Preview: Liam Rosenior takes Chelsea to in-form Brighton
By Filip Mishov
Chelsea need to stop the rot if Rosenior wants to save their season
Brighton & Hove Albion’s resilience was on full display once again as Georginio Rutter scored a stoppage-time equaliser at Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, extending their impressive four-match unbeaten run (3W, 1D) in the Premier League. Now, Fabian Hürzeler’s squad sit ninth and just a point off top six with five rounds to go, and the Seagulls’ ultimate aim will be to secure a return to European football for next season.
Fittingly enough, it’s sixth-placed Chelsea who are visiting the Amex Stadium on Tuesday.
The out-of-form Blues appear to be in free fall having not scored a single goal in their last four league games (360 minutes), with Manchester United the latest side to beat them on Saturday night.
Liam Rosenior‘s underperforming squad are in danger of slipping away from the top five with seven points now separating them from the Champions league places.
Key players
Jan Paul van Hecke is developing into one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League with the Netherlands international establishing himself as a mainstay in Brighton’s defence during the past three seasons. The talented defender is the highest-FotMob rated player in the squad (7.17), and the Dutch’s numbers stand up, with the 25-year-old leading the team in terms of accurate long balls per 90 (3.6), clearances per 90 (5.3) and blocks per 90 (0.9).
Van Hecke player traits comparison
Enzo Fernández returned to the starting XI at the weekend and the Argentine’s performance was one of the few bright spots in the defeat to United. The fiery midfielder was the squad’s highest-rated player at Stamford Bridge and continues to be their top performer in the league (season average FotMob rating 7.3). Whether or not there is a move to Real Madrid on the horizon, Rosenior is in no position to ignore his importance to the team given the fact that Enzo is Chelsea’s leading chance creator (56) and only João Pedro has more goals + assists than him this season (19 to Fernández’s 11).
Team news
Diego Gómez landed awkwardly and sustained a knee injury at Spurs, and although Hürzeler eased any fears about him suffering a long-term injury, the Paraguayan will miss the match, joining Adam Webster, James Milner, Solly March and Stefanos Tzimas on the sidelines. Lewis Dunk is, however, available again after serving a two-match suspension.
João Pedro missed the last match through injury, but the Brazilian has returned to Chelsea’s first-team training, meaning they’ll make a ‘late call’ on including the former Brighton forward in the matchday squad. availability. Estêvão is now injured and no one from the other long term absentees (Filip Jörgensen, Levi Colwill, Reece James, Jamie Gittens) looks set to return in midweek.
Prediction
Brighton have the third-best defensive record (conceding just 39 goals) but also the second-worst offensive record (scoring 45 goals) of the teams in the top half of the table, while Chelsea are on their worst league goal drought since 1998. A goal fest is not, therefore, on the cards, but I expect the formidable Seagulls to continue their unbeaten run and quite possibly get a result that would take them above Chelsea in the standings.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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