[WATCH.LIVE]UPDATES!]Crystal Palace v Brighton LIVE Broadcast Free ON Tv Channel 21. 12. 2023
We look ahead to Thursday night’s Premier League match at Selhurst Park with our Crystal Palace vs Brighton prediction and preview. Can Palace build on their excellent point at Man City last weekend?
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One of the less recognised Premier League rivalries kicks off Matchday 18 in the Premier League. Despite being separated by nearly 50 miles, Crystal Palace and Brighton consider one another rivals; it stems from the 1970s when the sides often faced each other in the English Football League and battled for titles later that decade.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson will be looking to build on Saturday’s unexpected point away at Manchester City – one of only two points they have collected in their last six matches. Across those six matchdays, only Nottingham Forest (one) have won fewer points, leading to the pressure mounting on the oldest manager in Premier League history.
Based on their recent form across midweek fixtures in the Premier League, it might not get much better for the former England boss. Palace are winless in all five of their midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League games in 2023 (D1 L4), failing to score in those four defeats.
One positive will be the return of Jordan Ayew following a one-match suspension, while midfielder Jefferson Lerma is expected to be available for selection after missing the draw at Man City. Joel Ward came off injured in that match and is likely to miss this game, which might give 18-year-old David Ozoh another chance to impress. Longer-term absentees Sam Johnstone, Odsonne Édouard, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Cheick Doucouré are out, while this game looks too soon for the return of Rob Holding.
Brighton will definitely be without seven first-team players for this match, with Solly March, Joël Veltman, Julio Enciso, Adam Webster, Tariq Lamptey, Ansu Fati and Pervis Estupiñán all out. Evan Ferguson led the attack at Arsenal but could be replaced by João Pedro, while both Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra could play a key role in attack.
After a phenomenal start to the Premier League season which saw them win five of their first six games and even finish a day top of the top-flight table for the first time in their history, Brighton’s league form has stuttered. Over the last 11 matchdays, only five clubs – including Crystal Palace – have won fewer points than Brighton (11).
Their 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday saw the Seagulls fail to score in the Premier League for the first time since 18 February, ending a run of 32 consecutive games in which they had found the net. Indeed, it was only the second time in Roberto De Zerbi’s 24 away games as a coach in the competition that he’s seen his side fail to score (also vs Brentford in October 2022). In the defeat at Arsenal, Brighton had their fewest shots on target (one) and faced the most shots (26) in a Premier League match under De Zerbi.
Off the back of a brilliant 2-2 draw against Manchester City, Crystal Palace will take on rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League contest on Thursday.
Crystal Palace looked set to be handed a routine defeat by Manchester City last Saturday as they went into the final 15 minutes of the 90, trailing 2-0. However, the Eagles managed to earn a valuable point from the jaws of defeat thanks to goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise.
That said, they are currently on a six-game winless streak in the Premier League and will be desperate to turn their fortunes around and return to winning ways. Roy Hodgson's men currently sit 15th in the table with 17 points, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion's season continues to be stop-and-start. After picking up a 1-0 win over Marseille in midweek to finish at the top of Group B of the Europa League, the Seagulls were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates this past weekend.
Brighton hardly offered a threat to the Gunners and conjured just one shot on target as second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz helped Mikel Arteta's side climb to the top of the table.
After a bright start to the campaign, Brighton have huffed and puffed in recent months. They have picked up just one win in their last four Premier League matches and Roberto Di Zerbi's needs to find a way to get his men back to efficiently play their exciting brand of football.
Crystal Palace have a huge result to build on when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in an English Premier League match on Thursday at Selhurst Park. The Eagles (4-5-8) are 15th in the Premier League table but just forged a 2-2 road draw with reigning league champs Manchester City on Saturday. Brighton (7-5-5) are ninth in the EPL table but lost 2-0 to Arsenal on the road on Sunday. The Seagulls won the most recent meeting between the teams 1-0 at home in March, and the previous three ended in draws.
Thursday's kickoff in London is set for 3 p.m. ET. Brighton are +120 favorites (risk $100 to win $120) on the money line in the latest Crystal Palace vs. Brighton odds. Palace are +220 underdogs, a draw is priced at +235 and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before locking in any Brighton vs. Crystal Palace picks, you'll want to see the English Premier League predictions from SportsLine soccer insider Jim Holliman.
Holliman has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years and grew up with soccer in his blood. He played competitively through high school and has been following the game closely since the 1970's heyday of the North American Soccer League. His interest has expanded worldwide, and his betting approach is centered on crunching the numbers, but he sees the whole field and relies on his instinct.
Since the 2022 World Cup, Holliman is 133-131-1 on his soccer picks and has been profitable across multiple leagues, including the UEFA Champions League and German Bundesliga. He is 25-17 (+527) on UCL predictions over that span.
Now, Holliman has broken down Crystal Palace vs. Brighton and just revealed his English Premier League picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the Premier League odds for Brighton vs. Crystal Palace:
Crystal Palace vs. Brighton spread: Brighton -0.5 (+115)
Crystal Palace vs. Brighton over/under: 2.5 goals
Crystal Palace vs. Brighton money line: Palace +220, Brighton +120, Draw +235
CRP: Have yielded at least two goals in five of their past six matches.
BRI: Have conceded at least one goal in every EPL game this season.
Crystal Palace vs. Brighton picks: See picks here
Why you should back Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls are 4-5-2 in their past 11 overall matches, with the only losses on the road to Arsenal and Chelsea. The Blues are the only team outside the league's top eight who have beaten Brighton so far. Palace were outshot 19-9, yielded 75% possession and needed a penalty in added time to get the point against Manchester City. The Eagles have won one of their past 10 matches, going 1-3-6 with a victory at Burnley on Nov. 4. The Seagulls have scored 33 goals this season, while Palace have scored 17.
The Eagles could be without top scorer Odsonne Edouard, who has six goals. No other Palace player has more than two. Meanwhile, Evan Ferguson (six), Joao Pedro (five) and Simon Adingra (four) are all capable scorers for Brighton. The Seagulls held the ball for 58% of the most recent meeting and put five of 11 shots on target. They are second in the EPL in possession (61.4%), while Palace are at 43.5 (14th). See which team to pick here.
Why you should back Crystal Palace
The Eagles should bring some confidence into this home match after a big result on the road. Jean-Philippe Mateta cut into City's two goal lead with a goal in the 76th minute on Saturday, and Michael Olise converted a penalty in the 95th. Both have two goals this season despite having just eight starts between them. Mateta has played in 14 matches and can take on a more prominent role with Edouard out, and he also has three assists. Olise has played in six games while battling injuries.
Crystal Palace has an extra day of rest, and Brighton also have been worn down by Europa League play in recent weeks. The hosts will be getting Jordan Ayew (one goal, three assists) back after a red-card suspension. Eberechi Eze also has two goals, and manager Roy Hodgson was impressed by the work of Matheus Franca, 19, and David Ozoh, 18, against City. Palace have allowed five fewer goals than Brighton this season (25-30) and have allowed 63 shots on target, fifth-fewest in the EPL. See which team to pick here.
How to make Crystal Palace vs. Brighton picks
Holliman has taken an in-depth look at the Crystal Palace vs. Brighton matchup from every angle. He is taking Over 2.5 goals (-125) and has locked in two other confident best bets, including one that offers a plus-money payout. You can only get Holliman's Premier League picks at SportsLine.
Brighton are now without a clean sheet in their last 21 Premier League games, shipping 38 goals in that run. It’s their longest-ever league run without a clean sheet in their entire history.
Palace are also on a very poor run of results, with their excellent 2-2 away draw at reigning champions Manchester City last weekend going against the pre-match form book. Michael Olise’s penalty in added time secured just their second point across the last six Premier League games, after back-to-back defeats at home to Liverpool and Bournemouth.
Hodgson last guided Palace to a league victory on 4 November, when goals from Jeffrey Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell sealed a 2-0 win away at Burnley. They haven’t won a Premier League home game since 3 September, when they beat Wolves 3-2 at Selhurst Park – Édouard (two) and Eberechi Eze grabbing the goals that day.
Crystal Palace vs Brighton Head-to-Head
Brighton head into this clash with Crystal Palace on a four-game unbeaten streak against their rivals, but three of those four matches have ended in 1-1 draws. This is Brighton’s longest unbeaten league run against Palace since going 10 in a row without defeat between 1979 and 1986.
The last meeting between the two sides saw Brighton win 1-0, however, through Solly March’s 15th-minute strike. March also scored in the 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park earlier in 2022-23, but he’ll be missing from this match with injury.
That 1-1 draw in south London was the fourth successive Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Brighton at Selhurst Park to end 1-1 – two of which have seen Brighton equalise in second-half added time.
Crystal Palace haven’t defeated Brighton since 22 February 2021, when Christian Benteke scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner to give his side all three points with a 2-1 victory. Current Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta also scored for the Eagles in that match, when they netted with their only two shots on target.
It’s been nearly five years since Palace last won a home game against Brighton, however. They last prevailed 3-2 at Selhurst Park on 14 April 2018, with all five goals in the match coming inside the opening 34 minutes.