5 reasons why Chelsea will struggle against Brighton | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Chelsea's woeful recent away form

Chelsea suffered a shock away defeat to Aston Villa towards the end of the 2019-20 season

It's important to start the season on a positive note. Having to play catch up after the first gameweek could prove to be quite a burden for teams and especially for one like Chelsea that harbours title aspirations.

As such, Chelsea would have liked it if they could have kickstarted their campaign at home. They have lost four of their last five away games across the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. What's a cause for concern is the fact that two of those defeats came against Sheffield United and Aston Villa.

Winning those two games would have helped Chelsea clinch a Champions League spot without having to depend on their luck on the final day of the season. They will need to shake off their poor form and turn over a new leaf and given all the changes they've gone through of late, it could prove to be a tough task.

#2 Brighton held Chelsea down 2 weeks back

Brighton & Hove Albion drew their last Premier League fixture against Chelsea

Brighton and Chelsea had played out a 1-1 draw just a couple of weeks back when the two sides met for a pre-season friendly. And that's after Willy Caballero saved a Neil Maupey penalty in the 49th minute of the game.

Adam Webster's header in the 58th minute skimmed off the crossbar as well before Brighton finally drew level in the 90th minute. It's safe to say that Chelsea did not exactly cover themselves in glory in the friendly match against Brighton. They will surely hope that it's not a sign of things to come.

The last time that Chelsea faced Brighton away from home in the league was in January and the result was a 1-1 draw as well. As such, Chelsea will be wary of the threat the Seagulls pose going into the game.

Hakim Ziyech will miss the league opener for Chelsea, after twisting his knee in the friendly against Brighton. Could be out for a few more weeks.Let's hope he'll return strongly! https://t.co/NqCm0Aclh3

— Maghrib Foot (@MaghribFoot) September 9, 2020

#1 All pressure on Chelsea

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard

After spending heavily in the transfer window when nearly every other side has been forced to tread on the side of caution in the Covid pandemic landscape, Chelsea could draw a lot of stick with an underwhelming performance in their season opener.

It is very important for them to kick off their new season on a positive note and they would like to avoid the brutish judgments of the British media for as long as they could. Brighton, on the other hand, will be looking to come out swinging as it is not a fixture that they are expected to win after having finished 15th on the table last season and just 7 points clear of the relegation zone.

As such, Chelsea will need to cope with the pressure if they're to dig up a good result tonight.

After a summer of huge spending at Chelsea, the pressure is now on Frank Lampard to deliver this season...Watch Chelsea's new-look squad take on Brighton in their season opener - live on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football! ⚽

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 14, 2020