Chris Hughton knows that his Brighton side will have to be at their very best defensively to beat Chelsea this weekend having watched them beat Man City last weekend.
Brighton have had a very solid season so far, and sit solidly in the mid-table pack of six teams that are separated by just two points as we go into round 17 of fixtures.
Key to their standing has been their form at The AmEx stadium, where they have picked up 14 points from a possible 21, including getting notable victories over West Ham and Manchester United. However, they face the tough test of hosting Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea side on Sunday, with the Blues having beaten the high flying Man City at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Speaking ahead of the game, Seagulls boss Chris Hughton knows that his side will have to defend well if they are to get anything out of the game.
“They have adapted very well (to Maurizio Sarri’s arrival). Any team that beats Manchester City at the moment shows the quality they’ve got.
“Chelsea were very good at the Amex last year – whichever way they do play they have real quality and their last league win shows that.
“They also have a lot of flexibility in their attacking areas.
“We know we’ll have to defend very well – but we have to be in the game ourselves too.
“We know we have to start well on Sunday.
“Chelsea reminded us of the levels of this league last season.”