As they host Brighton at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Chelsea will be in desperate need of victory.
Mauricio Pochettino has overseen only two victories in his first seven competitive games as the Blues boss. They defeated Luton Town in the Premier League before scrapping past AFC Wimbledon in the previous round of this competition.
They face a tricky Brighton side who are flying high since the season began and who will be confident of securing a third consecutive win over this Chelsea side.
Coming into this game, Chelsea lost to Aston Villa 1-0 after having had Malo Gusto sent off, while Brighton came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 in the Premier League.
Team News
Chelsea will still be without Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, Trevor Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku, who are all still out with serious injuries.
Summer signing Cole Palmer and goalkeeper Djordjie Petrovic are expected to start in a strong Xi, which might include the return of Ben Chilwell, who has been benched for the last two games.
With regard to Brighton, Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder will be out for the foreseeable future due to injuries, while James Milner and Pascal Gross are questionable for the midweek trip to the city.
Jason Steele, Adama Lallana, Solly March, Ansu Fati and Joao Pedro are all expected to start this game for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
Match Stats
Chelsea have lost the last two games between these sides, and last beat the Seagulls three years ago, that’s a run of six games.
The hosts are without a clean sheet in their last five games in this fixture.
Chelsea have failed to score any goals in their last three matches.
Brighton are the highest-scoring side in the Premier League this season with a goal tally of 18.
Chelsea have lost two of their last three games and have won just two of their last 11 competitive games. They have lost their last two games at Stamford Bridge and will be looking to end that streak on Wednesday.
Brighton, meanwhile, have won three of their last four games and five of their last seven. They are in much better form than their opponents ahead of the midweek clash and should come out on top here.
What the managers said
De Zerbi said: “It’s not my team and I can’t say anything. They deserve more points, watching their games. We have big respect for Pochettino and Chelsea. They have a great squad. It could be a very tough game for us.”
Mauricio Pochettino: “I think it is one of our objectives this season. We need to think about the opportunity to win a trophy. Of course, the feelings after Sunday are not the best but it is about moving on to give the players confidence and trust.”
Probable Line-ups
Chelsea: Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Fernandez, Sterling; Jackson
Brighton: Steele; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Lallana, Gilmour; March, Fati, Mitoma; Pedro
