Chelsea vs Brighton Prediction: Back Pedro to strike against former side

Chelsea welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon (15:00 BST) as Enzo Maresca's side will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season last weekend away at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Brighton threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur last week, meaning that they've won just one of their opening five Premier League games. Read on for our Chelsea vs Brighton predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Cole Palmer suffered a groin issue against Manchester United last weekend and was substituted early at Old Trafford, and subsequently missed the Carabao Cup win over Lincoln City. The England international is expected to be absent once again here.

Robert Sanchez will return to the fold after serving a suspension in midweek due to his red card at Old Trafford. Other absentees for Chelsea include Liam Delap, who's been ruled out until December with a hamstring problem, while Benoit Badiashile has not played for the Blues since the Club World Cup courtesy of a muscle problem.

Levi Colwill will be sidelined for the majority of the campaign after having knee surgery in August and Dario Essugo suffered a thigh injury during international duty with Portugal U21's in September, meaning he will be absent this weekend.

As for Brighton, Diego Gomez may be handed a starting berth after his sensational hat-trick in midweek against Barnsley, while Maxim De Cuyper could be back in contention after a knee issue.

Solly March and Adam Webster remain on the treatment table.

Chelsea vs Brighton Odds

Chelsea are 4/5 to win on Saturday, giving them an implied win probability of 55.6%, while Brighton are 16/5 and the draw is a 3/1 shot.

Joao Pedro currently tops the anytime goalscorer market at 13/10, while Danny Welbeck is shortest-priced for the visitors at 23/10.

Over 3.5 goals @ 6/4

This fixture rarely leads to a dull affair (famous last words) so we're expecting plenty of goals at the Bridge on Saturday.

In fact, the last seven encounters have produced a whopping 28 goals, with three of those games featuring over 3.5. Clean sheets are something of a rarity to Brighton, who have just the one in their last 17 league contests. Chelsea haven't fared much better defensively either, shipping eight goals in their last four games across all competitions.

Both sides have plenty of attacking quality at their disposal, which is why we're predicting an end-to-end game this weekend, with plenty of goalmouth action.

Joao Pedro to score anytime @ 13/10

Former Brighton marksman Joao Pedro swapped the Amex for Stamford Bridge over the summer, and he made a fantastic start to life as a Chelsea player, impressing during the Club World Cup and scoring in the semi-finals and final.

His start to the new Premier League campaign has also been promising, registering two goals and three assists across five appearances, so he looks good value to strike anytime against his former side on Saturday.

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