Tottenham take on Crystal Palace in an all Premier League clash in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Tottenham have been in incredible form having won seven games in a row and will be looking to do one over another Premier League side as Mauricio Pochettino tries to bring some silverware to the London side.
Crystal Palace though have been one of the most erratic teams in the league and can come up trumps against any side in the competition or can capitulate rather easily as well. There is one ace that Alan Pardew can call upon and that is Spurs old boy Emmanuel Adebayor who joined the Eagles in the winter transfer window to bolster their attacking options.
Team news:
Tottenham do have a few problems with Hugo Lloris and Tom Carroll big doubts for the game against Palace. Lloris who has been ever present in the side should be substituted with Michel Vorm while Jan Vertonghen will be a huge miss for a side that is trying to achieve a league title for the first time since 1960-61.
Palace do have a few players out as well which could affect their chances of winning the tie. Jason Puncheon, Joe Ledley, Yanick Bolasie and Dwight Gayle are more or less guaranteed to miss out on the tie while James McArthur is another long term player who is out of the game at White Hart Lane.
Probable starting lineups:
Tottenham starting XI: Michel Vorm, Kyle Walker, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela, Mousa Dembele, Nacer Chadli, Harry Kane
Crystal Palace starting XI: Wayne Hennessey, Joel Ward, Scott Dann, Damien Delaney, Martin Kelly, Yohan Cabaye, Mile Jedinak, Jordon Mutch, Wilfried Zaha, Connor Wickham, Emmanuel Adebayor
Stats:
- The last three meetings between the sides has seen Tottenham win twice and Palace winning the other fixture
- Tottenham have scored seven goals in the last two FA Cup ties between the two sides
- Tottenham have won 20 times against Palace with 13 draws and eight Palace wins
Form guide: Last five games (Right most game being the last one played)
Tottenham: WWWWW
Crystal Palace: LLWLD
Prediction:
Tottenham should start as clear favourites in this game; they have the form going into the game and certainly will have the bit between their teeth to avoid another replay if Crystal Palace hold on.
Palace though will know that Tottenham will have travelled from Italy and will have tired legs. They will probably try to hit Tottenham on the break but Spurs should just about have enough to win the game and move into the next round.
