We'll need fortune on our side against Chelsea - Hughton

Chris Hughton admits Brighton will need fortune on their side if they are to get anything from tomorrow's lunchtime clash with Chelsea.
Action from Albion's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Boxing Day. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Action from Albion's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Boxing Day. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Action from Albion's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Boxing Day. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

The Seagulls have won just one of their past 12 Premier League matches but Chelsea have scored just three goals in their last five matches and only scraped past Championship side Norwich on penalties in the FA Cup on Wednesday.

Spanish stars Pedro and Alvaro Morata were both sent off in that game, so miss tomorrow's match, but Hughton was quick to point out Chelsea's squad will still be full of quality.

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He said: "The starting position when you play against any team, particularly a team as good as Chelsea and one of the top six, is you have to take it for what it is now and the quality they've got now, not the players that won't be playing or the form they're in.

"Our approach would not be any different if they're having their best period of the season or not so.

"We are playing against a team that's a better team than us and is full of quality. We know we'll have to play at a level and have some fortune go our way to get anything from the game.

"What we can't afford to do is think about players that might not be available. What we have to do is think about the players they do have available.

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"The players they have available are a special group who won the league title last season, so that makes it a very difficult game for us.

"All our preparations have to be on the quality they have got."

Hughton added Albion will go into the match believing they can get something. The Seagulls have lost all six of their matches against sides in the top six this season but Albion's boss said: "There isn't a game we go into where we don't think we can get a result.

"We went to Stamford Bridge and in the first half the performance was good and we limited them to minimal chances.

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"Unfortunately they scored in the first couple of minutes of the second half which raised their game and then you saw the great quality they've got.

"We'll go into it as a home game the exact same way with Manchester City in the first game or Liverpool, where the performance for the first 30 minutes was good.

"We'll try to do the right things we can to get a result."