FA Cup: Spurs, Palace battle in London derby

Spurs vs. Crystal Palace
Venue: White Hart Lane
Kick off: 4pm

Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to continue their excellent run of form when they welcome Crystal Palace to White Hart Lane for an all-London affair in the fifth round of the FA Cup today.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are very much in the Premier League title race with 12 games left, while they are also targeting Europa League glory.
Palace, on the other hand, have been dangerously out of form since the start of 2016.
Even the most ardent of Tottenham supporters would not have dreamed that their team would be in the Premier League title race at this stage of the season.
It was supposed to be a campaign where the capital side pushed for the top four, but they are currently level on points (51) with league leaders Leicester City after an excellent run of results.
Indeed, Pochettino’s side will enter today’s FA Cup fixture off the back of two impressive results across two competitions.
They recorded a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the league last weekend to make it five straight victories, before holding Fiorentina to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last-32 clash in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Spurs have not been beaten in any competition since losing 1-0 at home to Leicester on January 13, but there is a slight worry that Pochettino will struggle to balance his squad in the final months of the campaign.
Chasing three trophies is what the club would want, but something might well have to give.
It is widely accepted that Spurs are the fittest team in the division, however, and the numbers back that up.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast, however, and it would not be a surprise to see Pochettino shuffle his pack today.
Changes were made for the Europa League clash at Fiorentina on Thursday, but with the second leg to come next week, balancing what is actually quite a small squad will be the name of the game for the Argentine.
As the end of 2015 approached, Palace were being mentioned as outside challengers for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Alan Pardew’s presence at Selhurst Park and a team that played open and expansive football left the fans dreaming, but the capital side have only won twice since the turn of the year and both of those victories were in the FA Cup.
Palace have had to overcome two Premier League teams to reach round five – first beating Southampton 2-1 away on January 9, before recording a 1-0 win over Stoke City at the end of the month.
England’s oldest cup competition has been kind to Pardew in recent weeks and there is no question that the club will welcome a break from their struggles in the league.
Unlike Spurs, Palace have never won the FA Cup, but they did reach the final in 1990.
A 3-3 draw with Manchester United at Wembley brought a replay and they were beaten 1-0 by the Red Devils five days later.
In truth, this is not a competition that Palace have prioritised over the last few years, such is the financial reward for each position in the league.
“We need to win a game. We don’t want a replay and we’re going there to win,” were the words spoken by Pardew at his press conference ahead of the match.
The same can also be said for Spurs, who could do without a replay due to their own crowded fixture list.
Palace have actually only beaten Spurs once in the last five meetings between the two teams, but they impressed during a 1-0 defeat at White Hart Lane earlier this season and with important players returning, Pardew’s side could be ready to spring a surprise.

Spurs possible starting lineup: Vorm, Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Rose, Dembele, Dier, Chadli, Eriksen, Son, Kane.
Palace possible starting lineup: Speroni, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly, Cabaye, Mutch, Sako, Zaha, Bolasie, Adebayor.