A place in the FA Cup fifth round awaits the winner of tonight's clash between League Two side Doncaster and Premier League club Crystal Palace.
A famous "cupset" could be on the cards as Grant McCann's high-flying Rovers look to collect a top-flight scalp under the lights tonight. They currently sit inside the automatic promotion places in England's fourth tier and just seven points off the top spot.
A 5-2 defeat away at Chesterfield last Thursday will have dented the momentum slightly, putting to an end a run of four consecutive league wins. They made it this far in the cup by beating League Two strugglers Barrow, fellow promotion hopefuls Port Vale and Championship side Hull City away from home on penalties. They will be confident they can beat Palace.
Oliver Glasner's Palace side have put a terrible run of form behind them and picked things up of late. Also, they are firmly in mid-table with neither European qualification nor relegation a realistic possibility. With that in mind, a long run in the FA Cup could be something worth prioritising.
The visitors have won four of their last six in the Premier League. It's fair to say that 2025 has been far kinder to Palace than the first half of the season was, and on the whole, the team seem to be clicking a lot better these days.
If Palace take this seriously, they have plenty enough quality to sail through to the next round comfortably. They beat League One Stockport in the third round to set up this tie and will be confident of beating fourth-tier opposition tonight. However, if they take Doncaster lightly, a winning team, full of confidence, no matter what division, can cause them problems.
Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace Team News
Doncaster have no real injury or suspension worries to contend with and should be at full strength for this one.
For Palace, Eberechi Eze, Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad are ruled out. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Clyne, Chris Richards and most importantly Eddie Nketiah are also doubtful.
Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace Possible Lineups
Grant McCann has a former Premier League goalscorer among his ranks in former Sheffield United frontman Billy Sharp, and although he may not start all of Doncaster's league games, he will surely be given the top spot for this one. His experience could be valuable in such a huge game for them.
Doncaster Rovers Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sharman-Lowe; Sterry, Olowu, McGrath, Maxwell; Bailey, Crew; Molyneux, Kelly, Street; Sharp
Oliver Glasner has hinted that new arrival Ben Chilwell may get his debut in this fixture. Meanwhile, there shouldn't be too many other changes from Palace's usual first X1, given that this competition is the only one in which they can do anything meaningful this season. Palace fans will certainly hope for a strong lineup.
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Turner; Kporha, Lacroix, Guehi; Muñoz, Wharton, Lerma, Chilwell; Sarr, Kamada; Mateta
Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace Prediction
Palace are missing some key players and even if they put out the strongest side they can, this is a real banana skin. The world saw what happened when Liverpool went to Plymouth at the weekend, and something similar could be on the cards here.
Prediction: Doncaster Rovers 2 - 1 Crystal Palace
The FA Cup is full of magic and very few fixtures this round scream dramatic upset more than this one. What's more, it's on free-to-air TV. This is a must-watch for all fans of English football.
Fans in the UK can watch Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace on TV and via live streaming on the BBC.
