Brighton v Crystal Palace Match Preview

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In Round 13 of the WSL, Brighton will host relegation team Crystal Palace at Broadfield Stadium this Sunday (the 2nd of February 2025). With a win for Brighton looking likely, is there anything that Palace can do to sink their teeth into victory this weekend?

The hosts are not in pristine form going into this match; after three losses, a draw and only one win in their previous five matches, Brighton have struggled to gain many points in recent weeks, with notable losses to Arsenal and Manchester United. Brighton currently sit at 5th on the WSL table, with an even number of wins and losses (5 apiece) and just two draws in the twelve matches of the WSL season so far. They are seven points behind 4th place Arsenal (24) and a massive seventeen points behind Chelsea, the current leaders of the Women’s Super League. A feature in Sunday’s lineup could be Kiko Seike, Brighton’s top scorer so far this season – having obtained five goals and two assists in the 10 matches that she has participated in. Another player that could participate in Sunday’s match is new transfer, Caitlin Hayes, who moved to The Seagulls in this winter transfer window.

Their opponents are looking to be in a bit of trouble heading into this fixture. Having lost four out of their five previous matches, they head into this match with a slightly deceptive average of 1.6 goals per game. This statistic is the result of a convincing win over Sheffield United in the Women’s FA Cup Round of 32 and a narrow 3-2 loss to Spurs last week in the WSL. After their promotion to the WSL at the start of this season, the Eagles have not fared well, winning only one of their twelve matches so far and losing nine times, meaning they are left to face relegation back down to the Championship. They are four points behind Leicester City, who sit in 11th place with nine points, and they are a significant distance behind the leaders with a difference of 29 points between 1st place and 12th place. Annabel Blanchard could feature in the Eagles’ starting lineup on Sunday, as their current top scorer with three goals and one assist so far this season. It is possible that Crystal Palace may also want to feature some of their newest signings, Clarissa Larisey (BK Hacken), Ria Oling (Rosengard), Allyson Swaby (AC Milan) or Aniek Nouwen (Chelsea loanee).

Head-to-head, these two teams have faced off thirteen times in all competitions, with Brighton succeeding against the Eagles six times. The sides have drawn five times, suggesting that we could be seeing quite a close match between the two sides on Sunday. However, Brighton have won the three previous head-to-head matches, with Palace only managing to get one goal past the Seagulls.

Will Brighton come out on top once more on Sunday, or will Crystal Palace gain some crucial points to help them escape relegation from the WSL? If you’re not attending the match at Broadfield Stadium, you can watch the match live on the Barclays Women’s Super League YouTube channel. Click here to watch!