Chelsea and Brighton will go head-to-head in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge with both teams looking to get back to winning ways.
Enzo Maresca’s side suffered a disappointing defeat to Man Utd at Old Trafford in the Premier League last week before claiming a narrow win over Lincoln in the Carabao Cup in midweek. Fabian Hurzeler’s side, on the other hand, blew a 2-0 lead at home to Tottenham to draw 2-2, before a 6-0 win over Barnsley in the EFL Cup in midweek.
Both managers have some injury concerns to deal with, leaving the managers with some decisions to make, and this is how GIVEMESPORT expects the teams to line up.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea will be without star man Cole Palmer for a while with a groin injury, which worsened against Man Utd and saw him substituted after just 20 minutes, which opens up the possibilities for others to come in.
Josh Acheampong and Marc Guiu both missed the midweek game with minor issues but could return, while Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk, Liam Delap, Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are long-term absentees. Robert Sanchez is available, after serving his one-game ban against Lincoln. Loanee Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible to face his parent club.
|
Chelsea Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Levi Colwill |
Knee |
01/06/2025 |
|
Liam Delap |
Hamstring |
22/11/2025 |
|
Cole Palmer |
Groin |
22/11/2025 |
|
Tosin Adarabioyo |
Calf |
18/10/2025 |
|
Benoit Badiashile |
Unknown |
27/09/2025 |
|
Romeo Lavia |
Other |
27/09/2025 |
|
Facundo Buonanotte |
Ineligible |
04/10/2025 |
|
Wesley Fofana |
Concussion |
04/10/2025 |
|
Marc Guiu |
Knock |
27/09/2025 |
|
Joshua Acheampong |
Illness |
27/09/2025 |
|
Mykhailo Mudryk |
Doping Ban |
Unknown |
Maresca Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Maresca shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.
“We decided to protect Cole [Palmer] a little bit, in terms of don’t get worse. We decide to rest him for the next 2-3 weeks until the international break, just to see if with that rest he can recover to 100%.
“We said that with Cole we are a better team but we need to play games without Cole. We are going to play with 11 players, for sure, and we will find a different solution. I don’t think he needs surgery. It’s a matter of managing his pain in his groin, with the amount of games, it is something that can happen.
“Buonanotte can play in that position. But it depends a little bit on the game, the other team and how they defend. It depends.
“Tosin Adarabioyo is injured, he suffered a problem to his calf. He will probably be out until the international break. Wes Fofana had concussion against Lincoln, and the rest are okay. Romeo [Lavia] and Benoit [Badiashile] are better. We will see if they can join us tomorrow.
“I already showed trust and confidence with Josh Acheampong last season. When we played Josh away at Palace and at home versus Bournemouth, the reason why was not because we had any central defenders. We trust Josh. He was ill this week but had a session yesterday with us. Part of my job is to find solutions when we have some problems in terms of numbers.”
Chelsea Predicted XI
- Chelsea Predicted XI: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Acheampong, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Estevao, Fernandez, Garnacho; J. Pedro.
- Chelsea Predicted Substitutes: Jorgensen (GK), Gusto (DEF), Badiashile (DEF), Hato (DEF), Lavia (MID), Gittens (FWD), George (FWD), Guiu (FWD), Neto (FWD).
Chelsea have a number of injury issues currently in their squad and that could see Brazil star Andrey Santos handed his first Premier League start as a result, with Enzo Fernandez moving forward into the number ten role.
That should see £342,500-a-week trio Benoit Badiashile, Jorrel Hato and Pedro Neto on the substitutes bench to provide extra options.
Brighton Team News
Brighton have a very strong squad this season and have had a mixed start to the campaign, now Hurzeler must deal with a number of injuries. Solly March, Adam Webster and Jack Hinshelwood are long-term absentees with respective knee and ankle issues.
Defender Maxim De Cuyper missed the Spurs draw with a knock picked up the week before, but he could be set to return at left-back, while Mats Wieffer is available after missing the midweek win.
|
Brighton Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Adam Webster |
Knee |
01/06/2026 |
|
Solly March |
Knee |
13/12/2025 |
|
Jack Hinshelwood |
Ankle |
22/11/2025 |
|
Maxim De Cuyper |
Other |
27/09/2025 |
|
Mats Wieffer |
Knock |
27/09/2025 |
Hurzeler Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Hurzeler shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.
“He [Gomez] has a big danger when he attacks the opponent’s box. He has a good shot – he proved it in the last game. So, overall, he is a player who can play several positions. Of course, it’s always to figure out where he can be most effective.
“Brajan [Gruda] recovered this week, he had some days off because of a small issue, but he trained on Thursday, so he will be fine.
“Yankuba [Minteh] was the same, he trained on Thursday, he will be fine. Maxim [De Cuyper] and Mats [Wieffer] are available.”
Brighton Predicted XI
- Brighton Predicted XI: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gruda; Minteh, Gomez, Mitoma; Rutter.
- Brighton Predicted Substitutes: Steele (GK), Boscagli (DEF), Coppola (DEF), Watson (MID), Baleba (MID), Milner (MID), Wieffer (MID), Welbeck (FWD), Tzimas (FWD).
Paraguayan playmaker Gomez has staked his claim for a start after scoring four goals in midweek, and he should get the nod, while Carlos Baleba is likely to be axed after some poor performances recently.
He’s likely to be joined by experienced £120,000-a-week duo Danny Welbeck and James Milner on the bench too.
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