The intense festive programme draws to a close today and tomorrow, with one UK broadcaster (BT Sport) showing all 10 Premier League matches live over four different time slots and across three channels.

Leading the way is this lunchtime kick-off, with Chelsea aiming to maintain excellent form on the road after the epic comeback at Arsenal. The Blues have won twice on 12.30pm starts this season (at Norwich and home to Crystal Palace), but lost away to Everton early last month.

The Londoners’ 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture to this at the Bridge was secured with goals from Jorginho and Willian.

That set a new English league record of nine straight wins by one club against another. Auspiciously, Frank Lampard’s team have hit the target in each of the past nine top-flight away matches. The South Coast has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues in recent years.

Chelsea visits to the south coast

Bournemouth - 0 without defeatBrighton - 6 without defeatSouthampton - 7 without defeatPortsmouth - 13 without defeat

As we enter 2020, with the transfer window now open, we have the same tally of league points after 20 games as in 2010/11. Back then, deadline day brought Fernando Torres and David Luiz to the Bridge, and Carlo Ancelotti’s defending Double-winners went on to finished second.As it is, had Chelsea’s away form this season been replicated on home soil the Blues would now be in third place, behind Leicester on goal difference, and one point ahead of Manchester City.

(North) London is Blue

Sunday’s final curtain on 10 years of football added a few more moments to the memory bank as Tammy Abraham’s clever, Drogba-esque goal against Arsenal sealed the north London ‘Double’ (same-season league wins away to Tottenham and the Gunners) for only the sixth time in our history. A third of those have come in the past decade. Arsenal visit the Bridge in just three weeks’ time.

The stunning victory in what was the last London derby of the decade made Chelsea the first visiting team to overturn a losing position at Emirates since Tottenham in 2010.

It was another great day for Neil Bath’s Academy staff, too. Abraham’s impact is there for all to see: 12 top-flight strikes have led directly to twelve points, a league high.

Premier League goalscorers

Jamie Vardy 17Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 13Tammy Abraham 12Danny Ings 12Marcus Rashford 12Harry Kane 11Raheem Sterling 11

And an ebullient cameo from 19-year-old right-back Tariq Lamptey – whose prowess is well-known to followers of the Chelsea Academy’s games – meant seven Cobham graduates have made their men’s first team debut already this season.

The last time that many were bloodied in one season was 1978/79, when John Bumstead, Gary Chivers, Micky Fillery, Gary Johnson, Mike Nutton, John Sitton, and David Stride made their bow.

Higher up the career ladder, Cesar Azpilicueta is set to skipper the Blues for the 100th time at the Amex today.

Lampard’s nous

Frank Lampard showed his tactical flair against the Gunners when it was clear his 3-4-3 had become a blunted five at the back. Under pressure from opponents, the Blues’ wing-backs can be pushed deep, removing the attacking threat and leaving his side outnumbered in midfield.

On top of that Chelsea were unadventurous in possession, losing 50:50 challenges, and lacking zip until the coach’s early intervention. Substitute Jorginho changed the game with his assertive passing, pushing his team-mates to do better in a revised 4-3-3.

The fatigue factor

For Chelsea, this match comes just 66 hours after a mentally and physically draining derby at the Emirates, meaning the hosts, who played a day earlier, have had 21 hours more to rest and prepare.

Frank Lampard and Graham Potter are new to the Premier League but will know the score. Both coaches will pick their teams in the knowledge that the damage done by playing three strenuous matches in quick succession may take four to six weeks to manifest itself in injuries. Chelsea’s rest weekend is not till mid-February.

The Football Research Group reckons English teams lose 303 more days to injury in an average season than clubs in countries with a winter break.

Lampard will hope some among Marcos Alonso, Reece James and Christian Pulisic can return to ease the festive burden on his team.

Defence the best form of attack?

Potter’s wand is working its magic on set-plays this season. Brighton have hit the target seven times from free-kicks and corners, three more than Chelsea.

Behind Neal Maupay with seven, the Seagulls’ leading marksman is centre-back Adam Webster. No defender in the top flight has netted more goals than the former Chelsea trialist’s three, all scored inside the box, and his partner Lewis Dunk is only one behind, with two.

Marcos Alonso and Fikayo Tomori lead the way for the Blues with one each, and the lack of goals from defenders may explain the relative lack of potency in set-plays compared to counter-attacks, from which only Leicester and Tottenham have scored more this campaign.

VAR pluses and minuses

As of yesterday, OPTA reported that Brighton have been the biggest beneficiaries of decisions overturned by the Video Assistant Referee. The Seagulls have had seven on-pitch calls changed in their favour, most recently on Boxing Day when the VAR scrubbed out Tottenham’s opener by Harry Kane for offside. (A similar review went against them during the 2-0 defeat of Bournemouth on 28 December.)

In contrast only one team (Sheffield United with seven) have had more Stockley Park revisions go against them than Chelsea’s five. As a result Brighton are +4 on aggregate VAR reviews, while the Blues are -3.

This is the kit

It was 36 years ago last month that Chelsea’s shirts first bore a sponsor’s name – Gulf Air – and a far bigger football anniversary is to be commemorated in strip form this week.

Nike’s commemorative replica of the change kit worn in the FA Cup final replay by Dave Sexton’s team 50 years ago against Leeds on 29 April 1970 will be available to buy on 2 January.

For the final itself, it was Leeds who had lost the toss and switched their white socks for red to avoid both sides wearing the same white stockings. Chelsea’s choice of gold to replace the usual white trim and socks for the rematch at Old Trafford became iconic.

2020 – a year full of anniversaries

The FA Cup triumph is one of several anniversaries to celebrate in 2020.This year, on 3 May, it will be 90 years since promotion was secured from Division Two, ushering in a spell in the top-flight that would last 32 years (3 May 1930); on 25 March it will be 30 years since Middlesbrough were beaten 1-0 in the Full Members’/Zenith Data Systems Cup (25 March 1990); in May it will be 20 years since our third FA Cup success against Aston Villa (20 May 2000), and 10 years since the only time we have clinched the Double with league (9 May 2010) and FA Cup (15 May 2010) glory; and it will be five years since our fifth and most recent League Cup final win (1 March 2015) and fifth league title success (3 May 2015).

Premier League fixtures (all live on BT Sport)

WednesdayBrighton v Chelsea 12.30pmBurnley v Aston Villa 12.30pmNewcastle v Leicester 3pmSouthampton v Tottenham 3pmWatford v Wolves 3pmManchester City v Everton 5.30pmNorwich v Crystal Palace 5.30pmWest Ham v Bournemouth 5.30pmArsenal v Manchester United 8pm

ThursdayLiverpool v Sheffield United 8pm

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