Suggested bet: Crystal Palace to win, 4.00 available @ sportmarket.com
Friday night’s M23 derby between Crystal Palace and Brighton as the Seagulls remain in a optimistic ninth place whilst the eagles are 3 games on the winning track.
Speaking in his press conference yesterday, Brighton manager Graham Potter stated that captain Lewis Dunk is making good progress in his recovery from a knee injury but he remains unavailable. Moises Caicedo has been recalled from a loan spell in Belgium and could feature with Enock Mwepu injured and Yves Bissouma at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Palace have been hit by the Africa Cup of Nations exodus with Wilfried Zaha, Cheikhou Kouyate and Jordan Ayew playing for their respective nations in Cameroon. However, Patrick Viera stated in his press conference that James McArthur and James Tomkins remain injured.
Brighton & Hove Albion are winless in the past five Premier League meetings, and hold tightly onto their impressive ninth-place due to their spell-binding form at the beginning of the season. However, rivals Palace sit only four points behind the seagulls and a win at the Amex Stadium could greatly contribute to a more ambitious top-half finish for the young Palace team.
Both teams however are just off of shaky and marginal wins in the FA Cup. Palace, although impressive at times, managed a 2-1 win over Championship Millwall in which the lions took the early lead. Brighton also won 2-1 away from home in a win against Championship opposition West Bromwich Albion. Initially also giving the lead to their opponents, their equaliser came late in the 80th meaning and the winning goal by Neal Maupay was about as last minute as you can get, scoring 8 minutes into added time.
There has been a decisive 90th-minute goal in the previous three league encounters, with Brighton earning two draws and Palace one win as a result. With all this considered, including the awkward rivalry that exists between the two teams, this game could be wide open. Despite being higher in the table, Crystal Palace’s far more impressive recent form will surely give the side with a particular confidence going into this Friday night fixture. Despite the odds-makers seemingly siding with Brighton, I think a good bet would be on the eagles coming out victorious tonight.
Suggested bet: Crystal Palace to win, 4.00 available @ sportmarket.com
