Chelsea’s hunt for a trophy continues later today when the Blues take on Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup fourth round.
A convincing 5-0 win over League Two Morecambe secured Chelsea’s spot in the FA Cup fourth round last month, setting up the clash with Brighton after the Seagulls beat Norwich City 4-0. A 2-1 win over West Ham United sends Enzo Maresca’s side into the clash in high spirits, with tonight’s game the first of two consecutive meetings against Brighton, with the two going head to head in the Premier League next Friday.
Chelsea have won their last five games against Brighton, most recently a 4-2 win in the Premier League where Cole Palmer scored all four before half-time. Maresca is expected to rotate his squad, but with the Seagulls not easy opposition, the Spaniard may not risk a full rotation as we’ve seen many times already this season.
So, can Chelsea secure their place in the hat for the fifth round draw? Let’s take a look.
Brighton vs Chelsea score predicted
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Seagulls could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van de Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Palmer, George; Nkunku.
Just 67 seconds in, Chelsea got off to the perfect start, with Cole Palmer playing a one-two with Christopher Nkunku to move around his defender and fire a brilliant finish across goal into the bottom corner from just inside the box. With the early lead, the Blues looked extremely comfortable, and a period of dominance paid off when the Blues made it 2-0 just before half-time.
(Image: EA Sports)
Palmer was involved once again, this time pulling the strings from a deeper role as he played a wonderful pass over the Brighton defence for Tyrique George to latch on to. After bringing the pass down, George poked the ball towards goal, with his effort deflecting off the leg of the ‘keeper before looping into an empty net.
With 20 minutes to go, Chelsea had the chance to make it 3-0 when Nkunku had his shirt pulled inside the box, but the Frenchman was unable to convert the resulting spot kick, with his effort skimming the outside of the post. The miss didn’t prove costly though, with Maresca’s side holding out for a big cup win on the road.
EA FC 25 predicted final score: Brighton 0-2 Chelsea
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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