CAN Chelsea turn the corner when they face Brighton on Saturday? Well, scoring a goal would be a good start…
Chelsea vs Brighton odds
Here are the latest match odds for Chelsea vs Brighton.
Chelsea vs Brighton betting preview
Graham Potter has managed both these sides this season but won’t be in either dugout for Saturday’s contest.
Ferguson frightened Chelsea aged 14, before scoring first Prem goal v Arsenal
That’s a strange scenario but also one which has left the two clubs in different positions following the respective Potter departures.
Brighton’s transition saw new boss Roberto De Zerbi fit in almost seamlessly and they remain in the hunt for a European position.
Chelsea, on the other hand, seemed to have no succession plan at all. They dumped Potter and then decided to give Frank Lampard – himself sacked by the club only a couple of years ago – the job until the end of the season.
Quite what that achieves, only Todd Boehly knows, but what it does go to show is that Chelsea have little to play for this season, especially after their midweek defeat at Real Madrid which leaves them on the cusp of a Champions League exit.
That competition represents their last chance of silverware, while domestically it’s hard to see how they can now force their way into the top four to ensure a return to Europe’s top table in 2023/24.
Lampard’s arrival has failed to change the Blues’ awful scoring problem. Two games into his ‘reign’ and Chelsea have yet to score. Overall, it’s now six hours without a goal, while in their 30 league games they’ve found the net only 29 times. That is a statistic unbefitting the monied Chelsea era.
Brighton certainly have the ability to take advantage.
In contrast, they are fairly free-scoring, especially away from home – only Arsenal and Manchester City have scored more goals on the road.
Last week they were unlucky to go down 2-1 at Tottenham. The Seagulls later got an apology over the use of VAR in that game.
They were dominant in the reverse fixture, winning 4-1, and given the current state of the hosts, another victory looks more than possible.
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Chelsea vs Brighton key stats
- Of the 10 teams currently above them in the table, Chelsea have beaten only one (Aston Villa, away) in 14 attempts.
- Brighton won the reverse fixture 4-1 back in October when Graham Potter was in charge of the Londoners.
- Brighton’s tally of 27 away goals scored is bettered only by leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester City in this season’s Premier League.
- Chelsea have received 20+ booking points in a league-high 73% of games.
- Ten of the 15 Premier League games played at Stamford Bridge this season have been goalless at halftime.
Chelsea vs Brighton best bets
Brighton to win
Brighton were a similar price at Spurs last week and while they ended up losing, they were unlucky to do so.
Chelsea aren’t as good a side as Spurs, certainly not right now, and it’s difficult to be enthusiastic about them in a betting sense at the moment.
They also come in off the back of a hard game in Madrid on Wednesday night, one which saw them play much of the second half with 10 men.
The hosts have a terrible record against the Premier League’s better half this season and Brighton have enough goals in them to make Chelsea suffer some more.
Solly March 2+ shots
March has landed this bet in 12 of his 15 games in 2023 and while his numbers have reduced in the last few weeks, that is still a very strong record.
Real Madrid created a lot of shooting opportunities in midweek and while Brighton aren’t the European champions, they do have the attacking verve to trouble a Chelsea defence which may well get revamped again here, Lampard having turned to a back three in the Spanish capital.
Like team-mate Alexis Mac Allister, March is very much a shoot-on-sight merchant and he looks more than capable of a couple of shots in this match.
Brighton to have most corners
Brighton are the third-best team in the Premier League for corners taken, while only Manchester City concede fewer.
Chelsea’s figures on both fronts are hardly poor but they are certainly worse than Brighton’s.
They average 5.7 corners per game (to Brighton’s 6.1) and concede 4.6 (Brighton 3.5).
With Chelsea struggling for goals and Brighton likely to have a good go at their out-of-sorts opponents, the visitors to win the most corners appeals at around even money.
How to watch Chelsea vs Brighton
Chelsea v Brighton is not being televised live in the UK. The Stamford Bridge showdown kicks off at 1500 BST on Saturday, April 15.
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