BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson backs Brighton to avoid defeat at rivals Crystal Palace
Former Republic of Ireland defender Lawrenson played for the Seagulls from 1977 to 1981, before going on to play for Liverpool and he is predicting a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.
Brighton returned to winning ways after a seven-game run without a victory last weekend and looking ahead to tomorrow's match, Lawrenson said: "Crystal Palace have had much better results on the road than they have done at Selhurst Park this season, where they have only won three out of 14 league games.
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Hide Ad"A lot of that is down to their preferred style of play - the Eagles can play on the break when they are away but at home they have got to force the issue more, and the opposition are the ones sitting back.
"This game will be hectic because it is a derby, but it will probably follow that pattern too.
"Brighton picked up their first league win of 2019 when they beat Huddersfield last week and I am pretty sure that, after finally winning, their manager Chris Hughton's main aim will be to avoid defeat.
"The Seagulls are still in relegation trouble but, looking at the table, I think 36 points could be enough for safety.
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Hide Ad"That is two more wins for Brighton, and only one for Palace, but they might have to wait a bit longer to get it.
"Brighton came out on top when these two met in December, despite playing for an hour with 10 men, but I am going for a draw this time."
Lawrenson was making his predictions on the BBC website and was up against chef Tom Kerridge and Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Kerridge is predicting a 2-2 draw, while Akinfenwa is tipping Palace to win 3-1.
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