Brighton go into Brighton vs Crystal Palace with 13 points from their opening six Premier League games, one goal conceded at the Amex in all competitions in 2026/27, and four league wins by at least two goals. Crystal Palace, though, have won three and drawn one of the last four league meetings between the sides. That is enough to make this a real test of Brighton’s early control.

Brighton's start at the Amex

The raw numbers are strong. Brighton are third in the Premier League, have scored 18 goals in six matches and kept only 5 out of their league total against them. They also followed midweek with a 4-0 win, which kept their recent run moving without any obvious drop in tempo.

Fabian Hurzeler has also had to manage some selection noise, with the two summer signings still needing time to adapt to Brighton’s training methods. That does not change the basic read on Brighton, though. Their home record has been far better than Palace’s away prospects on paper, and their attack has carried them through the opening month.

Palace's derby case

Palace arrive with fewer league points, just 7 from six games, and 12 goals conceded in the same span. Even so, this is the sort of fixture they have tended to make awkward. Their recent record against Brighton is the clearest reason this derby still feels open.

Team news is mixed. Dean Henderson has missed Palace’s last five games with a foot injury but is targeting a return, while sportsmole.co.uk suggested the derby may come too soon. Jean-Philippe Mateta is also uncertain because of a hamstring issue, with Jørgen Strand Larsen mentioned as a possible starter if Mateta is not ready. Pascal Struijk's red card at Sunderland has been overturned, which at least removes one complication.

Sage admitted Palace's start to the term has been unstable. That fits the table and the team news, but it does not remove the derby edge they have carried in this fixture.

Brighton should still be favoured at the Amex, because the home record and scoring output are better than Palace’s numbers. Palace have already shown enough in this rivalry to keep the game from looking routine, and Sunday’s 2pm BST kick-off on 18 October should tell us whether Brighton can back up the table position with another clean derby win.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →