Brighton and Chelsea will pair up on Valentine’s Day as the two clubs meet in the Premier League this evening.
It’s a quick second date after their meeting in the fifth round of the FA Cup just last weekend. The Seagulls came out on top at the Amex Stadium as Kaoru Mitoma dumped the visitor’s out of the competition to book a tryst with Newcastle United in the next round.
Hurzeler could be without captain Lewis Dunk on this occasion after the defender was forced off at the interval last Saturday. Mats Wieffer will be assessed but tonight’s game comes too soon for Solly March and James Milner.
Enzo Maresca will be plotting revenge is expected to have the same pool of players at his disposal as he did six days ago. The severity of Nicolas Jackson’s hamstring injury was confirmed on Thursday evening, with the Senegalese international not expected to return until after the next international break in late March.
Alternative striker option Marc Guiu is also unavailable alongside long-term absentees Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia. Reece James is in contention after being rested last weekend while Filip Jorgensen is expected to start in between the sticks.
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Brighton’s progression into the fifth round of the FA Cup gave the club a huge lift after suffering their heaviest defeat in Premier League history, conceding seven goals without reply to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
That result leaves them in 10th position, but they retain a slim hope of qualifying for Europe this season. Fabian Hurzeler’s side are only seven points off fifth-placed Manchester City.
However, their home form leaves a lot to be desired with only three wins from 11 league games. That said, they have only lost twice in front of their fans, drawing the other six. Their last home win came against Man City in November.
