Four consecutive league defeats without scoring a single goal. The last time Chelsea did that was 1912.
Nineteen twelve. When they were still playing in the old Football League and nobody had heard of a formation. And here we are in April 2026 and Liam Rosenior, a man whose previous managerial experience came at Hull and Strasbourg, is trying to stop a Club World Cup winning squad from writing its name into the wrong part of history.
Meanwhile, Brighton just came from 2-0 down at Tottenham to draw 2-2, Mitoma and Rutter both scoring, Fabian Hurzeler pumping his fist on the touchline, and the Seagulls heading into Tuesday night in-form, at home, one point behind sixth-placed Chelsea, and gunning for a fourth consecutive win against the Blues for the first time in their entire history.
Brighton beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in September. They beat them twice in February 2025. And now Chelsea are coming to the Amex in the worst run of form in their modern history. The timing could not be worse. Or better, depending on which shirt you are wearing.
Brighton vs Chelsea: Key Stats
Brighton: Won their last 2 league games against Chelsea, as many as in their previous 19 combined
Brighton: Unbeaten in their last 4 Premier League games
Brighton: Beat Liverpool 2-1 in their last home game at the Amex
Brighton: Danny Welbeck involved in 7 goals in 8 league games against Chelsea this season
Chelsea: Lost 4 consecutive Premier League games without scoring in any of them
Chelsea: Six defeats in seven matches across all competitions
Chelsea: Have not scored in 5 of those 6 defeats
Chelsea: Sitting sixth, one point above Brighton with the European race getting tighter
Cole Palmer: Five goals in his last three league games against Brighton
Chelsea: Missing Pedro, Colwill, James, Gittens, Estevao, Jorgensen and Mudryk
Photo Credit (Getty Images)
What to Expect
Brighton have found something in the last few weeks. Hurzeler had his job questioned not long ago and now his team are the division's form side with five wins and a draw in their last seven. Welbeck leads the line with 12 league goals, Minteh causes chaos from wide areas, and Rutter off the bench has been a game-changer. The return of captain Lewis Dunk from suspension gives the defence a significant boost and the Amex crowd, buoyed by that comeback against Tottenham, will be loud and expectant from minute one. The worry is Mitoma and Gomez both picking up injuries against Spurs and their availability is uncertain for Tuesday. If Mitoma cannot play, Brighton lose their most dangerous attacking option.
Chelsea are a mess and the injury list reads like a hospital register. Pedro is out. Estevao is out with a hamstring that could threaten his World Cup. Jorgensen is out. Colwill is out. James is out. Mudryk is suspended. And now Fernandez and Estevao both came off injured against United on Saturday. The only light in this Chelsea team right now is Cole Palmer, who has scored five goals in his last three league appearances against this Brighton side specifically, and who publicly admitted he has only recently started playing freely again. If Rosenior can get Fernandez fit and build the team around Palmer, Chelsea can score. But this squad has looked completely broken for weeks now and there is no obvious reason why Tuesday at the Amex is where the revival begins.
Predicted Lineups
Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gross, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck
Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Pedro, Neto; Delap
Players to Watch
Cole Palmer - The only Chelsea player operating anywhere near his potential right now. Five goals in three league games against Brighton is the stat Rosenior needs to build an entire game plan around on Tuesday. If Chelsea are going to break their four-game scoring drought, it happens through Palmer and probably through Palmer alone.
Danny Welbeck - Thirty-five years old and having the best season of his career. Seven goal involvements in eight league games against Chelsea this season tells you this is not a coincidence. He is Brighton's focal point, their link play, their set piece threat and their most experienced head in big moments.
Yankuba Minteh - Injury permitting. If Mitoma cannot go, Minteh becomes Brighton's most direct attacking option and the one player who can hurt Chelsea's left side repeatedly with his pace and directness. His fitness between now and Tuesday is the biggest team news question for Hurzeler.
Liam Delap - With Pedro out, Delap gets the chance to lead the line for Chelsea and show why the club spent significant money on him. He has physical qualities that can trouble any defence but needs service and support that this Chelsea side has been unable to provide recently. A goal here changes his entire season narrative.
Prediction
Brighton to win: 2.54
Chelsea to win: 2.78
Draw: 3/76
Over 2.5 Goals: 1.68
Prediction: Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
The data and context both point to Brighton. They are in form, at home, with a crowd that smells blood after beating Liverpool here recently. Chelsea are without half their squad, have not scored in four straight league games, and are walking into an environment that has embarrassed them three times in the last thirteen months. Palmer will score because Palmer always seems to score against Brighton regardless of what is happening around him. But Brighton's quality through Welbeck, Minteh and Rutter should be enough to win this and move above Chelsea into sixth, putting even more pressure on Rosenior's increasingly fragile position.
