Chelsea will look to rebound from their weekend defeat to Newcastle United when Brighton visit Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea must recover from a humiliating defeat at Newcastle United this weekend when Brighton visits Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Blues put in a poor second-half performance at St. James’ Park, where the hosts won 4-1 with the visitors reduced to 10 men.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure after his team capitulated in the second half. The score was 1-1 at the half, but Chelsea conceded three goals in the second half to give Newcastle a comfortable and convincing victory.
“We thought we were ready to compete today, but we didn’t in the way the competition demanded,” Pochettino told reporters after sitting in the Tyneside stands on Saturday. “Even if Newcastle wasn’t great, it was a simple victory.”
“To come here, Chelsea, and demonstrate that it would be difficult for them to win the game and beat us.” We agreed because it was so simple. We did not demonstrate that we were playing for something important by being soft in every single challenge.”
Pochettino and his players have regrouped and are preparing for Sunday’s Premier League match against Brighton. And they have one distinct advantage when the Seagulls arrive in town.
Brighton will travel 4,000 miles round trip to Athens to face AEK Athens in their fifth Europa League group match on Thursday evening. The Seagulls enter the game second in Group B, knowing that a loss to the Greeks will tie the two teams on points.
It is a crucial game for Roberto De Zerbi and his team, who will be desperate to advance as far as possible in the European competition, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the south coast club. As a result, the Italian coach is expected to select a very strong squad for his team’s trip to Greece, which could play into Chelsea’s hands.
Also, when it comes to playing teams after Europa League matches, Brighton has not had the best record this season. The Seagulls have only won once after their European commitments – a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth after losing to AEK at home – in the four occasions it has occurred.
Brighton have drawn three times since then after playing in Europe, against Liverpool, Fulham, and Sheffield United. Pochettino will be aware of Brighton’s commitments and travel plans, and he will have the benefit of working with his squad for a full week prior to the Premier League match.
Pochettino stated in September, “The circumstances have given us time to work, and we’ve had a really good week.” It’s a difficult time for the fans because they’re used to being in Europe, but we have to take advantage of the situation.”
Pochettino must devise a strategy that exhausts Brighton. If De Zerbi, as expected, sends some of his first-team stars to Greece, they will be mentally as well as physically exhausted.
Chelsea will have to be patient on Sunday. Their home form has not been great this season, but if they can frustrate the Seagulls, make them run around as much as possible, and look to pounce on them later in the game, that could be the most successful path to take.
Pochettino will be hoping that the extra week of training for his players will benefit a couple of his injured stars, including Christopher Nkunku. The France international is nearing the end of his long-awaited recovery from a knee injury suffered during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States.
Nkunku was not quite ready to travel to Tyneside with the rest of the squad on Saturday, but a few extra days at Cobham could see him make the squad for the match on Sunday. Romeo Lavia is also expected to be included in the squad for the first time since joining Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
We’re also waiting to hear more about Malo Gusto, who was absent from the squad at St. James’ Park due to a knee injury. Gusto withdrew from the France Under-21s squad during the international break, but he had been spotted training at Cobham in the days before.
Reece James is suspended for the game after receiving two yellow cards in the loss to Newcastle, so Pochettino will have to look elsewhere for his right-back option. Marc Cucurella is also out this weekend after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season in Saturday’s game.
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