Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion will aim to return to winning ways when they face off at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this week with Gameweek 31. The action on Saturday will start with the game between Everton and Arsenal before continuing with three simultaneous fixtures, including Crystal Palace vs Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace might not have even dreamed about qualifying for a European competition after a torrid start to the 2024/25 season. However, the Eagles have been one of the most in-form teams in the top flight in 2025, and they are on a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions. However, the 1-1 draw with Southampton earlier this week was a setback, and they will be eager to return to winning ways this weekend.

On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have been among the most impressive teams in the Premier League in the last few weeks. However, the Seagulls have suffered a blow in their bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League after failing to win each game on either side of the international break. The latest setback was a 3-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa. They also bowed out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals against Nottingham Forest.

The reverse fixture saw Crystal Palace cruise to a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, with Ismaila Sarr scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager might be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Will Hughes has served his suspension and will be ready to take on Brighton & Hove Albion. Meanwhile, Chris Richards should be fit and available after struggling with a calf issue. So, Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure are the only absentees, with the duo recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Dean Henderson will take his spot between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, and Marc Guehi. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell as the two wing-backs.

The wide duo should protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Jefferson Lerma and Adam Wharton should pair up in the double pivot. Finally, Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace against Brighton, with Ismaila Sarr and Eberechi Eze completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Lerma, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta

Brighton & Hove Albion

Like his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Fabian Hurzeler has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be without eight first-team players on Saturday.

Georginio Rutter (ankle) and Joel Veltman (foot) are the most notable absentees for the away side. The duo accompanies Jason Steele (shoulder), Igor Julio (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (ankle), Adam Webster (thigh), Tariq Lamptey (ankle), and James Milner (thigh) on the sidelines.

Bart Verbruggen is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Jack Hinselwood, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, and Pervis Estupinan.

As for the midfield unit, Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari should pair up in the double pivot, with Joao Pedro reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Danny Welbeck will spearhead the Brighton attack vs Crystal Palace, with Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck

Key Stats

• Crystal Palace won the reverse fixture 3-1 in December and could complete their first league double vs Brighton & Hove Albion since 1932/33 in the Third Division South. They have never managed it in the top flight.
• Under Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace have won 41% of their Premier League home matches and averaged 1.50 points per game. Only Tony Pulis has better tallies as the South London club’s manager.
• Brighton & Hove Albion suffered their first defeat in six Premier League games at home earlier this week against Aston Villa on Wednesday (W4 D1). The Seagulls’ only loss in their last eight away Premier League matches was a 7-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest (W3 D4).
• Brighton & Hove Albion’s average of 1.53 points per away game in the 2024/25 season is their joint highest in a top-flight campaign, along with 2021/22.
• Brighton & Hove Albion have won five of their seven away fixtures in 2025 across all competitions, only one fewer than they managed in 2024. However, the Seagulls are winless in 11 Premier League visits to London since beating Arsenal in May 2023 (D5 L6). That is their longest winless league run in the capital since a spell of 15 defeats and a draw between 1933 and 1936.

Player to Watch

Ismaila Sarr

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While Jean-Philippe Mateta, Joao Pedro, and Danny Welbeck were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Ismaila Sarr as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s game between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park.

Sarr has scored three goals in his last two Premier League home appearances for Crystal Palace, more than in his first 13 at Selhurst Park for the South London club. Meanwhile, the Senegalese international scored twice and set up the other as the Eagles beat Brighton 3-1 in the reverse fixture. So, he will be the go-to man for Oliver Glasner on Saturday.

Prediction

Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion

Very little separates the two teams ahead of the Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion. The last five meetings at Selhurst Park have ended in a 1-1 draw, and it will not be surprising if the pattern continues this weekend.

However, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta should inspire the home side to a narrow win, although Brighton will not go down without a fight. The Hard Tackle predicts a closely-contested affair to end in a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner and his charges.