Chelsea fans are not pleased to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the Blues' starting line-up to face Brighton & Hove Albion today (October 29).
Chelsea will play their 12th Premier League match of the season against Brighton at the Amex Stadium today. Having failed to win their last two league games, they will be keen to return to winning ways against the Seagulls.
The match will also see Graham Potter return to the Amex for the first time since leaving Brighton to take charge of the Blues last month. He was in charge of the Seagulls for three years between 2019 and 2022.
With less than an hour to go until kick-off, Chelsea have named their starting line-up for the match. Potter has made four changes to the team that played out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last weekend.
The London giants notably beat Red Bull Salzburg 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League this week. Nine players who started against the Austrian giants have kept their place in the line-up today.
Loftus-Cheek, who started against Manchester United and was benched against Salzburg, came into the side today. Several supporters, though, are not happy with his inclusion.
Chelsea fans have thus taken to Twitter to express their frustration at the midfielder being handed a start against Brighton:
One fan wrote:
"Why does Ruben Loftus-Cheek always play at the beginning, it really doesn't deserve him to be in the main team."
Another frustrated supporter wrote:
"Can't wait for another s**t show from [Raheem] Sterling and RLC [Loftus-Cheek]."
Loftus-Cheek has made 15 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea this season, providing one assist in the process. The 26-year-old has helped the club to wins in nine of those games.
It now remains to be seen if the England international can prove his doubters wrong by helping the Stamford Bridge outfit to a win against Brighton today.
How have Chelsea's opponents Brighton fared this season?
Brighton made a strong start to their 2022-23 campaign under Potter's management. The Englishman led them to four wins and a draw in their first six league games of the season.
However, the Seagulls received a major blow when Potter left them for the Blues last month. Former Shakhtar Donetsk manager Roberto De Zerbi has since taken charge of the club.
Brighton are notably yet to win a match under the Italian tactician's management. They have drawn two and lost three of their five games with De Zerbi in charge so far.