Ahead of Crystal Palace’s Thursday night clash against bitter rivals Brighton, Chris Sutton has dropped his prediction for the clash.
Crystal Palace will be coming into their rivalry game against Brighton tonight with confidence high after a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend.
Meanwhile, the opponents will come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat to league-leading Arsenal. Recent form suggests this game could be very evenly poised – with both on a poor run – especially at a packed-out Selhurst Park at night.
A win would mean the world to Roy Hodgson who is under pressure – winning just one game in eight – while reports have emerged that Palace are due to open talks with Steve Cooper for the role.
Hodgson will have several huge decisions to make ahead of this game, none moreso than who starts up front with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s two goals in recent weeks against Liverpool and Man City sending a real message.
Now, Chris Sutton has sent out his prediction for Palace welcoming Brighton tonight…
What has Chris Sutton predicted for Crystal Palace vs Brighton?
Writing his weekly predictions piece on BBC Sport, Sutton lauded some of the quality Palace are missing – primarily Eberechi Eze who has been out injured since late November – as he predicted the game.
“Crystal Palace have got some good players, but they need to get them fit. Still, Eberechi Eze should be back for this one and Jordan Ayew is available after his suspension.
“While the Eagles ended up getting an excellent result at Manchester City last time out, Brighton were a bit disappointing in their defeat by Arsenal.”
Sutton then went on to discuss Brighton.
“The Seagulls have not really hit the heights of last season yet – which is probably down to them playing in the Europa League – but I half fancy them to nick this one.
“I am going to go for a draw, though – four of the past six games between these two have ended 1-1, so that is the sensible scoreline to go for again.”
What are the implications of the Palace v Brighton game?
As always with a rivalry game – both sides will be desperate to pick up all three points but nobody will be hoping for a successful outing than Hodgson.
Hodgson has been under scrutiny lately from fans and media alike, so a loss to Brighton wouldn’t bode well for his standing at the club.
After improvements against Liverpool and City, it’d be a real blow if the performance was to end up being poor.
If Palace were to win, they’d move potentially as high as 12th in the league table which is an excellent foundation for 2024.
