BY Magumba Ali
@magumbaali.
With a place in next season’s Europa League within reach, Brighton & Hove Albion look to add three more points to their Premier League total on Saturday at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, who sit in mid-table ahead of the match.
Brighton & Hove Albion are in seventh place on 46 points, while Chelsea are placed 11th on 39 points. With nine matches to play, the Seagulls trail fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by seven points for a spot in the Europa League. The Blues are 14 points outside of the tournament spot.
Brighton & Hove Albion suffered a 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their last league match to snap a five-match unbeaten streak. Chelsea also lost their last Premier League match 1-0 at Molineux Stadium against Wolverhampton Wanderers, extending their winless streak to four (W0 D2 L2).
When the two sides last met in Premier League action, Brighton came out on top 4-1 at The American Express Community Stadium in October. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for the Seagulls in the fifth minute. Pascal Groß also was on target. Kai Havertz scored the lone goal for the Blues in the 48th minute.
Brighton have got the better of Chelsea of late, unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches (W1 D3 L0). Chelsea are looking for their first league win in fixtures between the two sides since September 2020. The Seagulls have outscored the Blues 6-3 during their unbeaten streak.
Delving into the stats for the season, Brighton & Hove Albion’s leading attacking threats have been Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma, and Solly March, who have netted eight, seven, and six times, respectively.
In the final third, Havertz has been a key player for Chelsea this season. He leads the club with seven goals, three of which have been the tone-setting first of the match.
Hosts Chelsea have six wins, five draws, and four losses this season in 15 Premier League contests at home. The Blues have a three-match home winless streak (W0 D2 L1) dating to March 18 against Everton. In league matches on the road this season, Brighton have six wins, four draws, and four losses.
In their last six league matches, Chelsea have won two, drawn two and lost two. Brighton, meanwhile, have won three, drawn two and lost one in their last six.
Friday:
SPAIN LA LlGA
Rayo Vallecano V Osasuna (1x)
ITALIA SERIE A
Spezia V Lazio 1-2
SATURDAY:
PREMIER LEAGUE
Aston Villa Vs Newcastle yes,(x)
Chelsea Vs Brighton (1x)
Everton Vs Fulham (1x)
Tottenham Vs Bournemouth (1)
Man City Vs Leicester( 1)
West Ham Vs Arsenal (yes,(2)
Southampton Vs Crystal palace( 1x)
Nottingham Vs Man United (yes,2)
Leeds Vs liverpool (2)
BUNDESLIGA
Leverkusen Vs Royale Union( 1)
Stuttgart Vs Dortmund (Over)
Bayern Vs Hoffenheim (1 )
Leipzig Vs Augsburg (1)
Frankfurt Vs Gladbach( 1 )
Schalke Vs Hertha Berlin (1x)
SPANISH LA LIGA
Villarreal V Valladolid( 1)
Cadiz V Real Madrid (yes ,2)
Getafe V Barcelona (2)
Real Betis V Espanyol( 1x)
ITALIAN SERIE A
Napoli Vs Verona (2-1)
Inter Vs Monza (1-0)
Fiorentina Vs Atalanta (Over)
Bologna Vs AC Milan (Over)
