European Super League club Chelsea FC (sorry, you knew we had to open with that today) resume their 20/21 Premier League campaign on Tuesday night when they host Brighton & Hove Albion. And with the advent of the Super League, perhaps Brighton will become a regular in the Champions League moving forward.
Can’t wait until 2027, when the Seagulls beat Real Sociedad in the UCL final. But that’s enough jokes about today’s biggest news (can’t agree any more strongly with everything that Gary Neville has said about it), as we have a PL fixture to preview.
Chelsea FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Tues April 20, 8pm, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction: go here
Odds: Chelsea (-182), Brighton (+500), Draw (+290)
PL Position, Form Guide: Chelsea 5th, 54 pts Brighton 16th, DLWWL
Team News for Both Sides
Brighton come into this one with some distance from the relegation zone, but they haven’t clinched safety yet. They’ll be motivated for sure, as will Chelsea, who will move back into the top four with a draw or better.
Thomas Tuchel will be dealing with three injury doubts here: midfielder Mateo Kovacic (thigh), central defender Thiago Silva (back) and fellow centreback Andreas Christensen (hamstring).
As for Brighton, they also have a trio of players that face late fitness tests: Aaron Connolly (back), Florin Andone (knee) and Percy Tau (match fitness issues). Tariq Lamptey (thigh) and Solly March (knee) are set to miss out.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Brighton 1
Massive workload for Chelsea as they’re still alive in two cup competitions while also fighting for top four in the league. They have a big money, massively deep squad though to stick it out and get the W.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.