The weekend was littered with nonstop football action & there is much more to look out for. Fans of other clubs will turn their backs on the M23 Derby, but the teams & fans involved know how important the friction between them is. To get to the bone, why is it labeled M23 or A23 Derby? The nicknames come from the A23 road and the M23 motorway between Sussex and south London.
Crystal Palace & Brighton have only met four times in the Premier League; the Seagulls lead the way with two wins, Palace with one win and one draw.
After a thorny path of five winless Premier League games, the eagles flew away from Turf Moor with three points under their wings, followed by a victory at Selhust Park to Bournemouth & dropped two points against Watford. This means they are unbeaten in their last three games. This is a fairly good run considering the injury crisis & goal drought. Mamadou Sahko is still suspended, Patrick Van Anholt remains out and his replacement Jeffrey Schlupp, has also been ruled out, Joel Ward is another that remains out. It’s right to say that Roy Hodgson is without any of his first choice recognized full-backs.
Talking about the goal drought, with all the individual dexterity offensively, only Watford have scored less goals (9) than Hodgson’s team (14)
Tonight’s Derby Pits Two mid table sides in Crystal Palace and Brighton
After enduring a difficult run of fixtures against Manchester United, Leicester city & Liverpool, where they registered three straight losses, Brighton bounced back to collect four points out of the possible six.(2-1 against Arsenal & 2-2 against Wolves)
In the quest of guiding the ship away from relegation (only four points above relegation), Graham Potter changed the tactic books at Brighton & resorted to a more expansive and attacking 4-3-3 formation, where Pascal & Leandro Trossard have been able to stretch defensive blocks to create for Neal Maupay who has scored three times as many as any other Brighton player. (6 EPL goals this season)
It’s a difficult derby to call, but be rest assured to have a whale of time.
Also read:Â Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp Extends Contract Till 2024
Article by Creed Mugabi
