Brighton vs Chelsea: TV, stream and preview

The Blues travel to the south coast to face the Seagulls, looking to snare three points to hold onto a top-four spot as Christmas edges closer

With Christmas just around the corner, the Premier League really is into the festive swing of the things as the halfway mark of the season fast approaches - but will it be Brighton or Chelsea who pick up an early present this year?

The Seagulls have taken two wins in their last three games under Chris Hughton, losing only to Burnley in that period, and sit nestled in 13th in the top flight - not quite in the thick of a battle for survival but still close enough to be concerned.

The Blues meanwhile may have only mustered a 2-2 draw in Europe against Vidi earlier this week, but after they became the first side to hand a domestic defeat to champions Manchester City last weekend, Maurizio Sarri will be expecting his team to hold onto their top-four spot this afternoon.

Which side will snatch the prize parcel under the tree this year at the Amex Stadium? And which will be left with a lump of coal?

TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be shown on telelvision or livestreamed, though Goal will be providing minute-by-minute live text commentary.

Squads & Team News

Brighton will be without Irish defender Shane Duffy as he continues to sit out his three-match suspension, with the 26-year-old unable to return until after Christmas.

Jose Izquierdo and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are doubts too, with knee and hamstring problems respectively, but could shurg off their knocks to feature for Chris Hughton's side.

Possible Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Ryan; Bruno, Dunk, Balogun, Bernardo; Stephens, Propper; Knockaert, Gross, March; Murray.

Returning to Premier League action following their 2-2 draw with Vidi in the Europa League, Maurizio Sarri is unable to call upon a trio of names out with short-term injuries.

Gary Cahill, Victor Moses and Alvaro Morata are all sidelined at the moment, but the trio will return to contention over the next two weeks.

Possible Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, David Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard.

Betting & Match Odds

Chelsea are favourites to win at odds of 9/20 at bet365 . A draw is 7/2 while a victory for Brighton is 15/2.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more .

Match Preview

It's been a month of mixed fortunes for Chelsea, but Maurizio Sarri looks to have quashed any talk of the honeymoon bubble being burst following last weekend's emphatic win over Manchester City.

The Blues downed the Champions 2-0 in a fine display to put to bed the spectre of defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves that had brought the former Napoli man's tactics into question.

Now, they know they can hold onto a top four spot - barring a five-goal swing in victory for Arsenal against Southampton - with a win against Brighton and Hove Albion on the south coast at the Amex Stadium.

Chris Hughton's Seagulls host their opponents as they look to secure a return to winning ways themselves, having seen a first loss in three games against Burnley last time out.

They had previously put Huddersfield and Crystal Palace to the sword in their last two encounters before the Clarets turned them over at Turf Moor

Their manager will know that victory would put them eight points clear of Newcastle, in 14th place, hauling them away from a potential relegation dogfight as they head towards the new year.

Both sides are missing some key men however, with Shane Duffy out for the hosts following suspension, serving the second match of a three game ban.

Chelsea meanwhile are still without England man Gary Cahill, with Victor Moses and Alvaro Morata also out of action for this weekend's clash.

The visitors won this tie 4-0 last season - though that loss did spark a five-game unbeaten run for Albion in its aftermath that likely secured their safety in the Premier League.