Brighton dealt huge injury blow before Chelsea clash as Xabi Alonso outlines Cole Palmer plan

Chelsea could have the upper hand when they face Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, as Fabian Hurzeler scrambles to fix an injury crisis.

Brighton have been dealt a huge blow ahead of this weekend's clash against Chelsea. The Blues are winless in each of their last three meetings with the Seagulls in the Premier League, but Fabian Hurzeler could be without a few big names when he takes on Xabi Alonso for the first time.

Jack Hinshelwood has suffered an injury in training and could miss Sunday afternoon's bout at Stamford Bridge. The 21-year-old midfielder had enjoyed an excellent start to the new season, netting a brace in a 4-0 win over Aston Villa to send Brighton top of the table.

Hinshelwood made a great impression at the Amex Stadium on the opening weekend of the campaign and looked to be a thorn in Alonso's side. But, the England Under-21 international has since picked up a knock, joining Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, Stefanos Tzimas, and Yankuba Minteh on the sidelines.

He was left out of the matchday squad when the Seagulls hosted Tromso in the second leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday night. Huzeler packed out the middle of the park in his absence, starting Matt O’Riley, Yasin Ayari, and Pascal Gross.

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"He had a small issue in training yesterday," said Hurzeler following a 4-0 win over the Norwegian outfit. "We have to go with him day by day. I can’t give a clear schedule of when he will be back."

According to The Athletic, Hinshelwood could be out of action for five to six weeks, thus ruling him unavailable for Chelsea's clash against Brighton this weekend. Although the Seagulls will be without one of their most in-form players, Hurzeler will be expected to reshuffle the pack, keeping Alonso guessing.

Interestingly, despite the absence of Hinshelwood, the Brighton boss was reluctant to rest his only other three senior options in the middle of the park. Ayari and Gross played the entirety of Thursday evening's game, while O’Riley was only brought off with 10 minutes to spare.

So, unless Hurzeler hands at least one of Malick Junior Yalcouye, Josh Robertson, or Shane Nti their first-ever Premier League starts, the Seagulls look set to deploy the same midfield despite having just two days of rest.

Of course, Chelsea also played on Thursday night, locking horns with Luton Town at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup second round. The Blues fielded a fairly strong lineup, too, but Alonso appeared a little more willing to keep his big hitters fresh, bringing off Reece James, Morgan Rogers, and Malo Gusto midway through the second half.

Cole Palmer, however, played a full 90 minutes. Speaking to reporters after the game, the Chelsea manager provided an update on his talisman, who had nursed a groin problem for much of last term.

Alonso said: "Cole had a great pre-season, he's well prepared, so he's one of the players that can take the 90 minutes. So we had an idea, depending on the context of the game, but Cole has a very good fitness level in terms of stamina, and now he needs to recover well for Sunday."