Another injury blow for Frank Lampard and Chelsea ahead of Brighton

Chelsea go into the game with seventh placed Seagulls having recorded only four league wins in the last six months, and can arguably trace the form that has led to their slump down the table to the last time the teams met in October.

The Blues, then managed by former Brighton boss Graham Potter, were fifth ahead of their visit to the Amex Stadium but were thumped 4-1 to hand Potter his first defeat in charge. It was to be the first of nine losses in the next 19 league matches.

Brighton conversely have gone from strength to strength since Potter’s replacement Roberto De Zerbi took charge, and travel to Stamford Bridge seven points and four places above Chelsea with two games in hand in their bid to qualify for Europe.

Their recruitment policy of buying relatively unknown players for small money and radically improving their sell-on value whilst achieving results on the pitch contrasts starkly with Chelsea’s model, with the club criticised for wild spending that is yet to yield signs of progress.

Lampard confirmed the injury sustained by Kalidou Koulibaly during the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid will keep him out for “weeks, not days,” meaning he will miss both the Brighton game and the return leg at home to Real on Tuesday. Striker Armando Broja remains a long term casualty with a knee injury.

Brighton will be without Adam Lallana who remains out with thigh injury and Jakub Moder (knee) is out with a long-term ACL issue biut is making steady progress in training.

De Zerbi has said that he will have to make a couple of late calls on players availability ahead of Saturday's game.

He said in his press conference on Friday, "There's no big news. There are some problems, I want to see tomorrow morning before we decide the starting XI."