Brighton & Hove Albion host Crystal Palace at American Express Stadium, Falmer in Gameweek 7 on Sun 18 Oct, 14:00 BST. Brighton & Hove Albion are 3rd on 13 points from 6 games (form LDWWW), Crystal Palace are 12th on 7 (form LWLDW). The FPL deadline is Saturday 17 October 2026, 11:00 BST, so check team news before you lock your squad.
Brighton & Hove Albion: form check
Brighton & Hove Albion have scored 18 and conceded 5 in 6 league games, and last time out it was W 2–0 at Sunderland in GW6. At home they have 7 points from 3 games. Official FPL list, 2026-10-14: Hinshelwood (ankle injury: 50% chance of playing). Expected shape: 5-4-1.
Brighton & Hove Albion Predicted Starting XI & Lineup · 5-4-1
Official lineups confirmed 1 hour before kick-off.
Crystal Palace: form check
Crystal Palace have scored 9 and conceded 12 in 6 league games, and last time out it was W 3–1 v Nottingham Forest in GW6. Away from home they have 4 points from 3 games. Official FPL list, 2026-10-14: Henderson (foot injury: Expected back 18 Oct); Mateta (hamstring injury: Expected back 18 Oct). Expected shape: 4-5-1.
Season snapshot
- Brighton & Hove Albion: W 5–0 at Coventry City, W 3–0 v Arsenal, W 2–0 at Sunderland.
- Crystal Palace: L 2–3 v Ipswich Town, D 0–0 at Leeds United, W 3–1 v Nottingham Forest.
- Table before this round: Brighton & Hove Albion 3rd (13 pts, GD +13), Crystal Palace 12th (7 pts, GD -3).
The deciding factor
Pascal Groß against Crystal Palace's defence is the matchup to watch: Crystal Palace have conceded 12 in 6. In the other direction, Daichi Kamada faces the Brighton & Hove Albion defence that has conceded 5 in 6. FPL rates this fixture 2/5 for Brighton & Hove Albion and 4/5 for Crystal Palace, where 5 is hardest.
FPL picks to watch
- Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion, £6.0m): averaging 8.8 points a game (53 in total), FPL projects 10.0 for this round, 39.4% owned, on penalties.
- Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace, £5.0m): averaging 4.8 points a game (29 in total), FPL projects 5.5 for this round, 0.6% owned.
- José Andrés (Brighton & Hove Albion, £5.5m): averaging 5.0 points a game (15 in total), FPL projects 5.5 for this round, 0.1% owned.
- Clean-sheet angle: Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton & Hove Albion, £5.1m) at home, with Brighton & Hove Albion the side our model rates less likely to concede (1.0 expected goals against).
- Differential: Luka Vuskovic (Brighton & Hove Albion, £5.1m) is owned by just 4.6% and averages 6.7 points a game.
Our call
Our model, built on 2026/27 goals scored and conceded, gives Brighton & Hove Albion an 82% win chance, a draw 11% and Crystal Palace 7%, with 3–0 the single most likely scoreline. Expected goals: 3.4 for Brighton & Hove Albion, 1.0 for Crystal Palace. Brighton & Hove Albion are clear favourites on the numbers, but only 6 games have been played, so treat it as a guide rather than a certainty.