Brighton's De Zerbi eyes 'dream' Palace win / Photo: Glyn KIRK - AFP
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
-
Juneau food network combines difficult supply routes with deep sharing traditions
-
Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
-
India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
-
Labour and National remain virtually tied as New Zealand vote count advances
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
-
China and Gabon Upgrade Ties to 'Shared Future' Amid Strategic Pact
Brighton's De Zerbi eyes 'dream' Palace win
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said on Wednesday his players will have a sleepless night as they contemplate a dream victory at Crystal Palace.
One of the odder derbies in English football takes place on Thursday, although for many years London club Palace have been the closest team to Brighton at some 40 miles north of the south coast side.
The sides only started to become fierce rivals in the mid 1970s when they climbed from the old Third Division to the First Division under two young managers in former Tottenham team-mates Alan Mullery (Brighton) and Terry Venables (Palace), both ex-England internationals.
They now meet in the Premier League, with ninth-placed Brighton the favourites to beat a Palace side without a victory in their last six matches.
"We have a big motivation to win the game, for the league table, but especially for our fans," De Zerbi told reporters.
"We know the importance of the game, and the level of difficulty of the game.
"It is an honour for the players to play in this type of game, and in this type of atmosphere.
"It is a motivation and a dream to win away, especially in a derby game, and it is a big motivation not to sleep tonight."
The Seagulls, bidding for back-to-back wins against Palace, will be without defender Joel Veltman after the Dutch right-back suffered a knee injury in a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend.
"He (Veltman) has an injury not so big but I think for a couple of months we lost him," added Italian boss De Zerbi.
A.AbuSaada--SF-PST