Chelsea resume their Premier League campaign at home against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, after both teams racked up wins in midweek Carabao Cup action.
The victories were achieved in contrasting fashion, with Chelsea coming back from a goal down to beat League One side Lincoln City while Brighton dismantled Barnsley with a 6-0 win as Diego Gómez scored four goals.
Enzo Maresca's side have a tough run of fixtures coming up, with games against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League fixtures against Benfica and Ajax. The nervy win over Lincoln City will do little to assuage Chelsea fans' fears after losses to Bayern Munich and Manchester United diminished early-season optimism.
Robert Sánchez, who was sent off in the loss to Man United will return from suspension, but Maresca's injury list remains long. Cole Palmer is unlikely to feature, and with Facundo Buonanotte ineligible to face his parent club, Chelsea will need makeshift attacking options in central midflied. João Pedro missed the trip to Lincoln, and remains a doubt for this game, which might force Maresca into fielding Tyrique George as a makeshift striker once more. Marc Guiu, recalled from his Sunderland loan, also remains an option.
Fabian Hürzeler has an injury list of his own, with Adam Webster, Solly March and Jack Hinsheldwood out in the long-term, while Maxim De Cuyper remains a doubt. Brighton's form has been inconsistent this season, with impressive wins over the likes of Manchester City juxtaposed against losses to Bournemouth and Everton. They even led 2-0 against Tottenham last weekend, only to let their opponents back in to finish with a 2-2 draw.
Hürzeler has triumphed in two of three games against Maresca, with Brighton defeating Chelsea at home 3-0 (PL) and 2-1 (FA Cup) last season, although a Cole Palmer-inspired Chelsea won 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. However, Chelsea have lost only one of their last twelve home games against Brighton, who can draw level with Maresca's side on points with a win on Saturday.
Here is everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch:
The match will not be telecast in the UK, and will be on NBC/Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sports in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date: Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET; 7:30 p.m. IST and 12 a.m. AEST, Sunday).
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Simon Hooper
VAR: Darren England
Team News:
Chelsea
Facundo Buonanotte, M: OUT, ineligible to face parent club
Cole Palmer, F: groin, DOUBT
João Pedro, F: knock, DOUBT
Moisés Caicedo, M: knock, DOUBT
Benoît Badiashile, D: leg, OUT, est. return mid-Oct
Dário Essugo, M: thigh, OUT, est. return late-Nov
Liam Delap, F: hamstring, OUT, est. return mid-Nov
Levi Colwill, D: ACL, OUT, est. late-Apr
Romeo Lavia, M: strain, OUT, est. return mid-Oct
Brighton & Hove Albion
Maxim De Cuyper, D: knee, DOUBT
Adam Webster, D: knee, OUT, est. return Jan 2026
Solly March, M: knee, OUT, est. return mid-Oct
Jack Hinsheldwood, M: ankle, OUT, est. return late-Nov
Expected Lineups:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez
RB: Reese James | CB: Trevoh Chalobah | CB: Tosin Adarabioyo | LB: Marc Cucurella
CM: Andrey Santos | CM: Enzo Fernández
RW: Estêvão | CAM: Tyrique George | LW: Pedro Neto
CF: Marc Guiu
Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1)
GK: Bart Verbruggen
RB: Joël Veltman | CB: Jan Paul van Hecke | CB: Lewis Dunk | LB: Ferdi Kadioglu
CM: Carlos Baleba | CM: Diego Gómez
RW: Yankuba Minteh | CAM: Georginio Rutter | LW: Kaoru Mitoma
CF: Danny Welbeck
Stats:
Brighton have managed only one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League games.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last twelve Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, winning nine.
Chelsea are the only team in the Premier League who have yet to name a player aged 30 or over in their matchday squad.
Moisés Caicedo leads the league in tackles and interceptions this season.
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