Crystal Palace 3/1 to finish above Brighton in 2023/24 Premier League

James Wilson Updated: 09 Oct 23 12:16

Crystal Palace are priced at 3/1 to finish higher than Brighton in the 2023/24 Premier League table.

Ending last season in excellent form under Roy Hodgson, who was appointed Palace boss until the end of the season in March after Patrick Vieira was sacked, the ex-England manager is currently 6/5 favourite to be granted the job on a permanent basis ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

With Palace in relegation danger when Hodgson took over, the Eagles went on to win to win five and draw three of their remaining 10 Premier League matches to finish safely away from the drop zone in 11th.

Eberechi Eze was Palace's standout player during this period, registering six goals, and this end of season form was rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Euros qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

With creative talents of the ilk of Eze and 21-year-old Michael Olise, and a defence marshalled by accomplished pair Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, Palace have the makings of a squad which could potentially challenge for a top-half finish next term.

Sharing a rivalry with Brighton, with the two clubs' stadiums separated by around 40 miles, both teams relish getting the bragging rights over one another by finishing higher in the Premier League table.

In the six seasons since Brighton were promoted to see themselves compete with Crystal Palace in the top flight, Palace have finished higher than their rivals on four occasions.

However, the past two seasons have seen the Seagulls gain the edge, with their sixth-placed finish last term and qualification for Europe ensuring Brighton are very much on top for the time being.

It appears a tough ask for Crystal Palace to finish above this admirable Brighton side coached by the impressive Roberto De Zerbi, but with the Seagulls having to cope with the additional strain of the Europa League and the departure of Alexis Mac Allister and possibly Moises Caicedo, Palace may just fancy their chances.