Brighton vs Crystal Palace Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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With both sides looking for more to their season, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome arch-rivals Crystal Palace to the American Express Stadium with pride at stake as well as a much needed win for either side. The Albion will be eager to climb themselves back in the top 10 places and in the talk in the race for Europe while Palace will be looking to transform their form around as they plummet down the Premier League table.

Brighton enter the weekend sitting 13th in the Premier League table, having recorded 7 wins, 10 draws, and 7 defeats from 24 matches. They’ve scored 32 goals and conceded 29, averaging 1.45 goals for and 1.32 against per game. Half of their fixtures (11 out of the last 22) have finished with over 2.5 goals. At the Amex Stadium, Brighton are quietly enjoying a five-match unbeaten run in the league, with one win and four draws, and have lost just once in their last 16 home league games, a streak that dates back to last season.

Underlying stats reinforce Brighton’s profile as a balanced, moderately high-event side. Their expected goals (xG) stands at 1.53 per match, rising to 1.67 at home, while their xG against is 1.42 overall (1.28 at the Amex). This suggests Brighton typically create slightly more than they concede, with home matches tending to be more open. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in 50% of their games, and over 1.5 in 92%. Last season, Brighton ranked second in the Premier League for both teams to score (BTTS) percentage.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, arrive in a far more precarious position. The Eagles are 15th with 29 points, having scored 25 and conceded 29. Their 2025-26 xG numbers show an average of 1.33 per match and an xG against of 1.37, with marginally better attacking output at home (1.48 xG) than away (1.18 xG), and a concerning away xG against of 1.48, highlighting their defensive frailties on the road.

Palace’s recent form has been poor, with Oliver Glasner’s side winless in their last 12 matches across all competitions, losing four of their last six. The high-profile signing of striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves is hoped to spark a turnaround, but the team’s trajectory remains worrying.

With both teams scoring in seven of Palace’s last ten games, the BTTS market looks a strong option. However, given Palace’s ongoing struggles, it’s hard to see them coming away from rivals Brighton with a positive result, and their difficulties could well continue on the South Coast.

The hosts will be looking to rotate their midfield around with Yasin Ayari (shoulder) set to miss out though Hurzeler has said the injury is "not a major issue" so we could see Matt O'Reilly thrown straight into the starting line-up after returning from his loan spell in Marseille. Mats Wieffer (toe), Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas (both ACL) remain out while Diego Gomez looks set to be an option after a setback.

After his transfer move collapsed on deadline day after failing a medical, Jean-Philippe Mateta remains a doubt with a knee injury with Cheick Doucoure (knee), Justion Devenny (ankle), Eddie Nketiah and Daichi Kamada (both thigh) all miss out to the trip to the American Express Stadium. Adam Wharton is the only positive bit of team news after returning from suspension.

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