Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt Brennan Johnson to be carded at 13/2 (bet365)
0.5pt Johnson and Pascal Gross card double at 28/1 (bet365)
The big rivalry takes centre-stage on Sunday afternoon as Brighton host Crystal Palace.
I honestly had no idea why this is a rivalry, a quick scroll on the internet was inconclusive. Apparently it stems from the 1970s and that hatred passed down from generation to generation. Hatred that still burns as passionately as ever, both sets fans will assure of that.
For those interested in all the gory details, Brighton’s Alan Mullery explains his version of the origins in the video below.
The rivalry creates exciting opportunities from a betting point of view. In typical fashion for such games, form goes out of the window - cliché but true - not a lot separates the sides and cards are plentiful.
Across the last 106 years, Palace have won 40 games, lost 42 and drawn the rest.
Across the last 14 head-to-heads, a goal or less has separated the sides on 12 occasions.
The last time the clubs squared off there were five cards, the time before there were 10 and there has been an average of over five across the last six meetings; no prizes for guessing where I'm heading.
Thomas Bramall is the referee for this one, a doozy of an appointment on recent form.
He’s averaged under four cards a game in the top flight this season - which is below average - but he’s gone a bit card-happy lately.
Bramall dished out six cards in his last Premier League appearance, six in an all top-flight affair in the FA Cup and seven cards in the league game prior.
This alongside the rivalry is all the convincing I need to delve into the player card market where BRENNAN JOHNSON is worth a punt TO BE CARDED.
Johnson has notched up two in five league appearances at Palace, was sent off in the Champions League for Tottenham and picked up two cards in 606 minutes of league action before making the switch across London.
In the top flight, he’s got a cards per 90 of 0.35 this season. Across his entire career, that average drops to 0.17 but even based on the latter, I was expecting a point shorter on Sunday afternoon.
Greedy as ever, I couldn’t resist a CARD DOUBLE.
PASCAL GROSS (4/1) looks the most likely for Brighton. He has picked up two cards in four starts since returning to the Seagulls and picked up six in each of his last two campaigns on the south coast.
The double pays out at 28/1 with bet365.
Odds correct at 14:30 GMT (6/2/26)
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