process, which has seen them lose ground in the title race, but they are still eight points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal in the race for the Champions League positions.
There are a number of teams below Chelsea with matches in hand, though, and there is certainly a danger that the European Cup holders could slide down the table in the coming weeks if they are unable to regain some consistency in terms of wins in England's top flight.
The Blues have the second-best away record in the division this term, collecting 23 points from 11 matches, but they have lost two of their last four league games on their travels.
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Team News
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Brighton will again be without Lewis Dunk due to a knee problem, with Potter revealing on Monday that the central defender is not yet available for selection.
The Seagulls are also sweating on the fitness of Adam Lallana, who picked up a knock against Palace, while Jeremy Sarmiento and Enock Mwepu are both definitely out through injury.
The home side will also be without Yves Bissouma due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, so Jakub Moder could again feature in midfield, with Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard starting as the front two.
Tariq Lamptey was named on the bench against Palace but could now earn a spot in the starting side, while Danny Welbeck and Solly March are also pushing for positions in the XI.
As for Chelsea, Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Trevor Chalobah remain unavailable for selection through injury, while Andreas Christensen is out after testing positive for coronavirus.
Edouard Mendy, who also recently tested positive for COVID-19, is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, meanwhile, so Kepa Arrizabalaga will once again feature between the sticks.
Head coach Tuchel will make changes from the side that started against Man City, with Mason Mount and Timo Werner potentially joining Romelu Lukaku in the final third of the field.
Kai Havertz and Jorginho are also pushing for spots in the team, but Tuchel is likely to resist the temptation to make wholesale alterations, with Malang Sarr potentially retaining his spot at the back.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Webster, Burn, Cucurella; Gross, Lallana, Moder, Mac Allister; Trossard, Maupay
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Rudiger, T Silva, Sarr; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Lukaku, Werner
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Chelsea
Brighton have been a very difficult team to beat in the Premier League this season, and this has all of the makings of a tough fixture for a wounded Chelsea. The Seagulls are more than capable of picking up a positive result, but we just have a feeling that the Blues will navigate their way to an important three points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Chelsea win with a probability of 47.29%. A win for Brighton & Hove Albion had a probability of 26.77% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Chelsea win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.2%) and 0-2 (8.71%). The likeliest Brighton & Hove Albion win was 1-0 (8.25%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.32%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood.
