Brighton vs Chelsea Prediction, Starting Lineups and Odds: Tonight's 18/1 Goalscorer Bet

Brighton and Chelsea get this weekend's Premier League action under way shortly when they lock horns on the south coast tonight, with kick-off fast approaching at 8pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event.

The teams are no strangers to each other, having met all of six days ago at the same venue in a game which saw Brighton claim a 2-1 win in the FA Cup.

Read on for the best bets and tips from our resident Seagulls supporter Matthew O’Regan, who produced two winning bet slips in this very encounter last weekend.

Friday Night marks the third and final time these sides will meet this season. Chelsea won the reverse fixture 4-2 thanks to four goals from Cole Palmer in a chaotic game, while Brighton won last week’s cup bout with goals from Karou Mitoma and Georginio Rutter after a Bart Verbruggen own goal saw the visitors race into a 0-1 lead.

Chelsea have had a mixed start to life under Enzo Maresca, currently clinging onto fourth place, with Man City, Newcastle and Bournemouth hot on their tails. The Blues have had recent defensive woes, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games against Premier League opposition, only beating Wolves (3-1) and West Ham (2-1).

Brighton were on a high after three away wins in a week (Norwich, Ipswich, Manchester United) but soon came crashing back down to earth with a 0-1 loss to Everton and 7-0 mauling at Nottingham Forest. However, last week’s cup triumph over Chelsea have lifted the spirits again.

Despite a huge summer outlay, this season was seen as one of transition for the Seagulls, with aims of Europe next season. Still, Brighton sit a few points from European qualification and may fancy their chances of sneaking in if they iron out some inconsistencies that have plagued them this season.

The main worry would be the performances against those sides lower in the table, drawing with Wolves, Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich, while also losing to Everton. Eradicate this, and the Seagulls may have an outside shot.

Heading into the final few months of his contract, rumours were afloat that Tariq Lamptey would leave for a small fee to Ajax. Thankfully for Brighton fans this did not come to fruition, and they were left to enjoy the Ghanaian man of the match performance against Chelsea.

The pocket-size full-back was relentless, making nine tackles, two clearances and five recoveries, winning 11 of his 13 duels. He also had a ‘hand’ in the winning goal, with his shot causing chaos in the Chelsea area.

Lamptey has been a constant attacking threat this season, contributing to five goals in minimal minutes. He has also shown he is not afraid to shoot, having 1.01 shots per 90, registering a shot in eight of his nine starts this season.

Eyebrows were raised by many when Brighton splashed their record transfer fee on Georginio Rutter, but the 22-year-old is looking worth everything they paid and more.

Rutter has 10 goal contributions in just 16 starts, while also adorning himself to the Brighton support with his tenacity and personality.

The Frenchman levelled the score on Saturday with a deftly executed header that nestled in past the despairing Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea net. This was Rutter’s third headed goal of the season, also scoring a header in the 4-2 loss in September.

Brighton vs Chelsea Starting Lineups

The starting lineups are in for Brighton vs Chelsea and can be viewed in the graphic below: