Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace share an unusual derby match with each other, however despite the uniqueness of it all, that does not lessen any of the animosity each club and fanbase has for each other when the pair clash.
When defining a derby, many will typically cite the fact that the two teams share the same geographical location, such as a city or county, but the Seagulls and the Eagles are simply joined by the M23 motorway, despite being several miles apart.
Nonetheless, the rivalry is real and one that will provide the best out of both teams. According to bookmaker Betway Sportsbook, though, it would seem the hosts are clear favourites to win this fixture with a price of 21/20 being offered.
The game finished in a 1-1 draw when the two sides met at Selhurst Park earlier in the campaign although the Eagles will feel that they had actually dropped two points on the night.
The hosts appeared to be heading to the final whistle with all three points, but Neal Maupay came up trumps in the dying moments as he helped Brighton to steal a point for the visitors.
Brighton will be hoping for a better outcome on Friday night when they take to the AMEX Stadium pitch, especially as they have been in decent form as of late.
Graham Potter’s side are currently on an unbeaten run of three games in the league currently, with their last fixture in the top-flight having resulted in a 3-2 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
However, some will accuse the Seagulls of being unable to put their opponents away on a regular basis, which could come to haunt them on Friday night.
Crystal Palace are coming off the back of another rivalry encounter, after defeating Millwall in the FA Cup at the weekend, although things did not go as swimmingly well as Patrick Vieira would have initially wished for.
In regard to Premier League performance, the Eagles have also found it difficult to close out games throughout the season, thus leaving some to suggest that their current league position perhaps does not reflect quite where they should be.
Nonetheless, they are currently on a rather patchy run of form at the moment themselves, with two wins from their last five, including one draw and two defeats to London rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Amex Stadium will certainly provide an entertaining game of football under the lights of Friday night, but Brighton will be hoping they can make their favourites tag be a reality.
