2019-20 Premier League: Week 17 – Crystal Palace vs Brighton

Crystal Palace welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Selhurst Park as the M23 derby takes centre stage in Monday Night Football. 

Palace can move up to eighth with a win whilst Brighton will leapfrog their hosts into tenth if they take victory. 

 

Team news

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Max Meyer is set to be available for Crystal Palace after overcoming a bout of illness which kept him sidelined last weekend. 

Mamadou Sakho is still suspended as he serves the second of a three match ban. 

Joel Ward (knee), Patrick van Anholt (hamstring) and Jeffrey Schlupp (groin) are still absent. 

Brighton could have Aaron Connolly back from a dead leg which kept him out of last Sunday’s draw with Wolves.

Dale Stephens is suspended after picking up his fifth booking last weekend, whilst Solly March isn’t ready to return from his groin injury. 

Jose Izquierdo is still out with a knee injury.

 

Form

Palace are unbeaten in their last three matches (W2, D1) and have earned seven points from their last six home games (W2, D1, L3). 

Brighton have lost three of their last five games but are unbeaten in their last two (W1, D1, L3), despite conceding at least twice in each of their last five outings. 

 

Stat Attack

• Crystal Palace have lost three of their last five meetings with Brighton in all competitions (W1, D1, L3). 
• Palace’s Luka Milivojevic and Brighton’s Glenn Murray each scored in both meetings last season.
• Both teams have scored in each of their last four meetings. 
• Palace’s Vicente Guaita has made four sweeper clearances this season, one more than the amount he produced in entirety of last season. 
• Davy Propper is the only Brighton player this season to have made an error which led to a goal. 

 

Prediction

This will be a tough test for Palace because Brighton are a solid all-round team who are capable of adapting their game to make life tricky for their opposition as Arsenal and Wolves have found out this month. 

I am therefore expecting a good game between two attacking teams but unless Zaha is on form, I can see the Seagulls winning this given Palace’s goal-scoring issues.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Brighton

Result: Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton