WEST BROMWICH ALBION v CRYSTAL PALACE
FA Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 4th January 2014, 3:00pm
The Hawthorns

MATCH NOTES

The game will be the 48th league and cup meeting between Albion and Crystal Palace. The Baggies currently lead the way in the victory stakes with 21 wins compared to the Eagles' 13.

The two clubs have never met previously in the FA Cup - the only cup ties played being a League Cup clash at Selhurst Park in December 1981 which Albion won 3-1, and a Full Members Cup group match in October 1985 that Albion won 2-1.

Last season Albion were knocked out at the 3rd round stage by Queens Park Rangers whilst Palace also failed to make it past the 3rd round, losing to Stoke City.

Albion's last game on this date came in 2011 when they lost 3-0 away at Fulham in a Premier League clash. The Baggies' last win on January 4 came 10 years ago in 2003 when a Danny Dichio hat-trick helped Albion to a 3-1 win at home to Bradford City in the FA Cup 3rd round.

Crystal Palace's last game to take place on this date came in 2003, the Eagles winning 2-1 win away at Blackpool in the FA Cup 3rd round.

Albion have won just two of the last nine meetings of the two clubs.

Baggies' striker Shane Long has scored five goals in his last seven FA Cup appearances.

Albion's last six games: Newcastle United (H) 1-0; West Ham United (A) 3-3; Tottenham Hotspur (A) 1-1; Hull City (H) 1-1; Cardiff City (A) 0-1; Norwich City (H) 0-2

Crystal Palace's last six games: Norwich City (H) 1-1; Manchester City (A) 0-1; Aston Villa (A) 1-0; Newcastle United (H) 0-3; Chelsea (A) 1-2; Cardiff City (H) 2-0

TEAM NEWS

Albion

Baggies’ right-back Billy Jones is ruled out after suffering a cut eye and slight concussion during the New Year's Day win over Newcastle United.

Victor Anichebe is once again a doubt due to his groin problem but otherwise stand-in boss Keith Downing has a fully fit squad to choose from.

Squad from: Foster, Myhill, Daniels, Jones, Ridgewell, Olsson, McAuley, Lugano, Brunt, Sessegnon, Amalfitano, Mulumbu, Berahino, Yacob, Vydra, Long, Anelka, Morrison, Popov, Dawson, Reid, Sinclair, Gera, Rosenberg.

Crystal Palace

Palace boss Tony Pulis is expected to make a number of changes for Saturday’s clash at The Hawthorns.

Kagisho Dikgacoi (hamstring) looks set to miss out but fellow midfielder Stuart O'Keefe could make a return following his own hamstring injury.

Jack Hunt, Glenn Murray, former Baggie Jerome Thomas, Paddy McCarthy and Adlene Guedioura all remain sidelined through injury whilst former Albion striker Kevin Phillips is expected to miss out with Palace reluctant to allow him to become cup-tied ahead of a potential January move away from Selhurst Park.

Squad from: Speroni, Price, Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Parr, Mariappa, Moxey, Puncheon, Kebe, Jedinak, Bannan, O'Keefe, Williams, Bolasie, Gayle, Chamakh, Jerome, Wilbraham.

QUOTES

Albion caretaker-boss Keith Downing:

“We’d gone long enough without a win and beating Newcastle was a big lift,. There was a big relief after the game and it was down to a big contribution from everybody. We need to now kick on and, after that blip, we need to try and put a run together - and the FA Cup is part of that run.

“I’ve rotated the squad in the last four games. My intention from the moment I took over was to utilise everybody. I think we’ve done that and there will be no exceptions again tomorrow. I’m looking for the best team with the freshest legs and the energy to go again. Five games in 15 days is a big haul in the modern-day game. With the big squad we have it is important to use the players.

“As a traditionalist, I’m big on the FA Cup. You saw Wigan winning it last season. It’s an opportunity for clubs like ourselves to go all the way and achieve something. If you’re player; if you ask Ben Watson I’m sure the pinnacle of his career was to score the winning goal at Wembley, and he’ll say it was the best moment of his life. It’s a special competition and makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I think it means a lot to the players. We haven’t progressed very far in cup competitions in recent times and we want to try and change that record and go as long as we can in the competition. There is still a buzz about it, and we’ll be trying to get through to the next round tomorrow.

“I think Palace have a fairly sizeable squad so I think Tony will be looking to add some freshness to his team. I have total respect for Tony Pulis, and whatever side he puts out will be organised and hard to beat. They certainly are a different Palace side to when they came a few weeks ago. They’ve picked up reasonably good results and went to Man City, showed some real resilience and could have won it or at least a draw.”

Baggies' defender Gareth McAuley:

“The changes Keith had made in the last few games, with four or five changes, shows the strength in depth that we have. The club added players in the summer to make us a better squad and we’re using it at the moment. It would be nice to have a cup run. It takes everyone’s attention away and gives everyone a break from the Premier League. We haven’t really had a proper run since I’ve been here so it would be nice.

“We have to take the good things we’ve been doing in the last couple of weeks with Keith [Downing] and Deano [Kiely] and hopefully build on it with a result on Saturday in the FA Cup. We need to put back-to-back results in the league together to get ourselves moving forwards. We’ve got the cup game first and it would be nice to win that one and then go into Southampton.

"We still back ourselves to do well, we’ve just drawn too many games. We haven’t been getting battered or getting the kind of results that make you feel sorry for yourself. But things have come to a head and we’ve had to come together. Hopefully we can stick together and put some results together.”

www.wba.co.uk

MATCH ODDS

Result

Albion Win: 3/4, Crystal Palace Win: 4/1, Draw: 5/2.

First Goalscorer

Albion: Anelka 9/2, Berahino 5/1, Long 5/1, Sessegnon 6/1, Anichebe 6/1, Vydra 7/1, Sinclair 8/1, Gera 10/1, Morrison 10/1, Brunt 10/1, Amalfitano 14/1, Mulumbu 16/1, McAuley 20/1, Reid 25/1, Yacob 25/1, Dawson 25/1, Lugano 33/1, Olsson 33/1.

Crystal Palace: Gayle 13/2, Chamakh 13/2, Jerome 15/2, Puncheon 9/1, Phillips 10/1, Bolasie 10/1, Bannan 14/1, Kebe 14/1, Thomas 14/1, Jedinak 20/1, Williams 20/1, O'Keefe 20/1, Dikgacoi 20/1, Campana 25/1, Ward 25/1, Boateng 33/1, Delaney 33/1, Gabbidon 33/1, Moxey 33/1, Parr 33/1.

www.williamhill.com

REFEREE

Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

Dowd has officiated two Albion game so far this season - the 3-0 win over Sunderland at The Hawthorns in September and the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United in November.

He refereed three Albion games last season - The 3-0 win against Liverpool at The Hawthorns on the opening day of the campaign, the goalless draw at home to West Ham in December and the 1-0 defeat away at Manchester City in May.

The Staffordshire official last took charge of a Palace game back in October 2012 when the Eagles played out a 2-2 draw with Millwall in a Championship clash at Selhurst Park.

Dowd has issued 79 yellow cards and one red in the 18 games he has officiated so far this season.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are currently on general sale and will remain so up until kick-off. Prices have been reduced for the game to £15 adults, £10 seniors/students/under 21s and £5 juniors.

WEATHER FORECAST

Cloudy with light rain, 5°C.

FIXTURE HISTORY