Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson says tonight's clash with Brighton is "significant".

Hodgson stressed that the hosts will provide a tough game for the Eagles.

He said, "We are excited, we're excited for every game. You should be in the Premier League. But this one is special, significant, particularly for our fans, especially those who've supported us for many years. They know the importance of a good result against our near rivals. But there's only one way we can satisfy them and ourselves and that's playing the right way.

"We'll do the very best we can do to get the points. The team have been playing well for a long time. We have a lot of talented players at our club and are capable of playing good football."

Turning his attention to Tuesday's opposition, Hodgson insisted that his side are set to face a challenging match against a strong Brighton side.

"They've done exceptionally well and they're having a good season again," he remarked. "They're a very solid team [and are] very, very hard to beat. They've picked up the points I'm sure Chris [Hughton] has been looking for.

"Our task as it is in many Premier League games is a tough one in our opinion because we're playing a good team away from home. We can give them as many problems as we can and hopefully give them a good game."