When Fabian Hürzeler called Oliver Glasner a few days after his appointment by Brighton last June, he found the Crystal Palace manager was only too happy to offer a few pointers about life in the Premier League. “He is very helpful and open-minded,” Hürzeler later said. “He is a role model, I think, in how he acts and how humble and grounded he is.”
Although Glasner and Hürzeler were managers in Germany at the same time at Eintracht Frankfurt and St Pauli respectively, they worked in different divisions and had not come face to face until Ismaïla Sarr scored twice in a 3-1 Palace victory at the Amex in December. The Austrian had warned his Brighton counterpart in one of their frequent chats that their friendship would be put aside for the afternoon as arch-rival clubs met in the fixture some outsiders have taken to referring to as the “A23 derby”.
It is doubtful Glasner and Hürzeler have discussed the hazy history of a rivalry that can be traced back to the 1970s and a spat between their predecessors Terry Venables and Alan Mullery. But as they prepare for the latest showdown at Palace on Saturday, both will be fully aware of its significance for the supporters.
Such have been the fine margins between the clubs that this fixture at Selhurst Park has ended 1-1 for the past five seasons, Palace not having tasted victory in front of their fans since April 2018. Yet Glasner’s side go into the game as marginal favourites to complete the double over Brighton for the first time since they were both in Division Three South in 1933 given their superb recent form, even if a run of five straight wins in all competitions was ended by Wednesday’s draw with Southampton that the manager attributed to his players being “mentally tired” after recent exertions.
Victory at St Mary’s would have taken Palace to within five points of Brighton with a game in hand, after they failed to win any of their opening eight Premier League fixtures. They have an FA Cup semi-final to come against Aston Villa, and Glasner will know that a league finale to match last season’s six victories in their final seven matches could catapult Palace into European contention for the first time (other than in the Intertoto Cup after relegation in 1998) via their finishing position.
Ending above Brighton for a second successive season may be a more realistic ambition, having failed to do so on two occasions since their rivals were promoted in 2017.
Graham Potter guided Brighton to ninth in 2022 before Roberto De Zerbi’s historic sixth-placed finish 12 months later meant the club qualified for Europe for the first time. Palace have never ended higher than 10th since promotion in 2013 but look capable of pushing further up the table. Not since a decade ago when Alan Pardew racked up eight wins in his first 12 matches after joining from Newcastle have they been so handily placed at this stage of the season.
Last week’s surprise departure of Dougie Freedman as sporting director could throw a major spanner in the works in the coming months, however. Glasner revealed this week that the highly regarded former Scotland forward, who is joining Al-Diriyah, a Saudi Arabian club recently promoted to the second tier and owned by the Public Investment Fund, had “a feeling” it was time to leave after eight years in his role.
Freedman played an integral part in assembling the current squad, helping to sign Marc Guéhi, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton among others, and is understood to have passed on a list of potential summer targets before stepping down. So it was fitting that Matheus França, who he heavily scouted before signing him from the Brazilian club Flamengo in August 2023 for €20m (£17m), scored his first Palace goal to equalise against Southampton after struggling with injuries. The chair, Steve Parish, must find a replacement as he tries to persuade Glasner to sign an extension to a deal that ends next season but contains a 12-month option. Parish opened negotiations with Glasner last month amid interest from RB Leipzig.
Hürzeler will have two years on his contract at the end of the season and looks certain to be at Brighton in August whatever the outcome of this campaign, such is the impression the 32-year-old has made on the hierarchy and beyond. Brighton were denied the opportunity to join Palace at Wembley by their FA Cup penalty shootout defeat by Nottingham Forest before being outclassed by Aston Villa in a disappointing performance that was greeted by boos from some home supporters. Beating Palace would be the perfect riposte and boost their chances of qualifying for Europe again; only four points separate them and fifth-placed Manchester City.
As has come to be expected at Brighton, planning is well advanced for next season under another Scotsman, the sporting director and former Everton defender David Weir. They confirmed the arrival of the England Under-18 winger Tommy Watson from Sunderland for £10m this week and it is understood they also have a sell-on clause for Viktor Gyökeres, the Sweden striker who was sold to Coventry in 2021 and plays for Sporting in Portugal. He has been linked with a big-money summer move to Arsenal or Manchester United.
More immediately, Hürzeler must find a solution to the absence of Brighton’s record signing, Georginio Rutter, for the rest of the campaign with an ankle injury sustained against Forest as Brighton try to spoil Palace’s progression and get their season back on track.
