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Struijk Red Card Overturned: Will He Start Over Dunk?
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- Struijk Red Card Overturned: Will He Start Over Dunk?
(IMAGO / Sportimage)
Brighton and Hove Albion defender Pascal Struijk has had his red card decision against Sunderland rescinded following a successful appeal for 'wrongful dismissal'.
This means that the new £18 million defender will be available for selection against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
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During the moment of the game, it felt like the decision was somewhat fair, considering Struijk appeared to be the last man between the forward and the goalkeeper.
Regardless, many fans believed that the ball wouldn't have reached the feet of Wilson Isidor and was likely to be Bart Verbruggen's to claim.
Struijk, aside from the sending-off, had a good game against the Black Cats. Defending well, took up good positions and offered a composed performance in a defensive-minded set-up.
Fabian Hürzeler's style has proved adaptive this season, capable of executing polar-opposite game plans at a high level, and Struijk has been a key part of that in Lewis Dunk's absence.
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Who should start... Dunk or Struijk?
Perhaps the biggest question to come from this situation is whether Struijk even keeps his place over the club captain, who is back to his playing best after some time out with injury.
Dunk replaced Struijk in the Northeast last weekend and continued the impressive defensive performance. There is a common bias among Brighton fans to feel more comfortable when the skipper is on the pitch, compared to when he isn't.
Struijk is left-footed, which opens up the chance for different angles for passes and ball-playing opportunities, while Dunk tends to be better on his right. With that said, Dunk has often played on the left side of defence and copes very well.
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Dunk will also be favoured when considering the game is against Crystal Palace . A rival game, and one that he is heavily disliked in. From the chants and boos, there is very little that Dunk wouldn't have heard in a game of that magnitude.
Regardless of the outside perception of the Albion vs Palace rivalry, Dunk will always get just how much it means.
Meanwhile, Struijk could remain the starting option for Albion's home game against Zalgiris. A rotation between both would leave Hürzeler's side fresh for the weekend and emphasise just how strong the squad depth is in multiple positions now.
For me, it should be a start for Dunk against Palace and a rotation tomorrow night. Struijk is a fine player and has the potential to be a good option for the Seagulls in the long run, but not including Dunk against Palace feels immoral at this stage!
