Davy Propper hasn’t lost any of his five previous games against Crystal Palace and it’s a record he is desperate to maintain on what could be landmark afternoon for the Albion midfielder.
If selected, the 28-year-old will make his 100th appearance in today's Premier League derby at the Amex, where Albion will be looking to win their first game of 2020.
He said, “I haven’t lost in the five games against them. It’s a great record and I hope to keep it that way. We know it’s important we get our next three points soon. Some of our draws we see as a good point and others we felt we deserved a bit more.
“We’ll keep going and we do feel that first win is coming. If we play as well as we did in the first game [1-1 draw in December] I’m sure we can win. Sometimes they don’t like to have the ball, to wait and then use their good forward players on the counter-attack so we know it’s going to be a difficult game.”
MA+ members & STH only - Log-in required
Log-in required
Propper is aware of Palace’s threats. He is a big fan of midfielder Luka Milivojevic and has played with and against Patrick van Aanholt, who scored the only goal in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
“Milivojevic is good on the ball, he can transfer the ball from left to right and when we’re have possession, he can disrupt your flow,” said Propper. “Patrick is a friend of mine and I told him if he can score free kicks like his one against Newcastle anyone can score a goal! I wish him all the best, but obviously not this weekend.
“He played in PSV Eindhoven’s youth when I was with Vitesse and also came to Vitesse on loan. He is a year older than me so we didn’t always play against each other but we got back quite a long way.”
Propper made his Albion debut in the club’s first Premier League game against Manchester City in August 2017 and has relished his time in what he regards as the ‘best league in the world.’ Earlier this season he signed an extended contract which will keep him at the club until 2023, while only Maty Ryan and Lewis Dunk have played more Premier League minutes than the Holland international this season. Graham Potter describes him as 'a fantastic professional.'
Propper said, “It has been a nice three years, but it has gone really quickly. I remember my debut against Manchester City. I’d never left Holland before so that was a big decision but it’s why I came here to help Brighton be a settled club in the Premier League and to play against the big clubs in the best league in the world.
“It is way quicker than I was used to in Holland and a lot more physical, it is really tough to win games but it is also enjoyable. Every game is different.
"One of the highlights has been making sure we stayed in the league for two years. We did it earlier the first time than last season and now we have to do it again. We’ve dominated a lot of games and ended up with a point or none at all which is a little bit frustrating.
“We hoped to stay far away from where we are now in the table but everyone at the club likes the way we play now. Our style is a lot different compared to the first two years. We try to take control of the ball and that suits me and hopefully brings out my qualities. What we must do is still have to have the belief to keeping playing our way and getting the results we need.”
A victory over Palace would be the perfect way for Propper to celebrate his century. "We know it’s a big game,” he added. “You can feel it in the dressing room and in the city but in three years we’ve had some satisfying results against them, and we need another on Saturday.”