Graham Potter returns to his former club on Saturday, as Chelsea take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
A win for Chelsea could take the Blues back into the Premier League top four depending on other results, with Potter's side dropping out last weekend following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United. A 94th-minute goal from Casemiro snatched a point away from Chelsea, with Newcastle leapfrogging the Blues.
A 2-1 win against RB Salzburg in Chelsea's last outing saw the Blues confirm top spot in their Champions League group, making Potter just the third-ever English manager to do so. Saturday will be the first time the manager has taken on his former side, with the Seagulls yet to win since his departure.
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Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante and Reece James are all guaranteed to miss the clash with Brighton on Saturday, but Kalidou Koulibaly should return to the squad.
So, could Chelsea reclaim their spot in the top four on Saturday? We simulated the game to try and predict the outcome.
Brighton vs Chelsea score prediction
To complete the simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We then predict the hosts could line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation as follows: Sanchez; Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Lamptey, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Trossard; March, Gross; Welbeck.
We predict that Potter could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Cucurella; Sterling, Mount; Aubameyang.
Chelsea were absolutely dominant in the first half of this simulated game, with the Blues having a number of chances to take the lead. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount were guilty of missing great chances, but they did eventually take the lead seven minutes before the break.
Kai Havertz grabbed his second goal in consecutive games for Chelsea, with the German receiving a pass from Aubameyang before cutting onto his left foot and curling a finish past Robert Sanchez to make it 1-0.
Chelsea could well have been three or four nil up at this stage, but they went into the break with a deserved, albeit narrow lead. And, the Blues were made to pay for their missed chances as Brighton turned things around just 15 minutes after half-time.
First, Alexis Mac Allister grabbed an equaliser after a fast break, with the Argentine ghosting in at the back post to tap home. Then came the sucker punch, with Belgian forward Leandro Trossard producing a nonchalant finish to make it 2-1, after yet another fast break.
The home side could have put the game past the Blues, such was the turnaround in the second half. But just like Chelsea in the first half, the Seagulls didn't take their chances.
And with just two minutes left on the clock, Chelsea grabbed a far-from-deserved equaliser, with substitute Conor Gallagher making it 2-2 late on.
Kovacic's mazy run on the right saw him go past two defenders, with the Croatian putting the ball on a plate for Gallagher to tap home. The substitute saved Potter's blushes in this simulated game, with the Blues having a really poor second half.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Brighton 2-2 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that it could be a game of two halves this weekend, with both Brighton and Chelsea having periods of dominance. The simulation suggests that both sides will create a lot of chances, but the result of this game might just depend on which team is more clinical in front of goal.
What will the score be between Chelsea and Brighton on Saturday? Let us know in the comments!
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