Chelsea FC have two new injury concerns heading into the weekend FA Cup clash at Brighton & Hove Albion. Nicolas Jackson (hamstring) and Marc Guiu (groin) both picked up injuries in the London derby win over West Ham last weekend.
Now manager Enzo Maresca has a shortage of options at center forward. The wantaway Christopher Nkunku, who was linked with Manchester United this transfer window but ended up staying put, could get a start here.
FA Cup 4th Round FYIs
Chelsea FC at Brighton
Kickoff: Sat. Feb. 8, 8pm, Falmer Stadium, Brighton and Hove, UK
Fun Fact: This is another one of those interesting “double header” ties that we sometimes see this time of year. The two sides will face each other twice in a six day span, and at the same venue too.
The Blues and Seagulls will clash again next weekend, in a Friday night league fixture.
Blues Team News
Elsewhere Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Omar Kellyman and Romeo Lavia continue to remain sidelined with their thigh/hamstring injuries.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction at Brighton & Hove Albion
Filip Jorgensen; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho; Christopher Nkunku
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.