English FA Cup: Brighton, Chelsea in crucial battle

Seagulls will be hoping to bounce back from heavy defeat this weekend.
Brighton were demolished by Nottingham Forest last weekend, but they will hope to bounce back when they return to the Amex to face Chelsea this Saturday.
That was the Seagulls’ second successive defeat, but prior to that they were unbeaten in seven and they have a solid recent record in the FA Cup, reaching the semi-finals in 2023 and the fifth round last term.
Chelsea, the third-most successful side in FA Cup history with eight trophies to their name, are not to be sniffed at in this competition, though. They have only been eliminated before the fourth round once in the past decade and have the squad depth to deal with the fixture congestion.
The Blues’ comeback win over West Ham last weekend leaves them in a top-four berth in the league, although it may boost the hosts’ morale that they haven’t won on the road since mid-December.
What we can usually expect from both sides is plenty of goals. 20 goals have been scored in Chelsea’s last five games, four of which have featured at least four goals, while Brighton have seen four or more goals in three of their last five and three of their last four in the FA Cup.
Brighton have played out six draws at the Amex Stadium this season and two of their last ten have ended 2-2. With Chelsea drawing two of their last four on the road, a high-scoring 2-2 draw appeals.
Anytime goalscorer punters may be tempted by a hefty price on Georginio Rutter, who has scored four goals in his last five games, two of which came from the bench