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Why Crystal Palace centre-backs James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho must keep Glenn Murray in check

Crystal Palace face off against Brighton in a high-stakes derby tonight, with both sides coming off crucial victories on the weekend.

In order for the Eagles to triumph against Brighton, the centre-back pairing of James Tomkins and Mamdou Sakho must be wary of former Palace striker Glenn Murray.

The Englishman enjoyed a prolific spell at Selhurst Park before departing in 2015, and the 35-year-old is currently in the midst of one of his career’s finest seasons.

Murray has bagged an impressive seven goals in 14 Premier League appearances to date, the third-best return in the league.

(Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)

When the two rivals face off at the AmEx, Crystal Palace’s defence needs to keep the high-scoring Murray in check. Luckily for Palace, Tomkins and Sakho constitute a formidable partnership at the back, with the pair’s physicality perfectly primed to counteract Murray.

In addition, the Eagles’ back four will bring plenty of confidence into the match, having kept two clean sheets on the bounce against Manchester United and Burnley.

And if Roy Hodgson’s men hope to increase that tally to three in a row, then James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho must neutralise the attacking threat posed by former Palace forward Glenn Murray.