The Premier League is back with a full set of weekend fixtures as we return to regularly scheduled programming to begin the month of February. There are so many things up in the air at both ends of the table but hopefully, in the weeks ahead, we’ll start to get a bit more clarity. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.
Brighton Form GuideBrighton & Hove Albion are the kind of club that can beat anyone in the league on their day - such is the successful nature of their recruiting strategy in the last few years. They’re also going pretty well in both the FA Cup and Europa League, and while they’ve had a few hiccups here and there, there’s a lot of positive energy flowing through the club right now.
In what serves as quite the counter-point to what we’ve just said, Brighton really, really struggled against Luton on Tuesday - and it’s hard to understand why. They were stunned out of the gate as they went 2-0 down inside three minutes, and they never recovered, eventually falling to a 4-0 defeat.
Crystal Palace Form GuideThe further into the season we go, the more we’re seeing Crystal Palace fans question the position of manager Roy Hodgson. He’s done a lot of good for the club during his association with the Eagles, but there’s a very real chance that they’re going to be in a relegation battle in the months ahead. If they want to change that, they may need to consider a change at the top.
Palace needed to dig deep in every way they know how against Sheffield United in what proved to be one of the best midweek games we’ve seen in a long time. They went behind twice, but eventually, came from behind to secure a vital 3-2 victory.
Match PredictionThis bitter derby always throws up a few surprises and while Brighton are clearly the stronger of the two sides, they’ve only won this fixture once in their last nine attempts. We think that pattern will continue, with Palace doing just about enough to earn a draw.
