Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace prediction

Brighton arrive at the Amex on Sunday 18 October with five straight wins, having scored 17 goals and conceded two across that run. The latest was a 4-0 victory over Kauno Zalgiris in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday 15 October. A win over Crystal Palace would equal the club's record of four consecutive Premier League victories. That form is the main reason the forecast leans toward a Brighton win. The side also coped with adversity at Sunderland last weekend, playing the final half-hour with 10 men after a red card for Pascal Struijk, later rescinded, and still secured the result. Team news is mostly benign for the hosts. Fabian Hurzeler reported no fresh injury concerns after the Kauno Zalgiris game, though four players already on the sidelines are not available this weekend. Struijk is nursing a hamstring problem, and reports differ on whether it is a hamstring or thigh issue. He is due to be assessed on Saturday 17 October before a decision on his availability. Palace come off a Europa League defeat by Lyon on Thursday. Their manager, Pierre Sage, said the bad result stemmed from the first half and pointed to the second halves of their last two games as the standard to repeat. Palace also hope to have captain Dean Henderson back from a foot injury, though his return is not confirmed. The thing to watch is Struijk's fitness check. If Brighton's defence is disrupted, the case for the hosts gets weaker.