Brighton vs Crystal Palace Odds & Prediction – Premier League Round 25
- Brighton host the Eagles of Crystal Palace at the Falmer Stadium on the south coast of England on February 22nd at 3:00 PM EST
- Brighton currently are only seven points away from the drop zone in 16th place, while Crystal Palace sit three points above them in 14th
- See below for the odds, a preview and our best bet
In the 25th round of Premier League play, Brighton host Crystal Palace in an important match for both sides as they look to reach the coveted 40 point mark. Crystal Palace are two spots ahead in the Premier League table, however are heavily unfavored in this match. Why? Crystal Palace will be without their main man, Wilfried Zaha on Monday as he sits out with a hamstring injury. Zaha picked up the knock against Newcastle, and since then Crystal Palace have lost to Leeds and Burnley by a combined score of 5-0.
The Ivory Coast forward is the main source of creativity and the spark plug for this Crystal Palace side, providing 11 goal contributions so far this year. Roy Hodgson will now have to look elsewhere for offense, which in the Crystal Palace squad, is hard to come by. However, since Brighton’s double against Tottenham and Liverpool, they have yet to win a Premier League match.
The Seagulls are favorited in this game, but both sides desperately need a victory.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton vs Crystal Palace | BRI -1 (+133) | CP +1 (-159) | BRI -143 | CP +475 | DRAW +255 | Ov 2.5 (+120) | Un 2.5 (-150) |
All odds taken Feb. 20th at DraftKings
Can Hodgson Make up for Zaha’s Absence?
There is absolutely no doubt, Crystal Palace’s offense has been dulled without having Zaha on the pitch. However, they need to make due with what they have on Monday which is most likely a duo up front of Christian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi with Eberechi Eze coming off the left.
Despite being only 22 years of age, Eze has made himself a significant part of this Crystal Palace team with three goals and three assists. His footwork and dribbling could cause issue for a Brighton side also dealing with injury.
Hodgson wants Crystal Palace to cope without injured Zaha against Brighton & Hove Albion https://t.co/UgwBsHkCFJ pic.twitter.com/LsG2VeMd1h
— Goal Africa (@GoalAfrica) February 18, 2021
The bigger question in this match is Crystal Palace’s defense which has been far too suspect this season. They have conceded 42 goals, a mark only worsened by Leeds and West Brom. When you add in the additional injuries of James McArthur and Jeffrey Schlupp, their midfield looks far too weak against a Brighton pair of Adam Lallana and Yves Bissouma. Overall, Crystal Palace looks like a team just thrown together at the moment which explains their drastic fall down the table.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace Domestic Statistics
| 1.04 | Goals per game | 1.13 |
| 12.9 | Shots per game | 9.4 |
| 50.2% | Possession % | 44% |
| 80.2% | Passing % | 77.3% |
Graham Potter’s Side is Better Than 16th
The odds for this match tell the tale of the tape the best. Brighton are far better than a side in 16th place, and they proved that when they beat two of the best sides in England just a couple weeks ago. Nonetheless, they have had their struggles as well which typically come from not being able to put the ball in the net.
They also have a small list of injuries, as they will go into this match without the services of Tariq Lamptey, Davy Propper and Adam Webster.
Graham Potter says seven-goal Neal Maupay's all-round game has improved since last season (ten goals) ahead of the French forward's 50th Premier League start against Crystal Palace on Monday. #BHAFChttps://t.co/dGuqiTjucX
— Andy Naylor (@AndyNaylorBHAFC) February 20, 2021
Recently, Brighton and Crystal Palace have met six times in the Premier League over the past three seasons. Each team has two wins, two draws and two losses against each other which makes this tough to call on a historical basis.
However, Brighton definitely need these three points more if they want to continue to distance themselves from the bottom three.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace Best Bet
Finally, the best bet for this match is Neal Maupay to score with odds of +133. Both of these team have struggled as of late, and while Crystal Palace will be without their best player, I just cannot see Brighton running away with this game. The Brighton moneyline is a little too skewed in their favor, and I do believe Crystal Palace could keep the game in check.
However, Maupay has seven goals this season and it is easy to see him causing problems for Gary Cahill and Cheikhou Kouyaté as they have shared their struggles in defense this season. This bet has great value and is the most logical choice given how even these sides are across the board in 2020/21.
My Pick: Neal Maupay to score (+133)
Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
