Luke's Football blog

Brighton come into this game in fine form, having gone on a six-game unbeaten run, and they would like to hopefully keep that going with a win against their rivals. In the past meetings, though, their last win against their rivals came back in 2019, so they don’t have a good recent history against their rivals.

Crystal Palace, on the other hand, haven’t been in that good of form, with their last win coming against Bournemouth back in December. In this fixture, they have been in good form against their rivals in the past few years, which might give them confidence they can pull off a result and get their first win of 2023, which would help the club massively.

This game is massive for both clubs, as they will hope to have bragging rights against their rivals. Brighton are having a pretty good season, and after getting into the top half last year, they have progressed, as when Potter was snapped up by Chelsea, they replaced him with De Zerbi, and since then they’ve gone to the next level. Crystal Palace, however, have not progressed as much this season. After a promising year last year, reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup and finishing comfortably mid-table, they haven’t progressed as much, and without a win in 2023 yet, they aren’t looking good.

Both teams have talented players who can win games for them, which will be key to this fixture as they will need them to step up for this game. One shining star for Brighton this season has been Japanese sensation Kaoru Mitoma, who has caught the eye of so many clubs with his pace and dribbling, recently unlocking defences. He’s for sure someone to watch in this game. Crystal Palace haven’t had many shining stars, but one player who has been key this season for them is Cheick Doucoure. The Palace midfield has been their weak spot, but without him in their team, it would be even worse as he is so key to the Eagles. His tenacious play allows the other midfielders in the team to be more attacking as he has the capabilities to hold down the midfield by himself, which is needed for his side.

Overall, it will be a close game, and it will come down to who’s ready to fight for their club on that day. Crystal Palace have the less experienced team out of the two, but experience isn’t just needed to win; talent is also a defining factor, which both clubs have a lot of. The game will probably go down to the wire, making it a spectacular game on Saturday with both clubs needing points.