Chelsea vs Brighton: Can Tuchel’s team climb into the top four?

Hakim Ziyech fires Chelsea past Manchester City to book FA Cup final spot

Relegation-threatened Brighton face Europe chasing Chelsea in a huge midweek Premier League clash.

When: Tuesday, April 20, 20:00 GMT

How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event

Best bets

Chelsea to win 3-1 at 16/1 (bet365)

Christian Pulisic to score anytime at 9/4 (Unibet)

Chelsea to win and both teams to score at 3/1 (Sky Bet)

Tuchel working his magic

Chelsea take their 14-game unbeaten run against Brighton into Tuesday nights game, aiming to put themselves back into the top four.

Victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday demonstrated the giant leaps that Thomas Tuchel's side have made since the German took over in January.

Since Tuchel's reign began, he has guided Chelsea to the FA Cup final, Champions League semi-finals and his team are well and truly in the top four race.

Thomas Tuchel delighted with Chelsea display as they reach FA Cup final

Unbeaten in his first 14 matches in charge, a shock 5-2 defeat to West Brom followed, but that result now seems a small blip after winning two important cup ties in quick succession.

His players have bought into his philosophy and the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has built a strong relationship with the Chelsea squad.

A win on Tuesday night would move the Blues into third place.

Last three Premier League meetings

Brighton 1-3 Chelsea (September 14, 2020)

Chelsea prevailed comfortably away in Brighton in the first round of fixtures this season to build on what seemed like a successful summer transfer window for the London club.

Jorginho confidently dispatched a penalty mid-way through the first period after Mat Ryan brought down new signing Timo Werner.

The home side found themselves level when Leandro Trossard's dipping shot squeezed past Kepa Arrizabalaga, making for an exciting end to the game.

A thunderbolt from Reece James into the top corner deservedly regained Chelsea's grip on the match and put them on course for all three points.

Brighton went close through Lewis Dunk's header, however Kurt Zouma's tame effort deflected in off a Brighton defender to seal the result.

Brighton 1-1 Chelsea (January 1, 2020)

The points were shared as Cesar Azpilicueta scored a rare goal when Brighton failed to clear a corner, leaving the defender with an empty net at his mercy.

Kepa was in excellent form between the sticks, but there was little the Spaniard could do to prevent Alireza Jahanbakhsh's overhead kick. The keeper was left to watch the ball sail into the opposite corner, sending the Brighton fans into raptures in the process.

The draw aided Chelsea's Champions League qualification ambitions, putting five points between themselves and fifth-placed Manchester United.

Chelsea 2-0 Brighton (September 28, 2019)

Frank Lampard got his first home win as Chelsea manager, deservedly running out 2-0 winners against Brighton.

The home side hit the post early on, before Ross Barkley was denied from a golden opportunity.

Lampard's men continued to dominate into the second half and were awarded a penalty on 50 minutes. Midfielder Jorginho duly tucked the spot kick away.

Brighton very nearly pinched a goal from a corner as they struck the crossbar.

Willian's deflected shot made it 2-0 and ended any Brighton hopes late on.

Premier League head-to-head

Played: 7

Chelsea won: 6

Drawn: 1

Brighton won: 0

Chelsea scored: 17

Brighton scored: 3

Will Brighton survive?

Graham Potter's side sit 16th in the league and come into the game off the back of a 0-0 draw with Carlo Ancelotti's Everton.

Their form has been somewhat up and down in recent games - winning against Newcastle and Southampton, but losing versus Manchester United, Leicester and West Brom.

Can Graham Potter lead Brighton to safety

Brighton have seven games left to reach the magical 40 point mark and currently find themselves on 33 points. A winnable match against Sheffield United follows and they then face Leeds and Wolves in the coming weeks.

These fixtures present a clear chance of points if Potter's side can be more clinical in front of goal and will be looking to cause an upset against in-form Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Considering Brighton are 40/1 (William Hill) to get relegated it is expected that their current six-point cushion on 18th-placed Fulham will be more than enough to stay in the division.

Scoreline prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Brighton

There is no doubt that Tuchel's men will be heavy favourites to win at Stamford Bridge considering the sparkling form they find themselves in. They will, however, be looking to bounce back from their 5-2 home defeat to West Brom with a positive result.

Chelsea are targeting a top four finish

It is expected that the home team will be able breach Brighton's unreliable backline on multiple occasions and will have plenty of chances to score. Their last Premier League result was a convincing 4-1 win against Crystal Palace and that proves that Tuchel's men have the firepower to net goals.

Brighton obviously pose a threat when they are in possession and will be looking to make set pieces count, however it is expected that Chelsea will come away comfortable victors. An attack minded line-up from Tuchel will force Brighton to defend deep and absorb pressure from a team that are in the ascendency as of late.

Goalscorer bets

Christian Pulisic will be fresh after looking dangerous in his cameo from the bench at the weekend. Tuchel will want to freshen up his starting line-up and Pulisic is expected to play a big part.

The American forward is 9/4 to score with Unibet.