Chelsea suffered a double injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Brighton as manager Liam Rosenior confirmed that key attackers Cole Palmer and João Pedro would miss Tuesday's match. Palmer, who has scored 10 goals this season, was sidelined with hamstring tightness after playing the full 90 minutes in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.

Pedro, the team's leading scorer with 19 goals across all competitions, is dealing with a thigh injury that also kept him out of the United game. Rosenior indicated both players are being managed carefully with Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Leeds at Wembley Stadium in mind. The Brazilian forward is expected to recover in time for the cup clash, while Palmer's availability remains uncertain.

Chelsea enters the Brighton match on a concerning run of form, having lost four consecutive Premier League games without scoring a single goal. The injury absences compound what has become a frustrating stretch for the Blues, who are fighting to salvage their season with a potential cup final appearance despite their league struggles.