Brighton made five changes from the side which secured Europa League progress on Thursday, with Jason Steele replacing Bart Verbruggen in goal and Jan Paul van Hecke coming in for suspended skipper Lewis Dunk.
Carlos Baleba replaces Pascal Gross in the starting line-up in midfield, with Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro making way for Adam Lallana and Facundo Buonanotte.
Brighton’s lengthy injury list means they are without the likes of Tariq Lamptey, Ansu Fati, Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso, who scored a stunning winner here last season. Mahmoud Dahoud is also suspended.
Chelsea have made four changes from their humbling defeat last week at Newcastle, with two enforced replacements in their back line.
With Reece James and Marc Cucurella suspended, Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill come into the full-back positions.
So Cucurella misses out on a reunion with his former club but Colwill does face the side he spent last season on loan at and Moises Caicedo – after his £115m summer switch – comes into the midfield to take on his old team-mates.
Brighton team news
Team to play Chelsea: Steele, Veltman, Julio, Van Hecke, Hinshelwood, Gilmour, Baleba, Adringra, Lallana, Buonanote, Ferguson.
Subs: Verbruggen, Milner, Pedro, Gross, Moder, Mitoma, Baker-Boaitey, Kavanagh, O’Mahony
Chelsea team news
Team to play Brighton: Sanchez, Disasi, Badiashile, Silva, Colwill, Fernandez, Gallagher, Caicedo, Sterling, Jackson, Mudryk.
Subs: Petrovic, Bergstrom, Madueke, Broja, Palmer, Maatsen, Deivid, Gilchrist, Matos.
