Slowly but surely, the top leagues in Europe are nearing their end, and the same goes for the English Premier League. This time, we’ve analyzed a match from a sea of interesting encounters, which will be played at the ‘Amex’ where Brighton will host Chelsea. The match between these two teams is scheduled to begin at 8:45 PM.
Brighton: Could This Team Have Achieved More?
It’s known that Brighton played at a very high level last season, managing to secure a spot in the Europa League. Speaking of Europe’s second-tier club competition, it’s important to note that the English representative, placed in a very tough group alongside Marseille, Ajax, and AEK, finished at the top of the table. This automatically secured a direct spot in the Europa League round of 16, unlike the second-placed team which goes to the round of 32.
To be fair, it seemed like Roberto De Zerbi’s team was unlucky in the draw, as they were matched with Roma, which was experiencing a resurgence under new coach Daniele De Rossi. Things were practically decided after the first match at the Stadio Olimpico, which the Italian team won convincingly 4-0. In the return leg, Brighton managed to win with a minimal score, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the quarter-finals of the second-tier European club competition.
In the Premier League, Brighton is not playing as well as last season, despite some brilliant performances. Currently, the Seagulls are mid-table, in tenth place, four points behind ninth-placed West Ham. It’s now certain that Brighton won’t be playing in Europe next season, which was their primary goal before the championship began.
In their last five matches in the top tier of English football, De Zerbi’s men have only achieved one victory, against Aston Villa at home, with two draws and two losses. In the previous round, the Seagulls drew away to Newcastle, with that match at St. James’ Park ending 1-1. Both goals were scored in the first half, with the Magpies being the far better team on the field.
At home, Brighton has played seventeen matches, with eight wins, six draws, and only three losses. This suggests that they can hope for a good result against Chelsea, who have been playing at a very high level lately. In the first half of the season, these two teams played a very interesting match at Stamford Bridge, with five goals in total, ending 3-2 for the Blues.
Chelsea: Despite Awful Performances, the Blues Still in the Race for Europe!
Chelsea started the season disastrously, and it was clear after the first few games that the championship fight from Stamford Bridge wouldn’t happen. Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as the new coach before the season, with the primary goal being a return to the top-tier European club competition. Unfortunately, that won’t happen either.
Currently, the former European champions are in seventh place, with the same points as sixth-placed Newcastle. It’s well known that sixth place at the end of the season brings qualification for the Conference League, which certainly doesn’t meet the Blues’ ambitions before the season started. However, given the circumstances and the turbulence the team has faced this season, finishing sixth would be a great achievement.
It seems the London team has shown in the second half of the season why they are considered perhaps the most talented squad in Europe, with a very young team. Take, for example, the last Premier League match, where they defeated Nottingham Forest 2-3. Only Thiago Silva was over 25 in the starting eleven, and the average age will be even lower next season as the veteran Brazilian international leaves the club.
There’s no doubt the Blues have a bright future, but they need to keep all these players together. Considering Chelsea’s owner, Todd Boehly, is one of the richest people in the world, that shouldn’t be an issue.
As mentioned, in the last round, the team from Stamford Bridge won away at Nottingham Forest, with a comeback orchestrated by Sterling and Jackson. Qualification for Europe is very close, especially as Newcastle visits Manchester United in this round.
Recently, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been playing very well, winning their last three league matches. Before the triumph in the last round, the Blues demolished West Ham at home with a convincing 5-0, with two goals from Jackson, who has been performing at a high level lately.
Regarding away matches, the former European champions have played eighteen games, achieving six wins, five draws, and seven losses. The London club’s last away defeat was against Arsenal at the end of last month, where they lost 5-0.
Our Betting Suggestions
First of all, we believe this duel at the Amex will bring plenty of goals, so we highly recommend trying the Total Over 3.5 Goals bet, which 22Bet offers at odds of 1.95.
As mentioned, Chelsea desperately needs points in the fight for European competition qualification, and we think the Blues will triumph at one of the toughest away grounds in the Premier League. Therefore, we boldly recommend trying your luck with a Chelsea to Win bet, for which 22Bet has set the odds at 1.98.
Finally, we believe the team from Stamford Bridge will score at least two goals much more easily than everyone expects, so we suggest focusing on the Individual Total 2 Over 1.5 Goals bet, with odds of 1.59.
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