The Opposition: Crystal Palace

Grimsby Town aim to reach the Emirates FA Cup fourth round for the first time in 19 years as they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday (5.30pm).

Town beat MK Dons (3-1) and Chesterfield (2-0) in the first and second rounds, respectively, with Charles Vernam scoring in both games.

And now Michael Jolley will be looking to become the first manager since Alan Buckley, in the 1999-2000 season, to take Town to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

But Premier League side Crystal Palace – who picked up a 2-0 away win over Wolves on Wednesday – stand in the Mariners’ way.

Palace have reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in four of the last five seasons – including a runners-up finish in 2015-16 – with rivals Brighton and Hove Albion knocking them out in the third round of the competition in 2017-18.

Last five results in all competitions

Crystal Palace: W, W, D, L, W

Grimsby Town: W, W, W, W, L

One to watch: Wilfried Zaha

The Eagles, who finished 11th-place in the Premier League last season, have a raft of talent in their ranks, including Andros Townsend, Luka Milivojević, Jordan Ayew, and many more.

But Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha arguably represents the Eagles’ biggest threat, if selected, to Town this weekend.

The winger has scored 24 goals in 131 Premier League games for the Eagles, since returning on a permanent deal from Manchester United in 2015.

But the 26-year-old is currently without a goal since September – when he scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town – and he will be looking to return to form going into the second half of the season.

Last starting XI

The Eagles went with a 4-3-3 formation as they beat Wolves 2-0 at Molineux last time out to move up to 14th-place in the Premier League.

Vicente Guaita started in goal, with a back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, James Tomkins, Mamadou Sakho, and Patrick van Aanholt.

Cheikhou Kouyaté, Luka Milivojević, and James McArthur made up the midfield three, with Andros Townsend, Wilfried Zaha, and Jordan Ayew up front.

The Mariners will be backed by over 5,500 Town fans in the Arthur Wait Stand at Selhurst Park on Saturday!

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