please log in to view this image Sunday 27th January 4pm FA Cup 4th Round Selhurst Park One domestic cup hope has disappeared, so now the other comes into sharp focus. We've been drawn against another relatively local Premier League club, so it'll be another tough one. The last five meetings between the clubs have resulted in 1-0 victories for us and they've all been tight matches. Will we still have another to inch over the line with our absences or will Palace take advantage? Roy Hodgson has continued from where he left off with the Eagles this season. They've generally been winning or losing close, hard fought matches and not drawing many. There's been a few highlights, most notably their win at The Etihad, but they're still fighting relegation. This match could either be a welcome distraction from that or one more game that they don't need. The manager's starting selection will give us a good insight into their thinking. We last met in this tournament in the 15/16 season and it was another 1-0 result, though this time to Palace: Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Trippier, Eriksen, Winks, Rose; Lamela, Alli; Llorente. Subs: Gazzaniga, Foyth, Davies, Dier, Skipp, N'Koudou, Sterling. League form: WWLWLW. Palace: Speroni; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt; Townsend, McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Zaha; Ayew. Subs: Tupper, Kelly, Dann, Schlupp, Meyer, Benteke, Wickham. League form: WDLWLL. Referee: Kevin Friend. TV: BT Sport 2. How would you line up for this one, given our absences and poor first half performance against Chelsea? Should Llorente get another chance up front and should we play three or four at the back? Is there anything unusual that you'd like to see us try and how strong should our selection be?
If we play the formation we played in the first half of the Chelsea game then I'd like to see us try Kazaiah Sterling, because we need someone mobile with the ability to pull into wide areas for that formation, something Llorente cannot do. If we play 3 at the back like in the second half vs Chelsea then Llorente to start as we'll get the ball into the box more. Either way, thankfully we have Son back for Watford! This one makes me a bit nervous. Hopefully Palace decide that the league is worth more of their time but I can see them turning up in a big way.
As I said in the Chelsea thread I expect everyone required for Watford on Wednesday will be rested tomorrow. Gazza, Trippier, Foyth, Sanchez, KWP, Wanyama, Skipp, Marsh, N'Koudou, Sterling and Llorente
Lorente wil have gained some much needed confidence from his goal at Stamford Bridge. I think it's important to play him because we still need an out and out striker. It's so difficult to come into a settled team and make a mark, training is no substitute for real game time. It is of course difficult for any striker when you have Harry Kane in the team. A little patience, which seems to be in short supply in the modern world, could see Lorente flourish as he has done in the past. He certainly won't improve sitting on the bench.
We’re up **** creek. I want to win a trophy, yet top four is what the club needs. I don’t think we can afford to play our first XI (or what’s left of it!), we’re seemingly picking up 1-2 injuries a game at the moment where so many are being ran into the ground. I really wouldn’t be surprised if our XI looked something like: Gazza Aurier, Dave, Foyth, KWP Marsh, Wanyama, Skipp Nkoudou, Llorente, Sterling
It's a shame some Spurs fans do not listen to their manager. We even have some saying we should replace him. I shouldn't be surprised by such short sighted nonsense as I have been around a long time, but I still am.
If only time travel existed, then we could send the lunatic fringe back to the Sugar Era where there would be plenty for them to complain about...
Many fans have actually been saying this, been mentioned a fair bit on here too. Stadium move seemingly disrupted a good rhythm we had got going. Finished 2nd and unbeaten at WHL in 16/17, then in 17/18 it took us a solid month or so to get used to Wembley which you could argue inevitably cost us towards the end of that season: dropped seven points in the first three games (loss to Chelsea, draws to Burnley and Swansea), we’d have finished on 84 points had we won those, above Utd who finished second on 81. Whilst City finished with 100 points, you’d like to think we probably could’ve significantly strengthened a bit if we weren’t worrying about finances for the new stadium, and even if we couldn’t have caught City in the league, a bit of strengthening could’ve possibly seen us go further than the FA Semi final/ seen us past Juve in the CL... always going to remain a “what if” though sadly.
I`ve got a bad feeling about this one, Palace are due a victory against us and if they go full strength I can see us going out of the Cup.
THEY would be insane to send out a weakened team...we have so many that are; A) out injured B) walking wounded C) need to be rested for Wednesday as the top 4 is the priority. and D) just returning from from being in points A) and/or B) and needed for C). I expected a loss on Thursday and was pleasantly surprised by our resistence even though I was gutted at going out. I kind of feel the same about tomorrow. No Kane, Son, Davies and Dele. Eriksen, Trippier and Lamela struggling for form. Wanyama, Sissoko and Dier not match fit. Anything other than a loss would be a good result for us tbh and a very bad one for palace.
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson: "It's nothing like the glittering prize it was in my youth because we have the Champions League and Europa League now. Not many have the ambition to win the FA Cup. "The FA Cup is still being won by the top teams, and our position in the table [14th] isn't as good as we'd like it to be. "What is my ambition? To advance in the FA Cup and get to the semis or the final, or stay in the Premier League? My ambition is to stay in the Premier League."
