Chelsea vs Brighton team news: Albion missing five players, Frank Lampard welcomes back key midfielder

The Albion will look to put last weekend’s disappointing and controversial defeat to Tottenham behind them, as they continue their push for European football next season.

Brighton lost their first away game since October last Saturday, all but ending their hopes of playing Champions League football next season, but had a number of referring decisions go against them.

The PGMOL issued an apology to Roberto De Zerbi’s side earlier this week, after Karou Mitoma should have been awarded an penalty in the second half, after Pierre-Emile Højbjerg made contact with him in the box, with the scores at 1-1.

Brighton also had two goals dubiously disallowed for handball and a further two strong penalty shout that weren’t given. The result means Brighton fell to seventh place, ten points of fourth-placed Manchester United and seven off fifth-placed Spurs.

De Zerbi now turns his attention to Stamford Bridge, as he prepares his side to face a struggling Chelsea team, who have not won on scored on a goal in their last four games.

The Italian will be without Tariq Lamptey (knee), Adam Lallana (thigh), Jakob Moder (knee) and Jeremy Sarmiento (foot) as they continue their recovery from long-term injuries.

Defender Levi Colwill is also unavailable for the game, being ineligible to play against his parent club.

Frank Lampard has returned to the Chelsea hot seat as an interim head coach, following the sacking of ex-Albion manager Graham Potter at the start of April, making him the fourth person to take the role this season.

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Despite spending more then £500m on new players, Chelsea have won just three of their last 20 leagues games, leaving them 17 points off a Champions League place in 11th and out of both domestic cups.

Since Lampard has returned to the club, Chelsea have lost two games in the space of five days. A 1-0 defeat away at Wolves in the league was quickly followed by a disappointing trip to Spain, where Lampard’s men lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final tie.

Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka and Kalidou Koulibaly will miss tomorrow’s game, but Mason Mount is expected to make his first start in more then a month, having been out with a pelvic injury.

Brighton will go into the game as unlikely favourites, having already dismantled Chelsea 4-1 in a memorable first victory for De Zerbi back in October.

Lampard has also been on the losing side when facing De Zerbi’s Brighton this season, having been in charge of Everton when they lost 4-1 at home to the Albion in January.

The 44-year-old was sacked from his Goodison Park job later that month, just shy of a year to the date he was first appointed.

Chelsea play Brighton at 3pm on Saturday, April 15.