The Premier League weekend concludes with a Monday Night Football that should be highly entertaining as rivals Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion battle it out for the bragging rights and three valuable points at Selhurst Park.
We won’t call it the M23 derby and suggest those that do get themselves an ordnance survey map because that particular motorway won’t get you anywhere near one of these teams to the other but they don’t like each other and that always makes for a spicy encounter!
Where to watch
The match will be shown as part of the excellent Monday Night Football show on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels. The programme starts at 7pm and it is an 8pm kick off in London.
Crystal Palace
This was always going to be a transition season for Crystal Palace. That brought with it a few doubts ahead of the season beginning especially with unknowns over Patrick Vieira as a manager at this level but I actually think Palace have certainly moved on in terms of their ability to score goals. That might come with the trade-off that they are not quite as reliable at the back but in the five games they have played so far there are more than enough signs that the Eagles can make progress this term.
A series of new players have been brought in at Selhurst Park with a number of them younger players either with a point to prove or who are ready to establish themselves at this level. The one thing this side needed was more of a goal threat and they certainly appear to have that. Only Liverpool and Chelsea have beaten Palace this season and the Londoners gave Liverpool plenty of problems last week. Palace have beaten Tottenham and got creditable draws with West Ham and Brentford.
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Brighton and Hove Albion
The improvement in Palace probably hasn’t played out in their results but that certainly isn’t the case for Brighton and Hove Albion. They have started the season brilliantly, so much so that if they beat their rivals here they will sit on top of the Premier League until Saturday afternoon at the very least. After the heists Palace performed on them last season the Seagulls probably needed no more inspiration to deliver the goods here, but should they have needed some they most certainly have it with that.
It will be interesting to see if that burden weighs them down here. Let’s not beat about the bush, it would be an enormous thing in this Premier League of all Premier League’s if Brighton were top of the pile after six matches. That wouldn’t be a fluke though as they have won four of their five matches and have fought hard to win at Burnley and Brentford where bigger sides than Brighton have already struggled this term. Brighton aren’t creating as much this season in terms of xG but their conversion rate is so much better which bodes well. Graham Potter is doing an amazing job.
Team News
Crystal Palace are expecting to have Jeffrey Schlupp fit for this match and there is a chance Michael Olise could start the game too. They remain without the entertaining Eberechi Eze. Odsonne Edouard could be in line to start.
Brighton will be without defender Adam Webster and have doubts over Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister. They do have Pascal Gross back though and Tariq Lamptey might make the bench after returning in the cup in midweek.
Betting
I think we’ll get something of an exciting game here. I think there is a lot more about this Crystal Palace side from an offensive point of view to the one we saw under Roy Hodgson but that comes with slightly more of a vulnerability. There is certainly a goal threat for Palace these days whose name isn’t just Wilfried Zaha. Odsonne Edouard and Conor Gallagher are two who know where the net is and there are others. Palace took the game to Liverpool and caused them problems last week so I’ve got to think they can do the same to Brighton here.
There is an assurance and a calmness about Brighton at the minute though. That tells me they are a confident side and under one of the most underrated managers in the league that is no surprise to me. After struggling in front of goal last season Neal Maupay is flying this term and Brighton also have goals from a number of options. Neither of these teams will want to lose so I fancy this match, like both did last season, can see both teams finding the net before the final whistle blows.
Tips
Back Both teams to score for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Coral
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