Brighton vs Crystal Palace – Premier League Match Preview

Dan Tracey November 28, 2017 Leave a comment 2,106 Views

Tonight sees the local derby which in fairness is not really a local derby due to the fact that the two teams are separated by the M23 motorway. Anyway that is enough of the Geography lesson as Brighton go head to head with Crystal Palace at The AMEX.

There is no doubting that this is always a heated encounter between the two outfits and obviously this will be the first time in which the clubs have met in the Premier League what with Brighton’s promotion to the top flight last season.

And the last time they met was back in May 2013 when the Championship Play-Offs paired the two teams together, the first leg was a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park but it was the Eagles who would move on to Wembley thanks to a 2-0 win in East Sussex.

It’s fair to say that it was a game that was remembered more for antics off the pitch or perhaps that should be in the changing rooms as it was the night of the infamous ‘poo-gate’ when someone laid a mystery present in the Palace dressing room, an act that gave enough impetus for the visitors to go on and beat their arch rivals.

But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and Brighton will be glad that they are finally at the same level as Crystal Palace once again and will have the opportunity to right the wrongs of four years ago as they look to pick up a first win in three league matches.

Not only that but they have drawn their last three league matches at The AMEX with points against Everton, Southampton and Stoke all in their locker as of late, they would love nothing more than to not only continue their impressive form at home but to also improve it with all three points Tonight.

Crystal Palace however are looking for their first points and for that matter also goals away from Selhurst Park with everything positive this season coming in front of their own fans, last Saturday was no different as they earned a dramatic win over Stoke in the dying moments of the game.

Roy Hodsgon’s men are making small steps and there is some positive reading as of late, they are no longer the team that has scored the least amount of goals in the Premier League and they are also no longer the team that has conceded the most either.

Not only that but should they pick up a much welcomed win this evening then they would move up to 18th in the table and be off the bottom for the first time this season. That in itself will have been a mark of steady progress after seven defeats in a row without a goal.

Credit has to go to Crystal Palace that they have not been cast adrift after such an awful start but at the same time they need to make sure they keep up this upswing of result as ultimately there is going to be a run of games where results don’t go there way and before they need to make sure they can keep adding points on the board.

Can they get something from tonight, well there is absolutely no reason why they cannot and you do get the feeling that they will be fired up for this one. That said it’s no coincidence that Brighton are higher up the table and when you couple that with home advantage I think it will be all three points for the Seagulls.

Here is what social media thinks will happen – you can still vote on the outcome