The Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern are hoping their side can make an unlikely push for the title in the second-half of the season.

The resident Pensioners propping up the bar in the tavern are happy to admit that Manchester City’s lead at the top of the table is verging on unassailable, but they are insistent that stranger things have happened in football. If Chelsea are going to catch Guardiola’s City side by May 2018, then they will certainly need to be recording victory in almost every single fixture between now and the end of the season, starting with Brighton & Hove Albion later today.

Brighton enjoyed a relatively positive opening to the campaign considering it is The Seagulls’ first season in the Premier League, but Antonio Conte will be fully expecting his players to inflict some misery onto their opponents this afternoon and push them closer to the relegation zone.

Chelsea will be fully hoping to exploit Brighton’s weaknesses away from home considering Chris Hughton’s side have only managed to collect 7 points from their 9 fixtures on the road this season.

By comparison, Chelsea have won all 5 of their last 5 matches at Stamford Bridge since losing to Manchester City back in September.

However, there are no easy games in the English top-flight so The Blues will need to be at their very best to record a victory over Brighton today, despite the fact that recent form points towards a Chelsea win.

With that being said, here are two players Conte must select to face Brighton this afternoon…

Eden Hazard

There is absolutely no doubt that Chelsea’s Belgian magician is the first name on Antonio Conte’s team-sheet at the moment, such is the impressive nature of his form in recent weeks.

Hazard has been in simply mesmerising form at times playing in a central role just behind Alvaro Morata, putting in performances comparable to Lionel Messi.

And Brighton’s greatest challenge of the afternoon will be finding a way to stop the Hazard and Morata from combining in the final third.

When Hazard plays well, Chelsea play well, so everybody involved with the club will be hoping for a typically imperious performance from their crown jewel against Brighton.

Cesc Fabregas

Although Fabregas has a tendency to be inconsistent with his performances, his creativity and ability to dissect opponents with his diverse range of passing will prove invaluable this afternoon.

If Fabregas brings his A-game to Stamford Bridge, then Brighton will have an incredibly difficult job maintaining their defensive shape.

The Spaniard’s ability to dissect opponents could prove to be a lethal weapon against Chris Hughton’s side who will most probably line-up to defend and counter-attack after winning the ball back.

He is arguably Chelsea’s most effective passer of the ball, so Conte should include him in his line-up to ensure they can break down the opposition.