2026-2027 Premier League: Chelsea vs. Brighton—Probable Lineups

Chelsea and Brighton face off at 3 p.m. in their Matchday 2 fixture of the 2026–2027 Premier League season. Xabi Alonso’s Blues won their season opener 3-2 on the road against Fulham; the Seagulls also got off to a strong start, winning 4-0 at home against Aston Villa.

Xabi Alonso, making his debut at Stamford Bridge, is relying on Joao Pedro up front, with Palmer and Rogers playing behind him. Caicedo and James are in midfield, while Malo Gusto and Chavarria will occupy the wings. Fofana, Lacroix, and Colwill form the defensive trio. Palestra, not yet at his best, is left out.

The visitors line up with Kostoulas as the center forward, Gomez, Gross, and De Cuyper as the trio of attacking midfielders behind him, while Wieffer and Ayari will play in the midfield.

Chelsea vs. Brighton: Probable Lineups
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Sanchez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Gusto, Caicedo, James, Chavarria; Palmer, Rogers; Pedro.
Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Boscagli, Dunk, Vuskovic; Wieffer, Ayari; Gomez, Gross, De Cuyper; Kostoulas.

“From the very first day I arrived here, I got the feeling that they were happy to embark on this journey together. Now it’s time to give it our all and prove it every weekend. We’ve played two games, and it’s a good start, but it’s still early. We have a great game ahead of us on Sunday—a good test to see where we stand,” said Xabi Alonso at a press conference.

“We’ll definitely face obstacles along the way, and we need to be prepared. How we react, how we stay united, and how we maintain the right mindset will be crucial. We’re just getting started, and there have been some positive aspects, but there are still things to develop and improve.”