Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion renew their new-found rivalry on Monday as the next edition of the M23 Derby takes centre stage in the Premier League.
Brighton have made an excellent start to the season, picking up four wins from their opening five Premier League games. As a result, they sit fourth.
👉 @wilfriedzaha 👈#CPFC pic.twitter.com/g94ih6hK14— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 22, 2021
👉 @wilfriedzaha 👈#CPFC pic.twitter.com/g94ih6hK14
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace find themselves in fourteenth place – seven points behind Graham Potter’s side.
The Eagles started their campaign with a three-match winless run, losing 3-0 to Chelsea before drawing with Brentford and West Ham.
Patrick Vieira then secured his first win as Palace boss on Matchday 4, with his team sealing an impressive 3-0 victory over Tottenham.
They returned to losing ways last weekend, however, suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield.
When you look at the bigger at the bigger picture, the Eagles have only managed to win one of their previous eight outings in all competitions.
Brighton, on the other hand, have only lost one of their previous seven encounters across all competitions.
The Seagulls kicked off their campaign with three straight wins, seeing off Burnley and Watford in the league before dispatching Cardiff in the Carabao Cup.
They then suffered their only loss of the season on Matchday 4, falling to Rafa Benitez’s Everton on home soil.
Since then, however, they have bounced back with three consecutive victories – beating Brentford and Leicester in the league before seeing off Swansea in the cup.
It is worth pointing out that Potter’s side have won each of their previous three away games in all competitions.
Remarkably, they find themselves just one point behind the three frontrunners in the Premier League – Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Head-to-head: Brighton have only managed to win one of their last seven away matches against Crystal Palace.
In fact, the Eagles are enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak against the Seagulls – having secured two wins and two draws in that time.
Team news: Crystal Palace currently have Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson on the sidelines, while Jeffery Schlupp is also a doubt for Monday’s clash.
As for Brighton, they have centre-back Adam Webster on the treatment table. There are also question marks over the fitness of Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister.
Regardless of Palace’s strong recent record in this fixture, Brighton have been far better this season and will be confident of downing their rivals.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Brighton will clinch a low-scoring victory on Monday – keeping a clean sheet in the process.