Chelsea travel to Brighton on Friday night and should be seeking some revenge in the Premier League fixture.
Chelsea are currently preparing to visit the Amex Stadium for the second time in six days.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Brighton last Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup. This time around, there will be three important points on the line during the Premier League showdown.
Enzo Maresca’s side goes into the weekend’s fixtures looking to strengthen their grip on fourth position in the league table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 58 | 23 | 35 | 57 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 49 | 22 | 27 | 50 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 27 | 13 | 47 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 43 |
| 5 |  Man CityManchester City | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 48 | 35 | 13 | 41 |
| 6 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 41 |
In terms of early team news, the head coach has already given away a key bit of information. Maresca confirmed Filip Jorgensen is now Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper after overtaking Robert Sanchez in the pecking order to start the league matches.
Paul Merson and Chris Sutton make Brighton vs Chelsea predictions
Paul Merson has tipped Chelsea to suffer back-to-back losses against Brighton in the upcoming meeting.
“I worry for Chelsea in the race for top four now that [Nicolas] Jackson is injured. I’ve always said that Christopher Nkunku is more of a no.10 and playing him at centre-forward isn’t the ideal solution,” Merson told Sportkeeda.
“Unlike Chelsea, Brighton are under no pressure here and I expect them to play the kind of good football we know they can. I’d be shocked if Chelsea win this game. I’m actually going for a repeat of what happened in the FA Cup.
“Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Chelsea.”
Meanwhile, Chris Sutton disagrees because he’s predicting a score draw between the Premier League rivals.
“Brighton came out on top when these two sides met in the FA Cup last weekend, and Chelsea did not offer much in attack after taking an early lead,” Sutton told BBC Sport.
“Enzo Maresca’s side just seem to be going through a flat period at the moment. They are still fourth in the table, but their performances have definitely dipped.
“The Seagulls’ results have been very up and down too, and it’s hard to pick a winner – so I am going to go with a draw.
“Sutton’s prediction: 1-1.”
Watch out for Cole Palmer
We’re predicting big things from Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer, 22, in Friday night’s match.
The attacking superstar has now gone four games across all competitions without scoring or assisting, so it’ll be no surprise if a big haul is just around the corner from him. He scored four goals in the reverse league fixture against Brighton earlier in the season, so that should still be fresh in his mind as well.
Some Chelsea fans wouldn’t mind seeing Palmer lead the line due to the club’s ongoing injury crisis in the striker position, with both Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu sidelined. However, it would make little sense to move the team’s most creative threat from his preferred No 10 role.
David Luiz recently compared Palmer to Chelsea legend Eden Hazard, and it’s these special players that win you games of football when the team is not at its fluent best.
It feels like a significant game on Friday night for the Blues to get back on track after a really poor exit from the FA Cup.
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