Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Crystal Palace Betting Preview – EPL, February 22, 2021

This is an EPL derby that seems to confuse other fans, as the two clubs are located around 40 miles apart. But it is a fierce rivalry, and both sides will be keen to claim the bragging rights.

Brighton has been the better of the two over the last month or so, so it could be Seagulls over Eagles on Monday.

Palace has not been playing well recently and will be missing Wilfried Zaha once again for this one. That last detail is very important, as the Eagles just cannot seem to win a game without him. BetOnline has priced this game accordingly – and I can’t really argue with the bookmaker over these odds.

Graham Potter has not always attracted a lot of praise from Brighton fans – and those outside the city – since joining the club. There has been an acknowledgment that he is trying to bring a whole new style of play to the squad, but the results have not been forthcoming. But now things are looking up, as the Seagulls come into this one unbeaten in the last six in the league.

Much of that good run has come without the help of two of Brighton’s better players – Tariq Lamptey and Solly March. If Brighton is able to build further confidence from winning its ‘local’ derby and continue this streak for a little longer, there should be no danger of any relegation battle at the end of the season.

Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace seems to be having a much more frustrating time at the moment. The crushing 7-0 home defeat to Liverpool before Christmas wiped away a lot of confidence, but it is the run of results since then that has been more of a problem. Three wins in ten games have seen Palace fail to pull away from the group of clubs just above the drop zone.

Those seven from Liverpool may skew the total a little, but only West Brom has conceded more goals than Palace this season – and if there is little happening up the other end, then this team is going to struggle. Hodgson will be hoping that Jean-Philippe Mateta will start scoring the type of goals he was putting away in the Bundesliga.

Since Brighton came up to the Premier League a few seasons ago, it has rarely held the upper hand when it comes to this fixture. It may have had the better team at some points, but Wilfried Zaha has always been a major advantage for Palace. He won’t be around on Monday, and the home side looks far more likely to earn the points in his absence.