Brighton vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips: Another Caicedo card in 9/1 South Coast shot

Brighton & Hove Albion beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round at the Amex Stadium last Saturday and the two teams will do it all again at the same venue on Friday (20:00, Sky Sports Main Event), this time in the Premier League. The Blues beat the Seagulls 4-2 in September's reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge and will be desperate to do the double over the South Coast side as they look to solidify their standing in the top four.

Below are my Brighton vs Chelsea Bet Builder tips featuring four selections which, combined, bring up odds of 9/1.

Football Odds

Brighton vs Chelsea Odds

Both Teams to Score - Yes

Both teams have scored in eight of the last nine head-to-heads between Brighton and Chelsea including their last four, so backing BTTS - Yes looks like a sensible idea here.

Chelsea, alongside west London rivals Fulham, top the Premier League BTTS table, with 75 per cent (18) of their 24 top-flight fixtures this term ending with both sides scoring.

Brighton aren't far behind with 71 per cent (17) of theirs seeing at least one goal on either side.

The Seagulls haven't recorded a shutout in their last four matches, while it's just one in the last nine for Chelsea - and that clean sheet came at home to League 2 strugglers Morecambe (5-0) in the third round of the FA Cup.

Anytime Goalscorer - Christopher Nkunku (CHE)

With fellow forwards Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu set for extended spells on the sidelines, France international Christopher Nkunku is expected to get a run in the Chelsea team as their central striker.

The 27-year-old is a different profile of player to Jackson but can still dart in behind defences and is a more assured finisher than the Senegal star, so while Jackson's absence is a blow, Enzo Maresca has a more than capable replacement on his hands.

Nkunku has been prolific in the Uefa Conference League for Chelsea this season, netting seven times in as many appearances, and has struck four goals in as many domestic cup outings, but his Premier League record is much less impressive, with just two goals in 20 games, albeit just three of those have been as a starter.

He didn't impress much last Saturday on the South Coast, failing to even register a shot, but playing the duration will have done him good, and I think he can get back in the goals on Friday.

Player to Receive a Card - Moises Caicedo (CHE)

Former Seagulls star Moises Caicedo isn't welcomed back as warmly to the Amex as Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister, who also left Brighton in the summer of 2024 but on much better terms.

Caicedo is a terrific midfielder at his best but he can be rash at times, as evidenced by the 11 Premier League cards he picked up in his final season as a Seagull, and the 10 that came his way in his debut campaign for Chelsea.

The Ecuador international is already on six yellows in 24 Premier League appearances this term, being shown three in his last five, and his first this season outside of the competition came last Saturday at the Amex, where he was booked in the 68th minute.

That was Caicedo's third yellow in five matches against Brighton having been cautioned in both league meetings in 2023/24, and both of his returns to the Amex have resulted in him being scribbled into the referee's notebook. He didn't get cautioned in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge but did make four fouls.

I can see the crowd and occasions getting to the 23-year-old again on Friday, and he will have a tough task on his hands to deal with the likes of Joao Pedro and Georginio Rutter, fouled, on average, 1.8 and 1.6 times per game respectively in the league this season.

Player 2+ Fouls - Carlos Baleba (BHA)

Rounding off this Bet Builder is Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, who I am backing to commit at least two fouls.

The 21-year-old is averaging 1.3 fouls per game in the Premier League this term and has made at least two in three of his last five matches in the competition.

Baleba gave away two free-kicks against Chelsea last weekend and looks a solid shout to concede another couple this Friday.