Brighton & Hove Albion will host Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, with both sides eager to return to winning ways.
Brighton & Hove Albion are without a win in their last four Premier League matches ahead of the game vs Crystal Palace this weekend. The Seagulls have picked up just one win from their last six Premier League outings, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men are 13th in the league table, and they will look to get their season back on track with a positive result. On the other hand, Crystal Palace could be dragged into the relegation zone if they continue to drop points. The Eagles are in disappointing form right now, having gone without a win in their last six Premier League matches.
Oliver Glasner’s men have dropped to 15th in the Premier League table. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly. Glasner has a quality team, and they should be doing a lot better. It remains to be seen whether they can produce a strong performance 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
Fabian Hurzeler will be without Yasin Ayari, Adam Webster, Solly March, and Stefanos Tzimas due to their respective knee injuries, while Mats Wieffer is struggling with a toe issue.
Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Crystal Palace, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Ferdi Kadioglu will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out in the final third. Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, James Milner and Carlos Baleba will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to help create opportunities in the final third.
Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace and unpredictability to the attack. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Milner; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Crystal Palace
Cheick Doucoure (knee), Eddie Nketiah (hamstring), and Jean-Philippe Mateta (knee) have been ruled out for this weekend’s Premier League clash. Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Dean Henderson in goal.
In the back three, Chadi Riad will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards. Daniel Munoz Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell will feature as the wing-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and hit the opposition on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Will Hughes and Adam Wharton will add defensive cover and control in the middle of the park. Brennan Johnson and Yeremy Pino will start as attacking midfielders and look to create opportunities for their teammates. Finally, Jorgen Strand Larsen will lead the line for Crystal Palace vs Brighton & Hove Albion.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Riad, Richards, Lacroix; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Johnson, Pino; Strand Larsen
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace are winless in nine Premier League matches (D3 L6), last going ten or more games without a victory between January and March 2023 (12).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win ten of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams. Both sides have picked up two wins each from the last six meetings between them.
- Since Gameweek 16, the start of Crystal Palace’s nine game winless Premier League run, the Eagles have scored the fewest goals (5) and underperformed their xG by just over eight goals (13.3 xG), the worst differential in the league. The second-worst in this time are Brighton & Hove Albion (9 goals, 13.5 xG, -4.5).
- Only Jean-Philippe Mateta (10) has more goals in all competitions for Crystal Palace in 2025-26 than Ismaila Sarr (9). He also scored two and assisted another on his last appearance at the Amex in December 2024 in a 3-1 Palace win.
Player to Watch
Danny Welbeck
The Brighton & Hove Albion striker has done quite well this season, and he could cause all sorts of problems for Crystal Palace. The Eagles have been quite poor defensively, and he will look to help create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net. Brighton will need him to step up and deliver a strong performance in the final third if they want to pick up all three points.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Crystal Palace
Both teams will be desperate for a win, and the contest is likely to be close. Neither side is particularly good defensively, and they will look to outscore each other. There will be plenty of chances on offer here, and both teams are likely to get on the score sheet.
However, Crystal Palace are completely devoid of form and confidence right now. They have lost key players, and they are struggling. Brighton & Hove Albion should be able to pick up a narrow win here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.
