Match Preview: Seagulls against Eagles amid the battle for Europe

April 5, 2025April 5, 2025 Andrew James 0 Comments

The phrase “There are no easy games in the Premier League” could not be more accurate this campaign. And especially when it comes to Brighton taking on arch rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

With only eight games to go until the season reaches its conclusion, things remain incredibly tight. There is very little to separate the teams fighting for the European spots.

The Eagles are one of those in the mix, even though they currently sit 12th. If Palace were to beat Brighton at Selhurst, it would leave them only four points behind the Albion with a game in hand.

They also have an FA Cup semi final to look forward to, so it is fair to say Austrian manager Oliver Glasner is doing a great job. Unfortunately.

Albion put to the sword by Villa

Brighton were last in action 72 hours ago when welcoming Aston Villa to the Amex in a midweek clash under the lights.

After the heart breaking FA Cup penalty shootout loss to Nottingham Forest, it was the perfect opportunity for the Albion to put that behind them and get back on track.

Sadly, that was not the case and Villa walked out comfortable 3-0 winners – with all three goals coming from January transfer window signings.

On loan Marcus Rashford, three times Champions League winner Marco Asensio and Dutchman Donyell Malen hit the back of the net.

It meant Unai Emery’s men returned to Birmingham with a massive three points to keep them in the running for a second consecutive Champions League finish come May.

The game was messy and full of controversy for both sides. I am not going to go into lots of detail here as this piece could easily stretch to 5000 words with everything that happened.

It was evident in the Albion performance that there was indeed a hangover from the Forest game, with both mental and physical fatigue obvious even though Fabian Hurzeler rotated.

There were still some decent performances worth noting. Simon Adingra did well on a rare start and Pervis Estupinan performed admirably once again.

Further good news came from Bournemouth, Fulham and Brentford all losing their respective games. They remain at arms length from Brighton for now at least.

It is also worth remembering that Villa are flying currently, have been playing some incredible football and that there is no shame in losing to them.

With the teams around us dropping points it was essentially a free hit. Although another defeat is something the Albion simply cannot afford this weekend, given the opponents and how tight the table is.

Palace snatch point from Saints right at the death

Just like Brighton, Palace were in action on Wednesday night when making the trip to Championship bound Southampton. The writing has been on the wall for a long time now for the Saints; it is not a question of if but rather when they will officially have their relegation confirmed.

The home side only really have pride to play for during the remaining fixtures, alongside the goal of reaching at least 12 points so that they can avoid being labelled the worst Premier League team ever.

This is a title that currently belongs to Derby County. The Rams infamously finished on an incredible 11 points way back in the 2007-08 campaign. Something Southampton are desperate to avoid.

Palace meanwhile needed maximum points to maintain their charge into the European places. An away win seemed certain but to the shock of almost everyone, this was not the case.

The Saints took an early lead through Paul Onuachu. They held the advantage right up until the 92nd minute, when Mattehus Franca equalised to snatch a 1-1 draw for Palace.

Southampton moved onto 10 points as a result. Palace would have just been happy to avoid the embarrassment of becoming only the third team to have lost to Saints all season.

Brighton v Crystal Palace head-to-head

This will be the 113th time Brighton and Palace have faced off against each other. I am happy to report the Albion just about lead the head-to-head with 42 wins to 39.

The remaining 31 games have ended as stalemates – including seven of 15 matches since Brighton joined the Eagles in the Premier League.

Brighton v Crystal Palace team news

Palace are in a healthier position than Brighton when it comes to availability, leaving Glasner a much bigger pool of players to pick from.

Only three Eagles are missing. Chadi Riad tore an ACL at the start of the campaign and as a result, has played only once this season.

Veteran right back Joel Ward is recovering from a calf strain and central midfielder Cheick Doucoure remains in rehab after going under the knife to fix a knee issue. His return is not expected to be until June at the earliest.

The Albion have seen their already extensive injury list grow over the past seven days. Adam Webster and Georginio Rutter could both miss the remainder of the season with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.

Apologies for sounding like a broken record… but here’s your weekly reminder that Brazilian centre back Igor and Turkish international Ferdi Kadioglu have both been ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Tariq Lamptey is absent with a foot injury. With no return date in sight and no new contract signed, Lamptey may have played his last game for the Albion.

Joel Veltman remains unavailable this weekend whilst recovering from a foot injury. It has been severe enough to keep him out for the last seven games. He is a big loss to the squad.

Lastly, James Milner continues to regain his fitness in training with a view to a return soon but no exact date has been pencilled in for the veteran.

Crystal Palace players to watch out for

I hate to admit it, but Palace do have a number of quality players in their ranks. Here are a couple with the potential to cause Brighton problems this weekend.

Eberechi Eze

Eze has been the main man for Palace over the last few seasons ever since the departure of Wilfried Zaha, with the ex-QPR player filling the void of Palace’s legend exceptionally well.

What is most impressive about Eze is the way he has improved over the past two seasons. His numbers keep getting better, he has carried Palace at times and deservedly become a regular in the England squad.

Newcastle United, Spurs and Chelsea have all been linked with taking him away from Selhurst. Something which hopefully happens soon as Palace will have a hard time replacing him.

Eze has only netted four times in all competitions so far this season but it is his creativity which makes him such a danger.

He currently has nine assists to his name; the most he has managed in a single season. This shows just how important and integral Eze is to the Eagles. He remains one of the main reasons Palace are where they are in the table.

Jean Phillip Mateta

The other man that could cause Brighton issues is striker Jean Phillip Mateta. The Frenchman has spearheaded the Palace attack superbly this season.

He is the Eagles’ top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions. Mateta possesses all the characteristics of a natural number 9. He is tall, strong, excellent at holding up the ball and a danger in the air particularly from set pieces.

Just before the international break, Mateta was involved in a horror challenge when Palace faced Millwall in the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Goalkeeper Liam Roberts rushed out of his goal and karate kicked Mateta in the face when attempting to win the ball, only succeeded in almost taking the striker’s head off. Mateta has since recovered whilst Roberts was given a six month ban for the assault.

Final thoughts

Both Brighton and Palace had disappointing midweek results in their push for European football. You do not need me to tell you that these games can be feisty and full of controversy.

Nine goals have been scored in the past two meetings. The Albion racked up a big 4-1 win at the Amex in February 2024. Palace got their revenge in December, inflicting a humiliating 3-1 defeat on Brighton. I expect this one to follow suit and be a fairly open game with chances for both sides.

It is worth noting that the Albion have been favourites with pundits and bookies for most recent games against Palace. On this occasion, however, it is the Eagles who are shorter in the betting.