Chelsea’s poor start to 2018 continued in mid-week when they welcomed Norwich to Stamford Bridge for an unwanted FA Cup third round replay.
The Championship strugglers took Chelsea to extra time when Jamal Lewis’s 94th-minute header cancelled out Michy Batshuayi’s second-half strike, and the Blues required penalties to see off the Canaries on Wednesday night.
Now coming off a short week of just two days preparation, Chelsea face a potentially tricky trip to Brighton on Saturday afternoon in the early kick-off time slot.
They travel without Alvaro Morata who was sent off for two bookable offences against Norwich and Antonio Conte was particularly aggrieved with the issuing of a second card for an alleged dive when replays indicated that the Spaniard was indeed fouled.
January recruit Ross Barkley is in the travelling squad but it remains to be seen if he will be thrown straight into the action. Here is our predicted XI.
