Five of the last eight contests between Crystal Palace and Brighton have ended with the two clubs shaking hands on a 1-1 draw, a reality that is once again not too distant on Thursday night.

The hosts’ fightback last weekend may prove a catalyst for a turnaround in form, with Crystal Palace winless in their last five league outings. Considering the abundance of the draws between these two, the hosts haven’t beaten Brighton in four outings but they’re also undefeated in four meetings between these two sides at Selhurst Park – a fortress against De Zerbi’s boys.

Palace have shown their difficulties playing at home recently, with some very leaky defensive performances, conceding nine across their last four games at Selhurst and losing all four – inspiration could be lacking for Roy Hodgson’s side. With three of their four wins this season coming away from home, the Eagles will be relieved to hear that their opponents continue to struggle on the road with just one win in their last six away games.

There will likely be no repeat of Brighton’s pitiful display at Arsenal but injuries and fatigue may still be the reason to extend the Seagulls’ curse in the capital. Brighton have failed to score more than one goal in their last eight games against Palace, and a notoriously low-scoring fixture with the love for sharing points may hold great value in the betting markets.

However, if a side is to claim victory here, we’d look for a Brighton win. A side that Crystal Palace have had great difficulty in beating over recent years partnered with their current six-match winless sequence in the league, some more Christmas magic may be needed for a home win.

Predictions:

🏆 Brighton double chance @ 1.30

🏆 Brighton draw no bet @ 1.57

🤝 Draw @ 3.30

A fixture that has a love for sharing points and sharing goals. Both teams have scored in eight of the past 10 meetings and both teams are seemingly enjoying their time in front of goal of late, as well as being leaky at the back.

Brighton saw their magnificent 32-game scoring streak in the top-flight shattered last weekend by Arsenal, where all their attacking efforts were extinguished, but there’s certainly no doubting their scoring capabilities.

Defensively, Brighton are without a clean sheet from 17 Premier League matches this season and currently have the fifth-worst defensive record in the league – some serious issues need addressing there.

Crystal Palace have had some decent form in front of goal recently, scoring in seven of their last eight Premier League fixtures. There’s no question that the Eagles have had difficulties scoring this season but having scored in 11 of the last 12 meetings against Thursday’s opponents, that one occasion being their 1-0 defeat in March, it does seem that this match demands more from the Eagles.

Roy Hodgson’s boys have also struggled at the back and are without a clean sheet since the start of November away at Burnley, and no clean sheet against Brighton since 2020, we expect some more defensive worries here.

Predictions:

🥅 Both teams to score @ 1.65

Brighton’s goal threat is obvious when you consider their 32-game scoring streak in the league and this stems from persistent pressure on the opposition’s goal.

The Seagulls are averaging 14.80 shots on goal per 90 this season with a respectable 6 of those hitting the target – including 11 against Burnley, seven versus Brentford and nine at Chelsea. These force an average of 4.29 saves from opposition goalkeepers, perhaps Dean Henderson should be on high alert on Thursday.

Crystal Palace are conceding 12.40 shots per 90 this campaign, with 3.71 hitting the target, which lines up perfectly to target the Brighton shots markets.

From a players’ perspective, Evan Ferguson is likely to start on Thursday night and has produced some decent numbers this season. He averages 2.25 attempts at goal per 90 with 1.57 hitting the target, the best shots on target percentage in the Seagulls squad.

Ferguson has hit the target in his last four league games that he has started, excluding the Seagulls dire attacking presence against Arsenal which saw him subbed in the 59th minute.

Ferguson is without a goal since their outing at Nottingham Forest at the end of November, and with Joao Pedro continuing to boast some impressive form in Europe and his cameos in the league, he’ll need to get back on target soon.

Predictions:

🚀 Brighton to have 12+ shots @ 1.36

🎯 Brighton to have 5+ shots on target @ 1.73

🎯 Brighton to have 6+ shots on target @ 2.63