Prediction: Crystal Palace vs Brighton

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 43/20

Bookmaker: 888sport

The Premier League is back in our lives this weekend and we’ve already seen a cocktail of entertaining games go down from Saturday onwards. On Monday Night Football tomorrow, this set of fixtures will be brought to a close as one of English football’s most unique rivalries resumes. Crystal Palace will host Brighton & Hove Albion with the direction of both clubs, as it stands, heading in two very different places – which is bound to lead to some fireworks.

Crystal Palace

The Patrick Vieira experiment was always going to take some time to figure out and that much is just kind of obvious, with Crystal Palace fans up and down the country recognising just how much of a shift there’s been from the mentality we saw in the Roy Hodgson era. They want to go out there and play clean, attractive football which is much easier said than done, as the Eagles attempt to discover the sort of team cohesion that will allow them to avoid another relegation battle.

Team News

Eze and Ferguson are both expected to miss out through injury here with Sclupp being back in the squad – even if he is still a fitness concern.

Brighton

Plenty have asked questions of Brighton & Hove Albion and manager Graham Potter but to kickstart the new campaign, we’d say he’s answered the critics pretty handily. The Seagulls know that if they win this game they will go top of the Premier League after six games which, in itself, is an absolutely incredible accomplishment. They possess the kind of never say die attitude that’s really commendable and this season, they’ve meshed it together with a really impressive squad.

Team News

Webster has been ruled out and won’t return until after the international break with the other fitness doubts being Bissouma, Mac Allister and Mwepu.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in February, Crystal Palace beat Brighton 2-1.
• Crystal Palace have won one, drawn two and lost three of their last six games.
• Brighton have won five and lost one of their last six games.
• Crystal Palace have scored five goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• Brighton have scored nine goals and conceded three in their last six games.

Conclusion

This rivalry may seem a bit odd in the eyes of some but it’s certainly been heating up as the years have gone on, and we expect to see a pretty lively atmosphere at Selhurst Park tomorrow night. We think Palace will get into a nice rhythm early on, as they tend to do under this new regime, pushing Brighton back – with the visitors knowing how much pressure there is on this game. We think the two rivals will both get on the scoresheet in a physical affair that ends in a 1-1 draw.

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 43/20

Bookmaker: 888sport