Tottenham Hotspur will be aiming to prevent their season from unravelling when they head to Crystal Palace in round four of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
The Lilywhites were knocked out of the EFL Cup in midweek and have stuttered in the Premier League over the past month, increasing the pressure to pick up a positive result in South London this weekend.
Crystal Palace
© ReutersPalace gave Liverpool a real run for their money in last week's thriller at Anfield, falling to a 4-3 defeat after taking the lead and then pegging their opponents back at 2-2.
Having also stunned Manchester City with a 3-2 triumph at the Etihad Stadium last month, it is fair to say that Roy Hodgson's men have kept their best performances for the games against the division's big boys.
Either side of those two matches, Palace suffered a narrow defeat to Chelsea and lost at home to Watford, while also drawing with Cardiff City and beating Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A mixed bag of results over the last six weeks leaves the Eagles 14th in the Premier League, three points above the relegation zone and with plenty of work to do if they are to remain above the dotted line.
With their EFL Cup campaign ending in a disappointing manner at second-tier side Middlesbrough in October, Palace have just one more opportunity to keep their season fully alive.
Hodgson's charges scraped past Grimsby with a 1-0 win in the third round of the FA Cup, getting the job done late on through a rare Jordan Ayew goal, and now they are seeking a first victory in this competition against a fellow top-flight club in four attempts.
Since eliminating four Premier League sides en route to the final in 2016, where they were beaten by Manchester United, Palace have lost to Man City in the fourth round and Brighton in round three 12 months ago.
Hodgson admitted at his pre-match press conference that Premier League survival once again takes priority for the Eagles this term, but a repeat result of the 2016 fifth-round tie between these sides - Palace winning 1-0 - and the veteran manager may reconsider those thoughts.
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWLL
Tottenham Hotspur
© ReutersTottenham were a little unfortunate in being knocked out of the EFL Cup on Thursday night, coming out second best on penalties following an enthralling 90 minutes which saw the sides locked at 2-2 on aggregate.
The Lilywhites' lack of squad depth, as many predicted before a ball was kicked this season, is now starting to tell, with the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min all currently absent.
Prior to Thursday's loss at Stamford Bridge, though, Mauricio Pochettino could point to the fact that his side were still battling for silverware on four fronts this season, having also made it into the last 16 of the Champions League.
Next month's double-header against Borussia Dortmund comes with plenty of hype, but before then Tottenham must overcome Palace to remain on course for domestic honours, with third place surely their best hope in the Premier League.
The Lilywhites' wait for a major trophy may have stretched past the decade mark, as their rivals are always more than happy to point out, but they do tend to make it to the latter stages of competitions.
Victory at Selhurst Park on Sunday will make it four seasons in a row that they have made it to the last 16 of the FA Cup, which they last achieved between 1978-79 and 1982-83.
Not since 1991 have they gone all the way and lifted the famous cup, however, and 25 of their 27 defeats since then have come against top-flight opposition. The exceptions in that run are Leicester City in 2006 and Leeds United in 2013, both of whom were in the Championship at the time.
Winning silverware may not define Pochettino's time in North London, but there is no doubt that, if this is to be his final campaign at the helm, the Argentinian will want to leave his mark on the club in a big way. Right now, it seems that progression in the FA Cup is the only way to achieve that.
Recent form (all competitions): WWWLWL
Team News
© ReutersDele and Kane remain on the sidelines with a hamstring and ankle injury respectively, while Son is still away on Asian Cup duty with South Korea.
To make matters worse for Pochettino, Ben Davies, Moussa Sissoko and Danny Rose all sustained knocks in midweek and will surely be left out for this latest London derby.
Eric Dier returned to action against Chelsea, as did Lucas Moura from the bench, but Tottenham's options are somewhat limited. That is particularly true up top, where Fernando Llorente is expected to start for a third match running.
Palace will be without Pape Souare on Sunday, as well as goalkeepers Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita. Hodgson must therefore decide whether to stick with Julian Speroni following his horror display at Anfield, or hand an immediate debut to Lucas Perri.
Hodgson is expected to rotate his squad ahead of the midweek trip to fellow Premier League strugglers Southampton, possibly meaning a recall at centre-back for Martin Kelly, who also started in the last round.
Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend are both available, though it remains to be seen just how strong a starting lineup Hodgson intends to field.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Perri; Ward, Kelly, Dann, Schlupp; Milivojevic, Kouyate, Meyer; Townsend, Benteke, Zaha
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Dier, Eriksen; Lucas, Llorente, Lamela
Head To Head
Kelly scored the only goal of the game to send Palace through when these sides last met in the FA Cup at White Hart Lane three years ago.
The last six matches between these two sides have all ended 1-0, in fact, with Spurs winning the other five by that scoreline.
Tottenham's most recent narrow victory in this fixture came in the Premier League in November through a Juan Foyth goal.
We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham
Tottenham will be desperate to avoid exiting a second cup competition in the space of three days, but this is not an easy task. Palace defeated champions Man City last month and have also pushed Chelsea and Liverpool all the way in recent weeks, so Spurs - resounding 7-0 winners at Tranmere Rovers in the last round - will have to be on top of their game if they are to seal progression.
