Brighton & Hove Albion host Crystal Palace in a big Premier League clash for both teams on Sunday evening at the Amex Stadium, as the two rivals look to bring themselves out of recent ruts that have left them looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
Hosts Brighton have 31 points in 24 games, and are now 13th in the table. With Palace two points and two places further back, Oliver Glasner's team will know that a win will take them above Brighton.
Here's everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event in the U.K., Peacock in the U.S., Jio Hotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. GMT (9 a.m. ET; 7:30 p.m. IST and 1:00 a.m. AEDT, Monday)
Venue: Amex Stadium, Brighton
Referee: Thomas Bramall
VAR: James Bell
Injury News
Brighton
Diego Gomez, M: knock, DOUBT
Adam Webster, D: knee, OUT
Mats Wieffer, M: toe, OUT
Solly March, F: knee, OUT
Stefanos Tzimas, F: knee, OUT
Crystal Palace
Jean-Phillippe Mateta, F: knee, OUT
Eddie Nketiah, F: strain, OUT
Daichi Kamada, M: hamstring, OUT
Borna Sosa, D: strain, OUT
Cheick Doucoure, M: knee, OUT
Justin Devenny, M, ankle, OUT
Talking Points
Palace need a lift, could it come from new signings?
Palace haven't won a game in any competition since mid-December, when they beat Shelbourne 3-0 in the UEFA Conference League. Since then, they've played 12 games across all competitions, and not won any. They've taken only three Premier League points from nine games in that period. Glasner's final few months in charge will be defined his ability to reverse their fortunes over the remainder of the season.
Palace have made a couple of exciting additions to their squad in the last week. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Evann Guessand have joined from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa respectively, and alongside Brennan Johnson and Yéremy Pino, will look to get Palace back amongst the goals again. In this winless run of 12 games, Palace have only scored nine goals, and just five of them have been in the nine Premier League games in that period.
Their presence will be with particularly welcome with Jean-Philippe Mateta now set for a period on the sidelines with the knee injury that saw his potential move to AC Milan collapse on transfer deadline day.
Brighton's January window raises more questions than answers
With Brajan Gruda and Tom Watson being loaned out, Brighton now have just two natural wingers in their squad -- Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma. They are going to have to get shifts out wide from the likes of Georginio Rutter and maybe even Ferdi Kadioglu, in their quest for depth in those positions.
Matt O'Riley fell out of favour with Fabian Hurzeler last season, and went out on loan to Marseille in August, but Brighton have now recalled him, despite him not being a regular starter for the French club. Pascal Gross is a good addition to their squad on his return to Amex, and has already found the net.
But, as it stands, Brighton lack depth in key areas, and notable injuries have dented their firepower up front. A defining period of Hurzeler's Brighton career is coming up, and he could have done with more bodies to pick from.
Can Glasner end his Crystal Palace reign positively?
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Glasner has a place in Palace history reserved for him, after leading them to the FA Cup glory last year. The last couple of months have been challenging but, while he has been vocal about the need for Palace to keep hold of their best players, he has seen his side go through a serious dip in form.
Palace are nine points clear of the relegation zone, but a recent resurgence in form for West Ham United and Nottingham Forest means that they are nervously looking over their shoulder. This is not the kind of second half of the season that Palace would've hoped for, particularly after finding themselves near the top of the league in the early stages of the campaign.
Palace now need to start getting results and there is no better place to start than the derby against Brighton.
Is Brighton's project falling apart?
Until last year, Brighton were the envy of most clubs in the transfer market. They signed players smartly, and when they had to transfer players to the bigger clubs, they ensured they replaced them more than adequately. All the while, they were getting results, as their Europa League qualification in the 2022-23 season showed. However, this season threatens to derail that project.
Hurzeler's first season in the Premier League last term ended positively as they finished eighth, with 61 points. But Brighton are on course for a points total much lower than that, and looking at their squad, it seems like for the first time in a long time, they don't really have many players being eyed by the bigger clubs.
What do the numbers say?
James Milner could equal Gareth Barry's Premier League record for appearances in this game, with Milner currently having played 652 games, one less than Barry's 653.
Brighton have won just two of their last 13 Premier League games against Crystal Palace. They have drawn seven and lost four of the other 11 games in that period.
Since the start of December, only Burnley, with five points, and Wolves, with six points, have picked up fewer Premier League points than Brighton and Crystal Palace (nine).
Since the start of December, Crystal Palace (-10) have the worst goal difference in the Premier League, having conceded 18 goals and scored just eight.
Crystal Palace's current nine-match winless run in the Premier League is their longest since a 12-match winless streak in early 2023.