Hosts to take off
Who will earn the bragging rights and take much needed points from the ‘The M23 Derby’?
Eagles soaring
Palace have taken huge strides towards securing their Premier League status in recent weeks. Three wins from five has propelled Roy Hodgson’s side up the standings and closer to that all-important 40 point mark - a fourth in six and they’ll have a top 10 finish within their sight.
The individual form of talisman Wilfried Zaha has a lot to do with Palace’s relative spell of consistency. It’s no secret in football that goals win you games and Zaha has had a February to remember with four goals in as many games, doubling his entire season’s tally in a few weeks. The Ivorian’s red hot record of late begs the question as to why he hasn’t produced on a more frequent basis this term but he’s out to make up for lost time it seems.
Seagulls hovering
Last weekend’s defeat of Huddersfield brought a collective sigh of relief to everybody associated with Brighton. Had they not beaten the Championship side in waiting, The Seagulls would be travelling to Selhurst Park without a win in eight and under intense pressure.
The heat is still on mind you and a sorry away record to have produced only 8 points will have Brighton fans worried once more. If only the solid form shown at the Amex, could be replicated on the road, they’ll be thinking. One solitary point from the last six away days will see them make the trip up the M23 more in hope than expectation.
Head-to-head record
A quick look back at the league encounters between the two suggests home advantage plays a crucial part in where the points end up.
Brighton won the corresponding fixture at the Amex earlier this season, while Palace edged a five-goal thriller in this exact fixture last year. On each occasion the two faced off in 2012/13 when in the Championship, neither visiting team could cope with their dominant host.
League fixtures:
2018/19 - Brighton 3-1 Crystal Palace
2017/18 - Crystal Palace 3-2 Brighton
2017/18 - Brighton 0-0 Crystal Palace
2012/13 - Brighton 3-0 Crystal Palace
2012/13 - Crystal Palace 3-0 Brighton
Betting tip
Both may be coming into this on the back of a win but one side is looking more convincing than the other and that’s free-scoring Palace. The hosts, with the momentum, should start confidently up against an opponent that just doesn’t travel well.
Even if the match develops into a war of attrition, as derbies tend to, small margins often count for a lot. With this in mind, I see home advantage proving the decisive factor.
