Chelsea v Albion
PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Sunday 3rd December 2023
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Marc Perry, Steven Meredith
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Additional VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
TEAM NEWS
Christopher Nkunku could be involved in a Chelsea matchday squad for the first time this season but Romeo Lavia is less likely to be involved.
Reece James and Marc Cucurella are both suspended for one game.
Brighton & Hove Albion are missing a raft of players due to injury, although James Milner and Kaoru Mitoma are both expected to be available.
Midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud and defender Lewis Dunk have been ruled out due to suspension.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Brighton & Hove Albion's Premier League double against Chelsea last season ended a 14-game winless run in this fixture.
- Brighton's 2-1 Premier League triumph last season is their only victory in the past 10 away meetings in all competitions,
- The Seagulls have failed to score in eight of their 10 away games against Chelsea, including a 1-0 League Cup defeat in September.
- Chelsea have lost five of their opening 13 Premier League games for only the second time in 28 seasons. They had lost seven at this stage in 2015-16.
- The Blues have also conceded 20 goals at this stage of a Premier League campaign for just a second time, after letting in 23 in 2015-16.
- Chelsea's tally of 16 Premier League defeats in 2023 is their second highest in a calendar year, having lost 20 times in 1993.
- They have won only one of their past 14 Premier League home fixtures, beating Luton Town 3-0 in August.
- Chelsea have conceded four or more goals in back-to-back top-flight matches for the first time since 1989.
- The 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United last time out was Chelsea's biggest margin of defeat under Mauricio Pochettino and equalled his heaviest loss in the Premier League (Tottenham's 3-0 loss against Brighton in 2019).
- Pochettino lost just one of his seven matches as a manager against Brighton in all competitions (W5, D1), a 3-0 Premier League defeat for Spurs at the Amex Stadium in October 2019.
- Brighton's 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest last time out ended a six-game Premier League winless run - their worst spell under Roberto De Zerbi.
- Albion have scored and conceded in 17 consecutive league matches, which is a Premier League record and the highest in the top flight for 63 years (Manchester United also did it in 17 matches between 1959 and 1960).
- The Seagulls are the first team to score and concede in each of their opening 13 games of a top-flight season since Wolves in 1934.
- Brighton are one of only four sides yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this season, with the Seagulls making a joint-high four errors leading to goals.
- Danny Welbeck could become just the second opposition player to score in four Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, emulating Javier Hernandez.
- Pascal Gross has scored five goals and assisted five in his last 18 Premier League appearances. He's created 433 chances since the start of 2017-18, second only to Kevin De Bruyne (544).
- Roberto De Zerbi can become the fourth manager to win first three Premier League games versus Chelsea, after Mike Walker, Dave Bassett and Arsene Wenger.
Roberto De Zerbi's Chelsea Press Conference
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