Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace renew their rivalry on Friday as the Eagles fly south to face the Seagulls at the Amex.
With 27 points to their name, Brighton sit ninth in the Premier League table – ten points outside the top four.
Last time out in the #PL... 🎥🔥 Next up: Friday night under the lights. 👀 pic.twitter.com/Sx4oHqohHQ— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 11, 2022
Last time out in the #PL... 🎥🔥 Next up: Friday night under the lights. 👀 pic.twitter.com/Sx4oHqohHQ
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace find themselves twelfth – four points behind Brighton. It is also worth noting that Brighton have a game in hand over Palace.
Brighton head into Friday’s clash on the back of a 2-1 victory over Championship side West Brom in the FA Cup.
That means Graham Potter’s side are now enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak, having picked up three wins and a draw in their past four outings in all competitions.
In the Premier League, Brighton saw off Brentford on Boxing Day before holding Chelsea to a 1-1 draw three days later.
The Seagulls then claimed a 3-2 victory over Everton, with Alexis Mac Allister bagging a brace at Goodison Park.
Although Brighton have won just two of their last 14 Premier League matches, they have only lost three times during that period – recording nine draws along the way.
Crystal Palace also sealed an FA Cup victory last weekend, coming from behind to beat second-tier Millwall 2-1.
However, the Eagles haven’t enjoyed a great deal of success in the Premier League over the past couple of months.
Patrick Vieira’s men have only managed to win one of their previous four league outings, registering a draw and two losses in the process.
When you look at the bigger picture, they have won just two of their past nine Premier League matches – recording two draws and five losses in that time.
Head-to-head: Since Brighton’s top-flight return back in 2017, they have faced Crystal Palace on nine occasions.
The Seagulls have only managed to win two of those nine meetings, suffering three losses in the process. The other four games ended in a draw.
The Eagles are currently enjoying a five-match unbeaten streak in this fixture, having picked up two wins and three draws since their last loss to Brighton.
Team news: Brighton will be without key midfielder Yves Bissouma, who is away with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations. Lewis Dunk will also miss Friday’s clash due to injury.
Crystal Palace are missing AFCON trio Wilfried Zaha, Cheikhou Kouyate and Jordan Ayew. There are also question marks over the fitness of James McArthur.
Brighton and Palace have played 39 Premier League games between them this season. Remarkably, they have recorded a combined total of 17 draws.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Brighton and Palace will play out another draw on Friday night. A low-scoring affair looks likely.