Why Brighton v Chelsea is being held on Tuesday night plus talkSPORT commentary for Premier League clash

Chelsea will look to bounce back when they travel to Brighton for their rescheduled clash on Tuesday night, live on talkSPORT.

The Blues are on a nightmare run of the form in the Premier League, having fallen to a fourth straight defeat against Manchester United on Saturday.

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A 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge dealt a huge blow to Liam Rosenior‘s side in their Champions League hopes.

Chelsea sit sixth in the table and are now seven points adrift of Liverpool in fifth – the likely cut-off point for qualification.

This makes their midweek trip to Brighton a must-win clash, but a result won’t come easy again one of the league’s in-form teams.

The Seagulls have European aspirations too, and are unbeaten in four games after their late 2-2 draw against Tottenham last time out.

Victory at the Amex would see Fabian Hurzeler’s side move above Chelsea into sixth on Wednesday night, before the rest of the gameweek 34 fixtures take place over the weekend.

But why are Brighton and Chelsea facing off ahead of all of their other league rivals this week?

Why is Brighton vs Chelsea on Tuesday night?

Brighton host Chelsea at The Amex this week – Tuesday, April 21 – with kick-off set for 8pm.

The fixture was first planned to take place this Sunday, April 26, but that date has been moved forward.

This is due to the Blues’ ongoing FA Cup run, which set up a semi-final tie with Leeds at Wembley by dispatching Port Vale in the last eight.

Rosenior’s group hammered the League One side 7-0 at the start of April, and it was later confirmed this would mean a change to their Premier League schedule.

Chelsea’s trip to Brighton was then moved a few days in the week earlier to make sure it fits into their busy schedule.

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Brighton vs Chelsea: How to follow

talkSPORT will have live coverage of Brighton vs Chelsea.

Sam Matterface will be alongside former England captain Stuart Pearce to provide commentary on all the action.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream or find us on DAB digital radio through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Download and listen to all our live commentaries via the talkSPORT app here.

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The match will also be broadcast on Sky Sports, with coverage starting at 7.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

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Brighton vs Chelsea: Team news

Brighton are set to be without Diego Gomez against Chelsea, after he limped off against Tottenham with a suspected knee injury.

Also a doubt is Kaoru Mitoma, who came on to Gomez and scored a stunning goal, but was later forced off with a knock late on.

James Milner could return after missing the Seagull’s last two games, while captain Lewis Dunk is available again after serving a suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.

As for Chelsea, they are awaiting a late fitness test to see if top scorer Joao Pedro will be fit to face his old club.

The Brazilian sat out the Blues’ defeat to Man United with a thigh issue, and Liam Rosenior has revealed it will be a late call to see if he is fit in time for Tuesday.

In a blow to Chelsea, Estevao will miss the trip to Brighton after being forced off with a hamstring injury against Man United.

The youngster now joins Reece James, Filip Jorgensen and Jamie Gittens on the sidelines, while Levi Colwill also remains out.

However, Rosenior has confirmed that Enzo Fernandez is fit for the clash, despite requesting to be substituted late on against United.

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Brighton vs Chelsea: What has been said?

Ahead of his Chelsea’s crunch trip to Brighton, head coach Rosenior insisted his side’s focus should not be on Champions League qualification, but solely on winning their next match.

He said in his pre-match press conference: “It’s not about where we finish, or teams below us, it’s about our standards and our performances.

“We haven’t won a game, we need to change that.

“If you start thinking about the repercussions, or the Champions League, you’re not focused on what you are doing.

We need to focus on the game tomorrow. We have to focus on the way that we play. We have to make sure we win games of football.”