Preview: Albion take on Palace in the WSL

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

A look ahead to today's game at the Broadfield Stadium.

Bruce Talbot

2025-02-02T06:00+00:00

Albion will be looking to maintain their unbeaten home record in the WSL this season against Crystal Palace.

Albion return to WSL action today when we take on Crystal Palace at the Broadfield Stadium, kick off 2pm.

Tickets for the game are still available and can be purchased here.

Dario Vidosic’s pre-match thoughts

On squad depth… “We’ve had a pretty good window bringing in Nadine [Noordam] and Caitlin [Hayes] who will give us more options for the second half of the season and beyond. Fran Kirby is close to returning and we now have Deckie [Dejana Stefanovic] and Charlie [Rule] back as well. It was important for players who needed it to get minutes on Wednesday and we’re raring to go for this game.”

Returning to winning ways… “It was important to beat Durham, get a few goals and enjoy spells in the game on Wednesday when we moved the ball around well. It gives us something to build on.”

Palace test… “I think they have been a bit unlucky in quite a few of their games this season. Even if you look at last Sunday against Spurs, they conceded the winner in the last minute. Like all the teams they have got threats and I don’t look at the ladder and where teams are. "

Welcome back

A familiar face in the Palace side is former Albion defender Fliss Gibbons. She made 84 appearances and scored four goals in four seasons at the club before heading to Palace in 2022. The 30-year-old claimed eight assists last season when Palace won promotion from the Championship.

Bruna Vilamala is closed down by former Albion defender Fliss Gibbons when Albion won 1-0 earlier in the season. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Match programme

Download our free match programme here including Dario Vidosic's exclusive column and features with new signing Nadine Noordam and Kiko Seike.

Stats and facts

Albion have won each of their last three WSL games against newly promoted opposition, while their last five such matches have seen 25 total goals (15 for, 1 O against).

Palace have lost each of their last three meetings with Brighton in all competitions, with this the Eagles' first time visiting the Seagulls since December 2018, a 5-1 defeat in the League Cup.

Albion are unbeaten in their six WSL home games this season (W4 D2), with only Chelsea (P9 W9) on a longer streak without defeat on home turf in the competition.

Palace have lost each of their last five WSL games, the longest losing run by a team in the top-flight this season. That Is despite scoring twice in three of those losses, with the Eagles the team to suffer the most defeats when scoring multiple goals this term (3).

Palace are the tenth team to record five of fewer points from their opening 12 games of a Women's Super League campaign with seven of the previous nine going on to be relegated, including newly promoted Bristol City last season (also 5 points).

Should they win this weekend, Albion (P12 - W5 D2 L5 - 17 pts) will surpass their total points tally and total number of wins from the whole of the 2023-24 WSL campaign (P22 W5 D4 L 13 - 19 pts).

Only Leicester City (5) have conceded more headed goals in the 2024-25 Women's Super League than Crystal Palace (4), while only Spurs (8) have conceded more goals via crosses than the Eagles (6).

Albion defenders Guro Bergsvand and Jorelyn Carabali have played more passes to each other than any other set of outfield teammates in the WSL this season (319).

On Matchday 12 against Spurs, Crystal Palace's Katie Stengel became the oldest player to both score and assist in a WSL game for a newly promoted club (32 years, 332 days) - the American has now been involved in joint-most goals while playing for a promoted team in WSL history (13 - 11 goals, 2 assists) along with Beth Mead (12 goals, 1 assist).

Match officials