Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion go head-to-head at Selhurst Park in the next edition of the M23 derby on Saturday after both suffered disappointing results in the Premier League in midweek.
The hosts were minutes from defeat against basement boys Southampton, while Brighton suffered a thrashing at home to European rivals Aston Villa.
Match preview
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A hatred which dates back to the 1970s, this is one clash that is often misunderstood by supporters of other clubs with more established rivalries, but fans on both sides would love nothing more than a win in this fixture.
Oliver Glasner‘s Palace will be keen to put three points on the board after an underwhelming performance away to a Southampton side that started the day still in single digits for points in the week.
Matheus Franca popped up with an injury-time equaliser to spare Palace becoming just the second team this season to lose to the Saints, but Glasner was still pleased with the fighting spirit his side showed to salvage a point.
That result still extended the Eagles’ unbeaten away run to 10 matches in the Premier League, with only champions-elect Liverpool having taken as many points in that time (22).
At Selhurst Park, Palace have also been impressive of late, winning their last two here against Aston Villa and Ipswich Town, with Glasner averaging 1.5 points-per-game at home since arriving as manager.
Extending that run will be huge for the fans too, because it would see them complete a league double over Brighton for the first time in the top flight, having not achieved that feat in any division since 1932-33.
A remarkable statistic could be set if the spoils are shared though, because if the game ends 1-1, it will mean this becomes the first fixture in English top-flight history to end with the exact same scoreline six games in succession.
You have to go back to 2000 and meetings between Charlton Athletic and Coventry City at the Valley for the last time six straight matches simply ended level in the top flight, so having six successive matches end with the same scoreline would be quite the stat.
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Brighton will be aiming for more than a point though, as they will be seeking to avenge the 3-1 defeat they suffered at home to Palace back in December, as well as the very disappointing 3-0 loss at home to Villa on Wednesday.
Encouragingly, Fabian Hurzeler‘s men have lost just one of their last eight away PL matches, albeit a 7-0 thumping at Nottingham Forest, and they are on course to record their best points tally on the road in a top-flight season.
With 23 points won from their 15 away games this season, Brighton have averaged 1.53 points-per-game, which is the exact tally they ended on in the 2021-22 campaign, and they will certainly need to add to that after a tough week at the Amex.
Last weekend saw Albion suffer elimination from the FA Cup on penalties to Forest, just missing out on the chance of a day trip to Wembley, before their European hopes took a hit in the week.
That defeat to Villa saw Unai Emery‘s men go above the Seagulls in the Premier League table, dropping Brighton to eighth, which is no guarantee of European qualification, given that the FA Cup remains wide open.
Team News
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Palace were without Chris Richards on Wednesday night, with the USA international suffering from a calf injury, but Glasner is expecting to have the defender back for this one, most likely replacing Nathaniel Clyne.
Clyne was hooked early at St Mary’s, along with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell, but it is unlikely those two will lose their place in the XI, given the level of consistency they have shown this season.
Elsewhere on the injury list, Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure are out for the season, while Joel Ward is also currently absent, but the hosts will have Will Hughes back from suspension this weekend.
Setbacks picked up in the last week are set to end both Adam Webster and Georginio Rutter‘s seasons for Brighton, with the pair now joining Igor on the long-term injury list.
Joel Veltman is close to returning from an ankle issue, but fellow full-backs Tariq Lamptey and Ferdi Kadioglu remain out, as well as the versatile veteran James Milner, who is still recovering from a hamstring problem.
Hurzeler had Lewis Dunk available from the start for the first time in two months in midweek, while Matt O’Riley could also start for the first time since early February, after making a full recent recovery of his own.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Lerma, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
The last five meetings at Selhurst between these two have ended 1-1, and there is a real possibility that they could set a new intriguing top-flight record, with little to separate the two in recent months.
Brighton play earlier than Fulham below, and the four sides above them, so they have the opportunity to put the pressure on their European rivals, but this will be a tough assignment against an ever-improving Palace outfit.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
