Unbeaten Chelsea boss Potter returns to Brighton, top-four battle hots up

LONDON: Nine games into the job, Graham Potter remains unbeaten as Chelsea manager. On Saturday, he aims to extend that streak to double figures when he returns to his former club Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

Potter, who Brighton lured from Swansea City in 2019, took over at Stamford Bridge after Thomas Tuchel's sacking. While Chelsea have not been spectacular since his arrival, the 47-year-old has taken little time to get his message across.

Still, successive draws in their last two Premier League fixtures - away to Brentford and at home to Manchester United, games in which they struggled to create chances, leave them fifth in the table.

Victory in Salzburg on Tuesday meant Chelsea reached the last 16 of the Champions League, but Potter will be anxious to get back to winning ways in the league with the race for top-four places hotting up.

The manage had his critics at Brighton, but the majority of the club's fans viewed his time positively. The club's form since suggests he is being sorely missed.

Brighton are winless in five Premier League games under Italian Roberto de Zerbi, and they have scored once in their last four games since a thrilling 3-3 draw at Liverpool.

The omens are not good for De Zerbi breaking that sequence as Brighton have never beaten Chelsea in the Premier League, losing six and drawing four, and have actually only ever beaten them once in their history, an FA Cup tie in 1933.

De Zerbi's side, who are in ninth place, impressed in a 3-1 loss to Manchester City last weekend though, and defender Joel Veltman says Brighton fans should not be too despondent.

"There are still things to work on but we are making progress all the time and we will get there," he said.

"Last Saturday, against one