Brighton host Chelsea in the first of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, and also a repeat of the two sides’ FA Cup fourth-round tie on Saturday, won by Brighton.
It may have taken Brighton’s record signing a few months to settle in but the performance of Georginio Rutter in their thrilling FA Cup victory over Chelsea showed that the Frenchman was worth the £40m they paid Leeds in the summer.
A brilliant header to equalise before setting up Kaoru Mitoma’s winner gave Fabian Hürzeler’s side the confidence boost they needed after their 7-0 mauling at Nottingham Forest, with Rutter justifying his manager’s decision to leave João Pedro on the bench.
Rutter – who has seven goals in all competitions – did not start a Premier League game in January after struggling with a hamstring problem and Hürzeler has been mindful of protecting the 22-year-old, although he will be itching to face Enzo Maresca’s side for the second time in six days.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk is a major doubt after injuring a rib during the FA Cup clash but in better news, Mats Wieffer could be involved after nine games out.
