Club news

Five Things Preview: Chelsea

By Alex Stedman • 18 January 2018

The Seagulls are next in Premier League action this weekend when they host Chelsea at the Amex Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

Here are five things to look out for ahead of the contest...

League first at the Amex

This weekend’s meeting between the Seagulls and the Blues will be the first league encounter to be staged at the Amex Stadium.

Albion, of course, have hosted Chelsea here on the south coast before – in a pre-season friendly before the 2012-13 campaign. Goals from Vicente, Ashley Barnes and Andrew Crofts cancelled out Frank Lampard’s opener, as Gus Poyet’s men defeated the Champions of Europe.

Ever-present trio 

Maty Ryan, Lewis Dunk and midfielder Dale Stephens have all played every minute of Albion’s Premier League campaign so far – totalling 2070 minutes apiece. 

Signed from Valencia in the summer, Ryan has also kept eight clean sheets so far in the top flight this term, whilst Dunk and Stephens have been mainstays in Albion’s first season in the Premier League. 

In front of the cameras

The game against Antonio Conte’s men will be the third time in succession that the Seagulls have played a home game on television.

AFC Bournemouth’s visit in the Premier League on the first day of 2018 ended in a 2-2 stalemate following an entertaining contest in front of the Sky Sports cameras, before the aforementioned cup victory over Roy Hodgson’s side was screened by BT Sport.

A quick turnaround 

Chelsea’s visit to the Amex Stadium will come just 25 days after the two teams met at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day.

Having gone in at the break all square in West London, second-half goals from Alvaro Morata and Marcus Alonso gave the home side a victory, and Chris Hughton’s men will be hoping for a different outcome in this weekend’s reverse fixture. 

Chelsea absentees

The Blues will be without the attacking duo of Morata and winger Pedro after the pair were both handed red cards in Wednesday evening's Emirates FA Cup victory over Norwich City.

The game went to extra time and penalty before the Blues advanced to round five of the competition, but they'll now be without the aforementioned players as they both picked up two yellow cards apiece in the win over the Championship side.