Ericson Mangoli
Rivals Crystal Palace and Brighton are bidding to avoid unwanted hat-tricks in a game that seems sure to be full of goals.
(African Stand) — Premier League football returns this weekend as Crystal Palace and Brighton resume their rivalry at Selhurst Park.
Though it is not necessarily known as one of the great derbies in world football, tensions will be running high in east London as the Eagles host the Seagulls on Sunday.
Roy Hodgson’s Palace started the 2019/20 season superbly with wins against Southampton and Manchester United, but follow-up defeats to Everton and Chelsea – the latter a 4-0 thumping – have tempered expectations.
As for Graham Potter’s Brighton, they sit 15th after losing three of their opening four games. The south coast club have shown more than enough in attack so far this term but must sort out a leaky defence if they are to avoid a potential relegation scrap.
Date, time, and venue
Crystal Palace vs Brighton is scheduled for a 2 pm BST kick-off on Sunday, October 18, 2020.
The match will be behind closed doors at Selhurst Park with no fans due to being present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
Team news
Palace still have plenty of defensive injury issues, with Patrick van Aanholt, Gary Cahill, and James Tomkins all out at the back.
Connor Wickham is likely to remain sidelined, though Jeffrey Schlupp and James McCarthy are pushing to return – and Michy Batshuayi can play after being unable to face his parent club, Chelsea, last time around.
Brighton will be hoping Davy Propper, Tariq Lamptey, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are back from injury.
Florin Andone and Christian Walton are out, while Jose Izquierdo has an outside chance of returning.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The two sides have met six times in the Premier League, winning two games apiece with two draws each.
The last time they met, Palace won 1-0 at the Amex Stadium back in February.
In terms of the so-called ‘M23 derby’, Brighton just edge overall results with 40 wins to Palace’s 39, and 25 draws.
Prediction: Palace 1-0 Brighton
These games are always a tight affair, with the last three League meetings separated by a one-goal or fewer. You would back Palace to just about edge this one, but Hodgson needs a much-improved display after the Eagles’ capitulation at Chelsea before the international break.
