PREVIEW: Palace seek first win of 2026 against rivals Brighton | OneFootball

Brighton host Crystal Palace with their dreams of Europe fading in the latest edition of the M23 derby at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls have been faltering as of late, occipying 13th in the table – just two places above their rivals with just one win in their last five games.

After being denied a win against Everton thanks to a last gasp Beto effort, Brighton are in a tricky patch at the moment and could really use a victory to alleviate the pressure on Hurzeler and the rest of his squad.

A defeat away at Fulham which came before their draw at Everton meant Brighton took only one point from a very gettable six which will have caused a lot of disappointment for those at the AMEX.

A side with even more disappointment to contend with, Crystal Palace have been on a truly turgid run of form since late November. Their last win came in the Conference League against Irish side Shelbourne and that run included the biggest shock defeat in FA Cup history as they as the holders bowed out to sixth tier Macclesfield in a 2-1 defeat.

They sunk down the table and now face a worrying prospect of being dragged into a relegation battle as the likes of Leeds and Nottingham Forest continue to pick up points.

The Eagles only saving grace being that West Ham and Burnley are struggling to make up the points difference.

A disappointing draw away to Nottingham Forest was compounded by the fact they had 45′ minutes to play against 10 men after Nico Williams’ inexplicable red card just before half time.

Glasners sides failure to win that game kicked off another week of annoyance for the South London side. They were able to get the record signing of Jorgen Strand Larsen over the line from Wolves however failed in their sale of Jean Philip-Mateta to AC Milan and the purchase of Dwight McNeil from Everton both of which collapsed on deadline day.

Brighton are without Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas both of which are still suffering from ACL injuries.

They have been left light in midfield as-well with the injuries to Solly March and Swedish midfielder Yasin Ayari with a shoulder injury which will be disappointing considering how good he’s been for Brighton this season.

Mats Wieffer is close to returning from an ankle injury according to Hurzeler but Sundays match will come too soon for the Dutchman to feature.

Brighton can take some solace in the fact that Diego Gomez has been passed fit for Sunday.

Crystal Palace have had their own injury struggles which has further added to their misery in the last half of the season.

Eddie Nketiah and Daichi Kamada are both out with thigh injuries which are expected to keep them out until the remainder of this month at least.

Youngster Justin Devenny is missing with an ankle injury and won’t feature for the side on Sunday as he continues his rehabilitation meanwhile Borna Sousa has a minor muscle issue and also won’t feature.

Jean Philip-Mateta won’t be in the squad after his failed move to AC Milan as the club is still deciding whether to go through with his knee surgery.

He is unavailable alongside Adam Wharton after the midfielder was sent off in the sides 3-1 defeat away at Chelsea further weakening a side that’s more than down on their luck.