Crystal Palace vs Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

The Christmas holiday Premier League fixtures begin this Thursday with Crystal Palace welcoming great rivals Brighton to Selhurst Park for what is expected to be another classic.

The hosts welcome the Seagulls, who are looking to pick up their first win since early November.

The Eagles have endured a miserable past month and will be desperate to avoid completing seven consecutive Premier League games without a victory (D2, L4) for the first time since a run of 12 winless games that cost former boss Patrick Vieira his job back in March when they host Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

They will come into this tie in buoyant mood after snatching a point from Manchester City in their last match, returning from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against the champions at the Etihad.

Late strikes from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise in that game helped Roy Hodgson’s side score multiple goals in a PL game for just the fourth time this season. That underlines the struggles the hosts have had in attack this season, especially at Selhurst Park, where they have scored a league-low seven PL goals all season – something that has undoubtedly contributed to their six-match winless home run (D2, L4).

Meanwhile, Brighton will be desperate to bounce back from their toothless performance against Arsenal when they travel to London. The Seagulls were beaten 2-0 at the Emirates–their fifth loss already in the league season.

That result has pushed them down the table, and they now travel to London sitting in ninth position, six points behind Tottenham who are in fifth place. So this game is a must-win for them if they want to qualify for Europe for the second season in a row.

Winning here should be possible for them, given that they have lost just one game against teams starting this round below them in the table (W5, D4).

This fixture is undoubtedly one that means a lot to supporters of the two clubs, and it’s the fans of Brighton who secured bragging rights most recently with a 1-0 victory in the last H2H back in March. That was the fourth straight meeting between the two to produce under 2.5 match goals (D3), so don’t be shocked to see another cagey affair here.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table