Brighton vs Chelsea Prediction: Seagulls to stun Blues again

Just six days after the pair met in the FA Cup, Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea will lock horns in the Premier League on Friday night at the Amex Stadium (20:00, live on Sky Sports Main Event).

The visitors will be eager to exact revenge after suffering a narrow defeat in Saturday's cup clash. Read on for my Brighton vs Chelsea prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Brighton will be without Jason Steele, Ferdi Kadioglu, Igor Julio, James Milner and Solly March due to injury. Pervis Estupinan and Mats Wieffer weren't fit enough to play in Saturday's cup tie but could feature in Friday's rematch.

Lewis Dunk was forced off last weekend with a rib injury, so he'll be assessed prior to kick-off, while Joao Pedro could return to the starting XI here.

As for Chelsea, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, and Omari Kellyman remain absent, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is currently serving a provisional doping ban.

Reece James could return to the fold after sitting out of the fourth-round tie at the Amex, but Nicolas Jackson is set to miss six weeks of action due to a hamstring injury.

Brighton vs Chelsea Odds

Brighton are 15/8 to win Friday's rematch, giving them an implied win probability of 34.8%, with the draw available to back at 11/4, and a Chelsea win is available at 11/8.

Cole Palmer is favourite to score anytime at 13/10, while Pedro is shortest-priced for the visitors, along with Danny Welbeck, at 9/5.

Brighton to win @ 15/8

Brighton recovered from an early shock to overcome Chelsea last weekend, and I think they can see off the Blues once again on Friday night.

Saturday's FA Cup triumph marked the Seagulls' fourth win in their last six outings, after a winless run of eight games, and they've lost just two of their last 10. Chelsea have struggled on the road of late - they haven't won an away game in any competition since mid-December.

It wasn't long ago that Enzo Maresca's side were being touted as potential title challengers but a slump in form has seen them slide down the table. They remain in the top four heading into the weekend, but Manchester City, Newcastle United and Bournemouth all remain within touching distance.

I think the hosts are reasonably priced to take all three points on Friday at 15/8, especially when you consider Chelsea's form and their struggles away from Stamford Bridge.

Kaoru Mitoma to score anytime @ 13/5

Kaoru Mitoma scored a brilliant winner against Chelsea last weekend, and I believe the Blues could struggle to contain him once again at the Amex.

Maresca's men couldn't cope with the 27-year-old's pace and movement, and he's a decent price at 13/5 to score anytime on Friday night.

The Japan international's last league goal came in the recent 3-1 win at Old Trafford and I think he'll find some joy up against James occupying the left flank.

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