Brighton & Hove Albion host Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon, looking to get back to winning ways.
Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win their last three league matches, and they will be under pressure to get a good result vs Crystal Palace at home on Sunday afternoon. The fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back strongly.
The Seagulls started the season well, and they will look up to push for European qualification this season. The home side are seventh in the Premier League table, and they should be winning these games.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are 17th in the standings, and they will be desperate for survival in the top flight. They need to start winning games if they want to stay in the Premier League beyond this season. The Eagles have picked up just one win from the last six league games.
However, Crystal Palace have been difficult to beat, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a good result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without James Milner, who is still recovering from his thigh injury, Adam Webster has a hamstring issue, Solly March has a knee issue, Jack Hinshelwood has a muscle problem, and Ferdi Kadioglu is dealing with a knock.
Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Crystal Palace, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Crystal Palace on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke will start in the central defensive pairing alongside Lewis Dunk.
As for the midfield unit, Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba will start in the double pivot. They will look to protect the defensive unit and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Julio Enciso will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas, with Joao Pedro leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Dunk, van Hecke, Estupinan; Wieffer, Baleba; Adingra, Enciso, Mitoma; Pedro
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will be without Matheus Franca due to a groin injury, and Adam Wharton due to a groin injury. Meanwhile, Rob Holding has been banished from the first-team squad.
Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Dean Henderson in goal. Trevoh Chalobah will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi in the central defensive unit. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Will Hughes and Cheick Doucoure will add creativity and defensive cover to the side in the middle of the park. Ismaila Sarr will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will look to link up with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah in the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Hughes, Doucoure, Mitchell; Sarr; Mateta, Nketiah
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in their last six matches vs Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have picked up just one win from six Premier League matches.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have picked up two wins from the last six Premier League matches.
- 14 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Crystal Palace are unbeaten in five of the last six league matches.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in four of the last six league matches.
Player to Watch
Joao Pedro
The Brighton & Hove Albion attacker has been quite impressive, and he is our key player to watch out for. The Brazilian international will look to make a defining impact in the final third. He will look to take advantage of Crystal Palace’s defensive vulnerabilities.
Joao Pedro will look to carve out opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself. Brighton & Hove Albion will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Crystal Palace
Brighton & Hove Albion are the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out a positive result here. This is likely to be a close contest, but Crystal Palace have looked toothless going forward, and their attacking unit is likely to let them down here.
The Seagulls have enough firepower and they should be able to win the game. A narrow victory for the home team is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.
