Chelsea predicted lineup vs Brighton - FA Cup | OneFootball

Chelsea make the trip to the south coast on Saturday evening when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fourth round.

The Blues have an impressive FA Cup record in recent seasons, although they have only won the competition once since 2012/13. They have been runners-up on four occasions in that period, reaching three consecutive finals between 2019 and 2022.

Enzo Maresca will identify the FA Cup and Europa Conference League as strong opportunities to win his first piece of silverware in the capital, with the Italian likely to field a strong lineup against Premier League opponents Brighton.

Here is how Chelsea could look at the American Express Stadium.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1)

Christopher Nkunku could earn a rare start / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages

GK: Filip Jorgensen - Maresca finally dropped the error-prone Robert Sanchez on Monday evening as Chelsea beat West Ham United and Jorgensen produced an accomplished display in his place.

RB: Malo Gusto - Reece James only managed an hour against West Ham and is still building up his fitness and confidence after a long injury layoff. The Englishman may start next Friday's Premier League duel with Brighton, but Gusto should feature in the cup.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah - Injuries to Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana have left Chelsea short in the centre-back department, but they still allowed Axel Disasi to leave on loan during the January window. Chalobah was recalled from his loan at Crystal Palace and should see regular minutes over the next few months.

CB: Levi Colwill - Colwill endured a difficult evening against West Ham and his error allowed Jarrod Bowen to fire the Irons ahead. He struggled to cope with his international teammate and will be tested this weekend by the tricky Joao Pedro.

LB: Marc Cucurella - The former Brighton left-back is unlikely to get the warmest reception from the home faithful, with Yankuba Minteh tasked with causing the Spaniard nightmares on his return to the Amex Stadium.

DM: Moises Caicedo - Another former Brighton employee, Caicedo will anchor the midfield. The £115m man is unlikely to be rested anytime soon given Romeo Lavia is still on the sidelines.

DM: Enzo Fernandez - Even in the moments where Chelsea lacked invention against West Ham, Fernandez offered a bright spark. He forced the Blues' equaliser and was at the heart of their best moments.

RW: Noni Madueke - Madueke has scored twice in his last three matches, but still often flatters to deceive in a Chelsea shirt. Injuries at left-back for Brighton could help him be more impactful on Saturday.

AM: Cole Palmer - Chelsea's talisman scored four first half goals against Brighton during the league meeting earlier this term and he's most likely to be difference-maker on the south coast.

LW: Pedro Neto - Neto made a positive impact from the bench against West Ham, injecting some much-needed energy into Chelsea's final third play and scoring his fourth goal for the club.

ST: Christopher Nkunku - With doubts over the fitness of Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, it looks likely that Nkunku will be leading the line on Saturday. He has been ruthless in the cup competitions this season.