Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion have been playing one another on and off ever since their initial meeting in 1933, but have never played one another in the League Cup – something that's set to change as the Blues host their south coast competitors in a third round clash on Wednesday night.
With that in mind, Football FanCast has everything you need to know before the Carabao Cup clash gets underway this week.
We might only be into the second month of the new season, but with both teams having already played seven games in all competitions, we now have a good idea of their form and playstyle going into the game.
For the hosts, the beginning of this season has just been more of the same from last year – worse even. The Blues have had their worst start to a season since the 1978/79 campaign under new boss Mauricio Pochettino and currently find themselves down in 14th in the league after just one win, two draws and three defeats.
They did beat AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the League Cup to reach this upcoming game, but it was just their second home win of the season thus far, with their first being a 3-0 win over Premier League new boys Luton Town. Can Pochettino kickstart Chelsea's campaign with a home win against the high-flying Brighton?
The Seagulls, on the other hand, have had an unbelievable start to the new campaign, finding themselves all the way up in third place following their fifth win of the league season over AFC Bournemouth on the weekend.
Their place in the table is not just down to good fortune, either. They are currently the league's top scorers with 18 goals thanks to big wins over Manchester United, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That said, they did slip up against AEK Athens during the week, but considering their domestic form, that might have more to do with the pressure of being in Europe than anything else.
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their head-to-head record?
Counting just their competitive matches, Chelsea and Brighton have only played 20 times in the 90 years since their first meeting 90 years ago. The reason that the clubs have played so few games against one another in the ensuing nine decades is primarily due to Brighton's absence from the top flight of English football.
When they did face each other, it has more often than not been the Blues that have come away victorious, winning 13 out of 20. For their part, the Seagulls have won just three games, drawing the remaining five.
That said, while the numbers unquestionably show that Chelsea have dominated this fixture over the years, Brighton have been far more competitive in recent years – remaining undefeated in the last five.
Chelsea Wins
12
Draws
5
Brighton Wins
3
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their FA Cup record?
With their upcoming clash coming in the League Cup, how have the sides historically fared when coming up against each other in cup competitions?
Well, it probably won't come as a huge surprise to hear that Chelsea's general dominance in this fixture over the years has also translated into a dominance in cup games. The teams haven't played one another in the League Cup before, but in their four FA Cup meetings, the Blues have emerged victorious twice, whereas the Seagulls have won just once.
There was a draw when the sides faced off in the fourth round in the 1966/67 season, but Chelsea comfortably won the replay 4-0.
Will Roberto De Zerbi be able to improve his side's cup fortunes when the whistle goes on Wednesday evening?
Chelsea Wins
2
Draws
1
Brighton Wins
1
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their Premier League record?
Sorry, Seagulls fans, your record in the Premier League against Chelsea still isn't great. In fact, the south coast club have won just two of their 12 games in the top flight against the Blues, drawing four and losing the remaining six.
That said, their two wins have come in their last two games, and three of their four draws came in the games before that – so they're certainly the more in-form team when it comes to the rivalry at the moment.
Chelsea Wins
6
Draws
4
Brighton Wins
2
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their Second Division record?
While there is a positive way to look at the Premier League results for Brighton fans, there certainly isn't when it comes to the Second Division.
Chelsea have a 100% win rate when it comes to second-tier games against Brighton, and by quite some margin as well, with the aggregate score for the games being 6-1 in favour of the Blues.
That said, the last time the sides met in the second tier was back in March 1989, so we aren't sure how much we can really read into that. It certainly shows how far each side has come in the years since.
Chelsea Wins
4
Draws
0
Brighton Wins
0
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their record at Stamford Bridge?
Again, it's not a huge surprise to see that when the games are played at Stamford Bridge, it's Chelsea that comfortably come out on top in the majority of games.
In fact, the Blues have won six of the nine games in which they have played host over the years, drawing two and losing just one, which is a pretty impressive record regardless of the opponent.
The aggregate score at the Bridge is currently 16-3 in favour of the hosts – can De Zerbi influence that come Wednesday?
Chelsea Wins
6
Draws
2
Brighton Wins
1
Chelsea vs Brighton: What's their record at Brighton?
It's Chelsea who ultimately come out on top in this fixture, even when it's Brighton's turn to play host.
Unfortunately for Seagulls fans, the Blues have left their ground as victors six times over the years, which gives them a win rate of 54.5% away from home. For their part, the home side have won just two games when playing host to the west Londoners, drawing the remaining three.
Chelsea Wins
6
Draws
3
Brighton Wins
2
Chelsea vs Brighton: Which team has the most goals?
A much better record in a fixture usually comes with a much better goal record as well, and that's certainly the case here.
In all, there have been 50 goals in 20 games in this fixture, meaning that, on average, fans can expect to see 2.5 goals per game when these two sides meet, with a lot more of those goals coming from Chelsea.
The Blues have found the back of the net 35 times against Brighton, meaning they tend to score 1.75 per game. The Seagulls, on the other hand, have scored just 15 goals against the Pensioners, giving them a paltry 0.75 goals per game over the course of this fixture thus far.
That said, with the way Brighton have been playing over the last few seasons, we expect that number to rise significantly over the coming years.
Chelsea Goals
35
Brighton Goals
15
Chelsea vs Brighton: What happened last season?
So far, this preview has been pretty bleak reading for Brighton supporters, but here is where things start to look a lot better, as the recent history of this fixture is one that unquestionably favours the Seagulls.
For example, last season was the first time the south coast side completed the double over their opponents from the capital, beating them home and away by an aggregate score of 6-2.
The first game took place at the Amex in October and saw the home side go three goals up before Kai Havertz pulled one back for the Blues, only for Pascal Gross to add a fourth for Brighton in the 90th minute, completing his side's dominant win over a team that was then managed by former Brighton (and Chelsea) manager Graham Potter.
The second fixture was a little closer, though, and required a comeback from the travelling team after Conor Gallagher put Chelsea 1-0 up in the 13th minute. Not ones to be disheartened, the Seagulls levelled in the 42nd minute through Danny Welbeck and took the lead on 69 minutes thanks to a superb strike from Julio Enciso, eventually winning 2-1.
Chelsea vs Brighton: What is Chelsea's biggest win?
With so many wins under their belt in this fixture, it only makes sense that the Blues have also thumped the Seagulls a few times in the past, and with two 4-0 wins to their name against them, they certainly have.
The first one came in the fourth round of the FA Cup in February 1967. It was a home tie, and the home fans certainly got their money's worth as their team scored four goals to no reply through Tony Hateley, Allan Young and a brace from Bobby Tambling.
The second time the Blues scored four and kept a clean sheet was in a Premier League game in January 2018. It was an away game this time, with Eden Hazard grabbing a brace and Willian and Victor Moses scoring a goal each at the Amex.
Chelsea vs Brighton: What is Brighton's biggest win?
With only three wins to their name in this tie, you wouldn't expect the Seagulls to have any big wins against Chelsea, but that's not the case.
Brighton's biggest win over the Blues came last season, and it was their 4-1 home win mentioned earlier. The scoring was opened just five minutes in as Leandro Trossard found the back of the net with some excellent close control. The hosts' lead was doubled just nine minutes later as Ruben Loftus-Cheek put the ball into his own net after failing to clear a cross.
The Seagulls saw their lead reach three on the stroke of half-time through another own goal as Trevoh Chalobah poked a low cross into his own net as he tried to clear it. Chelsea did get one goal back through Havertz in the 48th minute, but a fourth Brighton goal from Pascal Gross secured all three points for the home side.
Chelsea vs Brighton: What are the recent results?
While the fixture overall undoubtedly belongs to Chelsea, you wouldn't know if you just looked at the last five encounters.
The recent story of this game is one of draws and Brighton dominance, as the south coast club have won two of the last five and drawn the other three. The aggregate score from the previous five games is 8-4 in favour of Brighton, and even more worryingly for the Blues is that three of those games have been at Stamford Bridge.
With the form of the teams at the moment, it certainly wouldn't be surprising to see Brighton further increase their recent dominance in this fixture.
Chelsea vs Brighton: When is it?
Chelsea host Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 27th September at 7.45pm, and while the fixture isn't a staple of English football, it has regularly produced exciting games in recent years, and there is no reason it won't do that again.
Both sides' contrasting fortunes and ambitions promise to make this an exciting game you don't want to miss. For the hosts, they need to get their season back on track as soon as possible, and a home tie against one of the most exciting teams in the league could be the perfect opportunity to do so, especially if the Seagulls rest one or two starters ahead of their league game at Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime.
For Brighton, the game represents another opportunity to firmly establish themselves as one of the best teams in the country, and most importantly, the League Cup could be one of the best opportunities they have to go out and win a trophy this year. So, who knows, De Zerbi might opt to field a full-strength XI for this one.
In all, this should be a cracking cup clash.