Match Details:
Sunday 18 October 2026 @ 2pm UK / 9am ET / 6am PT
Amex Stadium, Brighton, England
The M23 derby arrives at an awkward moment for Crystal Palace. The Seagulls have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season while their bitter rivals are still finding their feet under new coach Pierre Sage.
Both enjoyed excellent wins on the return from the international break – Palace turning over Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park while Brighton came away from the Stadium of Light with an impressive 2-0 against Sunderland, despite being reduced to 10 men for the last half hour of the game.
Brighton’s top form
Brighton are the early season’s surprise package; not a surprise that they’re doing well – they finished 8th last season and qualified for the Europa Conference League – but that they’re doing so well.
They sit third in the Premier League with 13 points from six matches, and their win against Sunderland was their fourth straight league victory, following a 3-0 win over Arsenal and a 5-0 thrashing of Coventry. The numbers are impressive at both ends; they are the league’s top scorers – ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City – and have conceded fewer home goals than anyone else. The Amex is a difficult place to visit.
Palace up and down
Palace’s form is a bit more topsy turvy and reflects their 12th placed position. Two wins, three defeats and a draw is a reasonable start for Sage’s tenure and you sense there is much more to come from the Frenchman.
Yet after the victory against Forest they went down 3-2 to Lyon on Thursday in the Europa League, going two goals down in a first half Sage described as “absent”. A decent second half wasn’t enough, and they can’t afford to be slow out of the blocks on Sunday.
The head coaches
Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton) has built one of the Premier League’s most fluid, front-foot teams. They are a joy to watch. His side press high, rotate positions and trust young attackers, and this season’s goal tally shows it is working. They way they demolished Arsenal was extraordinary to watch. Hürzeler will be pleased that the goals are well spread, and he has had success from the bench too.
Pierre Sage (Palace) is finding his feet in his first season in England. The 47-year-old want to play a similar way to his predecessor Oliver Glasner, in a 3-4-2-1 formation, and his team are showing signs they are taking on board his instructions.
He has been hamstrung by the loss of key players early season, including internationals Dean Henderson, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Phillipe Mateta. Sarr returned on Thuesday while Mateta has been back training and is in contention for Brighton.
Brighton’s key players
Pascal Groß. Brighton’s main man is grabbing all the headlines this season as the side’s main creative attacker. Four goals and four assists in all competitions already tells its own story.
Maxim De Cuyper. The left-sided player has been one of the stars of the campaign. He has scored twice and created eleven chances, and his crossing from deep makes him a danger from open play and set pieces alike.
Malick Yalcouyé. The midfielder has two goals so far, and his late runs into the box will matter even more with Groß unavailable. Brighton will need him to supply the creativity and the goals that Groß usually provides.
Palace’s key players
Yéremi Pino. The Spaniard has been slow to get going, but he scored against Forest and added a goal at Lyon. His movement between the lines will be Palace’s main route into Brighton’s defence, and his set-piece delivery is a useful weapon.
Jean-Philippe Mateta. The French striker is Palace’s first-choice penalty taker and their most dependable finisher, but he has been out since the opening-day defeat at Everton. Sage said there is “some chance” he features this weekend. A return, even from the bench, would give Palace a big lift.
Ismaïla Sarr. The winger’s pace is Palace’s best chance of hurting a Brighton side that likes to push its full-backs high. Sarr adds another dimension to Palace’s play and if he and Mateta are both on the pitch, Palace will be in a much stronger position.
Prediction
Everything points towards a Brighton win. They are the form team of the division and scoring goals for fun, while Palace’s back line has yet to recover from losing Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea in the summer. They have shipped an average of two goals per game so far this season.
Palace are not without hope. Sarr’s pace and Pino’s creativity could cause problems on the break, and a fit Mateta would certainly sharpen their attack.
The Eagles have also had the run of the fixture in recent times, having won three, drawn two and lost only one of the last six fixtures against their rivals, that defeat coming in 2024. But this is a very different Brighton side this season, so expect a tough game but a home win.
Nick has enjoyed a highly successful career in journalism and the media. He spent 23 years in the UK national print media, including 15 years on the Daily Telegraph as a senior reporter. He is also an experienced commentator and communications expert. His broadcast appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Television, BBC Radio Scotland and local television in Scotland and England. He currently hosts The Road to World Cup 26 podcast.
