Brighton v Chelsea LIVE: Team news and latest updates ahead of Premier League clash – UK Times

“They have been supportive of me in our daily conversations, they have been magnificent in their support of me and the team.

“We’re aligned that we know we need to win games of football in the now, but that doesn’t go against what we’re trying to do, which is give consistent success to this club long-term.”

With only three points separating Chelsea, in sixth, to Fulham, in 12th, the Blues face the prospect of missing out of Europe all together.

Brighton can go above Chelsea tonight with a win and they will know, along with Brentford, Bournemouth, Everton, Sunderland and Fulham, that anything is possible given how close the race is.

Chelsea were dealt more than one hammer blow in their pursuit of Champions League qualification over the weekend.

First, the Blues lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, a result that continued their alarming slide.

Then, both Aston Villa and Liverpool won late on to increase the gap to sixth-place Chelsea.

The Blues come into tonight’s trip to in-form Brighton 10 points behind Villa, seven behind Liverpool.

With just five games left, tonight is surely a must-win for their top-five hopes.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gross, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Pedro, Neto; Delap.

Diego Gomez is likely to miss out for Brighton after suffering an apparent knee injury against Tottenham. Kaoru Mitoma came on for him and scored, but also appeared to sustain a knock and is thus doubtful. Lewis Dunk returns from suspension.

Chelsea’s top scorer Joao Pedro faces a late fitness test ahead of a potential return to his former club having missed the Manchester United defeat with a thigh issue. Enzo Fernandez is fit to feature following an injury scare but Estevao is definitely out, due to a hamstring problem sustained at the weekend.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 7.30pm BST. A live stream will be available via Sky Go or NOW.

Brighton vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 21 April at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton are eyeing a spot in the top six as they look to climb above Chelsea with the pair meeting at the Amex Stadium.

Chelsea, by contrast, are flailing having seemed certain to push for the top five, with a 1-0 loss to Manchester United their fourth consecutive defeat in the league.

It has heightened the pressure on Liam Rosenior as he returns to the club where he finished his playing career.

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Brighton v Chelsea in the Premier League.

The two sides are separated by only one point but the momentum is firmly with tonight’s hosts, with the Blues floundering on a run of four straight league defeats. Can they arrest that slide tonight? We’ll find out…