Crystal Palace will host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Thursday night, looking to get back to winning ways.
Crystal Palace are winless in their last six Premier League matches, and they have dropped down to 15th in the league table ahead of the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion. The Eagles could easily be dragged into the relegation battle if they continue to perform at this level.
The home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it remains to be seen whether they can step up and deliver. On the other hand, Brighton have been in quite poor form as well. They are ninth in the league table but have picked up just two wins from their last six league matches.
Brighton are coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Arsenal, and they will look to take advantage of Crystal Palace’s vulnerabilities and hello grind out an away win here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
The home side will be without Cheick Doucoure, who has been ruled out until June with a calf injury. Rob Holding is still nursing an ankle injury, and he is expected to return to action next month.
Meanwhile, Sam Johnstone, Odsonne Edouard, Jefferson Lerma and Joel Ward are long-term injury problems, and they are unlikely to return this year. Crystal Palace will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Dean Henderson in goal.
Nathaniel Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell will be deployed as the full-backs here. They will look to contribute to the offensive phase of the game as well. Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi will start at the heart of the defence. In the midfield double pivot, Chris Richards will start alongside Jairo Reidewald.
The two players will look to protect that defensive unit and break up opposition attacks. Eberechi Eze will start in the central attacking midfield role and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp will be deployed as the wingers here. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace against Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Richards, Riedewald; Olise, Eze, Schlupp; Mateta
Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls will be without Ansu Fati because of a thigh injury. Pervis Estupinan is sidelined with a similar issue as well. Adam Webster is unlikely to return this year due to his ongoing recovery from a knock.
Tariq Lamptey is expected to return at the end of January from his thigh injury. Julio Enciso, Joel Veltman, and Solly March are ruled out with knee injuries as well. Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well. Bart Verbruggen will start in goal for Roberto de Zerbi’s men.
Jack Hinshelwood and Igor Julio will start as the full-backs. In central defence, Jan-Paul van Hecke will start alongside Lewis Dunk at the heart of the Brighton & Hove Albion defence against Crystal Palace.
In the midfield pivot, Pascal Gross will start alongside Carlos Baleba. The two players will look to help out defensively and win the ball back for their side. Joao Pedro will be deployed as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to add creativity and technicality in the final third.
Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will be deployed as the wingers, and they will look to open up the Crystal Palace defence with their pace and trickery. Danny Welbeck is set to lead the line for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Dunk, van hecke, Igor; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace have drawn their last four home matches against Brighton & Hove Albion in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Five of the last six matches between these two sides have seen both of them get on the score sheet.
- Four of the last six matches between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion have ended in a draw.
- Crystal Palace are winless in 13 of their last 17 Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
The 25-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder is our key player to watch out for. Crystal Palace will need him to step up and create goalscoring opportunities in the final third if they are to beat Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday.
They will need his ingenuity and technical ability in the final third to unlock the Brighton defence. Eze has done quite well in his recent outings, and he will look to continue his impressive run of form.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton
Both teams are in disappointing form right now, and this is likely to be a close contest. Brighton & Hove Albion have several injury problems, while Crystal Palace are lacking in form and confidence. They are likely to cancel each other out eventually. A score draw seems quite likely between these two sides.