Crystal Palace

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After being on the wrong end of the biggest FA Cup shock in history last weekend, followed by news on Friday that their manager and captain are both set to exit the club, Crystal Palace's next assignment is Sunderland - with their formidable home record - in the Premier League.

The Eagles were well below their best at the Moss Rose as they succumbed to sixth-tier opponents Macclesfield in embarrassing style, and a trip to the Stadium of Light is a tough follow-up.

Sunderland closing on home record

Sunderland have not lost in front their own fans since their return to the top flight and beat Everton in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup last weekend.

With survival already surely secured, Sunderland can shift their focus towards grander ambitions this term. If they are to finish in the top half - perhaps even seize a European place - then their home form will be key.

Head coach Regis le Bris has steered his team to 10 games without defeat on home soil in the Premier League this season. They can equal Ipswich Town's record run for a promoted side if they can extend that streak on Saturday.

Sunderland have not won in their past five Premier League games but a drop-off was to be expected. The Black Cats had six players at the Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team in the league. They go into the weekend in 10th spot, albeit within three points of Brentford in fifth.

Troubles piling up at Palace

It has been a rough few weeks for Palace and the issues appear to be piling up.

Palace are without a win in nine games and the squad appears to be creaking under the weight of their European commitments. The Eagles have more injuries than any team in the top flight, with up to 10 players out; they have also made just 22 changes to their starting XI this season, nine fewer than any other team.

Cracks are appearing at both ends of the pitch too. They have been remarkably vulnerable from set-pieces, with nine of their past 11 goals conceded in all competitions coming from dead-ball situations.

Up top, manager Oliver Glasner will hope to see some key men rediscover their scoring touch with Ismaila Sarr still at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Yeremy Pino found the net at Macclesfield with a superb free-kick and all four of his goals for the club have come away from Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta will be back in the squad after he was rested for Macclesfield. The Frenchman has eight goals this season but just one in his past 10 games.

Mateta has also been profligate with his opportunities, with Bournemouth's David Brooks the only player to underperform their Premier League xG more.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A deal between the clubs was reached on Thursday night with Oliver Glasner updated on developments.

Glasner and Marc Guehi spoke at the club's training centre on Friday morning when the player's intention to join Manchester City was confirmed.

And in a dramatic morning at Palace's HQ, Glasner also confirmed to the squad in a private meeting just before noon his decision to step down as head coach at the end of the season.

BBC Sport understands work on identifying Glasner's replacement is already under way.

Glasner was keen for Guehi to stay until the end of the season but he has been powerless to prevent Palace from striking a deal with City for the England star.

While Glasner had decided a number of months ago that he would be leaving, the Guehi deal is thought to be the catalyst to him deciding to make his announcement on Friday.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner sat down with Kelly Somers for the Football Interview, just over a week before announcing he is going to leave at the end of the season.

In a wide-ranging interview about his life, did he drop a hint about his future plans?

Watch the full interview on BBC iPlayer

Read more about Glasner's background and career in football

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views after Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner announced he will be leaving at the end of the season and captain Marc Guehi is to join Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Gavin: Absolute shambles. This has been on the cards since before Christmas and the tension has been clear for everyone to see. I think that Steve Parish has failed the club and the fans. We had such a fantastic platform for greater success and Parish has totally demolished the platform. The buck stops with him.

Chris: Well, looks like the fun is over. The board obviously has no appetite to move forward. We had potentially the best new manager in the league and a future England captain. So I guess that's back to fighting for just below mid-table and not getting dragged into a relegation battle. What a disappointing end to our best ever time.

Kevin: Marc Guehi was expected and good luck to him because he deserves it. As for Glasner, I blame the board for not backing him last season. It will be a massive loss.

Malc: Not surprised one bit and I've been a Palace fan for 76 years. All the big clubs come for our players. Who is next? Daniel Munoz, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell? Has Parish been in touch with Gareth Southgate? He's had since October!

Pedro: A couple of our wheels had already fallen off. Now, we've lost two more. After Macclesfield this a kick in the guts, albeit expected and inevitable. We need to stabilise and show some fighting spirit by winning at Sunderland!

Greb: End of an era I guess. I was in denial, but I have worried that Glasner indicating he was out was the cause as our form dipped so drastically since October. Poor individual performances across the board, demonstrated emphatically with the complete lack of leadership shown in our FA Cup exit. Time for a return to the basics but the memories will last a lifetime, so have to be thankful!

Kevin: As a Palace fan for 62 years I would like to say, good luck Guehi and all the best for the future! As for Glasner, Palace should get rid of him now. The team aren't performing and he appears to have lost the players. He has tried to make himself bigger than the club by making this announcement by himself when surely it should of been a joint statement?

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Stadium of Light (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Glasner confirmed he will be leaving Palace when his contract expires in the summer because he "wants a new challenge".

• He said he "had a meeting with Steve [Parish] in the October international break" and "told him I would not sign a new contract".

• He confirmed the team were told on Friday as it is "important to have clarity" and that he has spoken to no other club.

• Away from his own future, Glasner said Marc Guehi's move to Manchester City "is in the final stages" so he will not be in Saturday's matchday squad.

• On losing his captain, Glasner said: "Everyone wanted Marc to stay forever. Marc showed it in the summer transfer window and showed in the whole autumn that he was 100% committed to the team and to Crystal Palace. I wish him all the best for the rest of his career. He is still at the beginning of his great career. He is a fantastic guy."

• He said "it is up to us to show we can cope with this situation, again," like how they did after selling Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze in previous transfer windows.

• On Palace's future: "Great people are working for this club. From my experience, everyone wants the best for Palace. Everyone is aligned and giving their best. I know that this club is in great hands."

• Full-back Danny Imray, who was been recalled from his loan spell at Blackpool, will be in the squad to face Sunderland.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace look set to lose both their captain and manager.

A deal has been in agreed in principle for England defender Marc Guehi to join Manchester City, while boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed in his press conference that he intends to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The 51-year-old said: "My decision has already been taken, months ago. I had a meeting with Steve [Parish] in October [in] the international break.

"We had a very long talk and I told him I will not sign a new contract for Crystal Palace.

"We agreed at the time it was best to keep it between us. It's best that we could do that and keep it confidential for three months. I told the team today the same, because I think now it's important to have clarity.

"We had a very busy schedule and thought about it and that's why we didn't want to talk about it. Steve and I want the best for Crystal Palace."

How do you feel about the news? With both captain and manager set to exit over the coming weeks and months, where does this leave Palace now?

Get in touch with your views

Juventus have made an inquiry about signing France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 28, from Crystal Palace this month as they seek a long-term replacement for Serbia attacker Dusan Vlahovic, 25. (Sky Sports), external

Crystal Palace and Brighton are competing with Celtic and Norwich for Dundalk's 17-year-old Irish defender Vinnie Leonard. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Crystal Palace are in talks with Ligue 1 club Angers over French forward Sidiki Cherif. The 19-year-old, who can play through the middle and out wide, has two and a half years left on his contract. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace are in talks to sign teenage forward Sidiki Cherif from French club Angers.

The 19-year-old is currently the subject of increasingly advanced talks, but all parties involved insist no agreement has yet been found.

Cherif, a France youth international, is capable of playing as a striker or on the left wing and is under contract at Angers until 2028.

The Guinian-born forward has four goals in 17 top-flight matches in France and has helped Angers steer well clear of the relegation places in 10th.

Palace have already signed forward Brennan Johnson from Tottenham for £35m but continue to look to improve the squad.

Manager Oliver Glasner has been critical of the lack of squad depth available to him at Selhurst Park this season.

Manchester City are preparing to make an offer for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi before the end of the January transfer window, but are unlikely to meet Palace's asking price of above £35m. (Talksport), external

But Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has been making calls in recent days to try to convince Guehi to join them in the summer. (Sky Germany), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

‌It was certainly the widest gap between clubs in terms of league positions, even if Macclesfield Town may not have faced Crystal Palace's first XI.

‌Huge upsets in the past have been against the big dog's big players, so there is a debate on whether or not it was the biggest shock in history.

But who cares - what a story!

‌It wasn't even a lucky win but a deserved one on the day.

The Mac manager, John Rooney is the brother of superstar Wayne, finally eclipsing his older sibling at last, for one weekend anyway.

The ownership of the club, saved from extinction just a few short years ago by a man who had just been on a three-day drinking bender, is already a legend in itself.

‌The stories continue but none are as moving as the loss of 21-year-old player Ethan McLeod in a car crash earlier in the season, and the club's subsequent reaction to that tragedy.

The tears of joy and of sadness will have run together on Saturday night.

‌The highs and the lows are rarely so acutely shown as they were at the Moss Rose ground on this glorious but highly emotional day.

The FA Cup had one of the most memorable and poignant days in its history.

During my playing career and since, I have always understood the concept of FA Cup rules. They aren't written down but they definitely exist. If you are a lower-league team, the level of rough play permitted is far more than it would be in any league game. Officials turn a blind eye to that overt physicality because it is the cup and I am suspicious that one or two officials enjoy watching preening prima donnas getting a hefty challenge and having to put up with it for once.

‌You can't complain, particularly if you lose to the underdogs, as it just sounds like wimpish whinging from entitled football fops. Crystal Palace could have moaned about everything from the challenges to the plastic pitch, the latter had a huge negative effect on the Premier League team, but it comes across as pathetic even if it is a legitimate grievance.‌

With no VAR in the third round, the officials have more leeway to use subjective calls, again often unusually lenient at those small, lower league or non-league grounds.

‌Even at the end, when the Macclesfield fans gloriously ran on the field in their thousands to chair their heroes off, the rules were different. That would have led to a huge FA fine had it been the Premier League team's fans, instead of the scenes being celebrated on TV and online.‌

So, there are FA Cup rules and they do favour the minnows, but I am not complaining because it helps make the competition special.

‌Not that I felt the same way when I was a player though.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 25, has Manchester City and Liverpool in the chase with Bayern Munich not giving up on signing either. (Sky Germany), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

Image source, Reuters

This weekend proved that the magic of the FA Cup lives on, even if Crystal Palace switched roles from beneficiaries to victims in their first defence of the historic trophy.

For frequent users of the "typical Palace" moniker, this could be a pinnacle example. However, if supporting this club has taught any life lessons, unintentionally or not, it has been to stay humble in victory, whilst magnanimous in defeat.

So in that sense, unless all football romanticism were quashed forever by 97 minutes of acute frustration, even temporarily, it was a deserved victory for Macclesfield - the phoenix club, with a fanbase that suffered the pain of liquidation, which Palace twice avoided.

The result, and the manner of the performance, clearly angered Oliver Glasner, who will need to refocus and, most importantly, get his team back to work on the training ground. That's a luxury not afforded to sides with such busy schedules. The Achilles heel of set-piece defending allowed the National League North outfit into the game, as it has with others, and needs time and addressing.

With the away trip to Sunderland on Saturday, this is the first time the squad has had a full seven days between matches since the end of September, excluding international breaks, during which a reasonable number of players are away from the squad.

If there are silver linings to be found, even in the darkest of clouds, perhaps that is it. The failure to reach the FA Cup fourth round also gives the team a free weekend ahead of their Conference League matches against either Sigma Olomouc or Zrinjski Mostar, a must-win play-off to keep this season from being a "what if".

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup defeat to Macclesfield Town.

Here are some of your comments:

Ian: This was without doubt the most embarrassing performance I have ever seen Palace have. Not one player can hold their head high. No fight in any of them. What's hard to take is their arrogance because they lost the will to work hard for each other. Such a shame for them and the fans.

Chris: A disgusting display from all players. We were poor on the ball, poor off the ball and at times, it was simply carnage at the back. Congratulations to Macclesfield, however Palace should have at least tried to play like a Premier League team - they were simply embarrassing.

Ron: Palace were woeful. They were disjointed upfront and too slow in defence. How the mighty have fallen.

Michael: This has been coming for some time. We have become absolutely predictable and Oliver Glasner has no idea how to change it. He has one way of playing and is unable to vary it and signing more players who suit his inflexible approach will not solve anything. Persuading him to extend his contract is now irrelevant, we need to be identifying a more tactical and progressive replacement.

Maureen: Humiliating performance that the players have to live with. No excuses. Hoping this doesn't put Glasner's job at risk. Really pleased for Macclesfield who thoroughly deserved the win, but wish it wasn't against us.

Bill: Criticism of Palace would only deflect from how good Macclesfield were. Inspired by the courageous Dawson, they were well worth their win and apart from injury time, were never troubled. Palace are out of the two main cups and free-falling in the league. We've only got the Mickey Mouse Conference League to fight for and even that doesn't set my juices flowing.

Steve: Palace were awful. No creativity. Bereft of ideas. Macclesfield were quicker to the ball and won most of the second balls. The recent run of poor form highlights the lack of top quality across the team. Hopefully, this will encourage honest reflection, and a recognition that Palace have been punching above their weight for some time. It will be interesting to see how Glasner responds to this embarrassing defeat.

Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wrexham 3-3 (4-3 pens) Nottingham Forest

• Preston North End 0-1 Wigan

• Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Everton 1-1 (0-3 pens) Sunderland

• Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town

• Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough

• Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City

• Newcastle 3-3 (7-6 pens) Bournemouth

• Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City

• Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Bristol City 5-1 Watford

• Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City

• Charlton 1-5 Chelsea

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

After celebrating their memorable FA Cup trophy win at the end of last season, Crystal Palace fans would never have envisaged their defence would end at the first stage, particularly at the hands of a team five divisions below them.

Oliver Glasner certainly took a risk with his youthful starting XI, but they still possessed enough Premier League experience in the team and on the bench to have overcome this hurdle.

But aside from having plenty of possession, they looked a side completely out of sorts, with the fact Macclesfield finishing the game with more shots than them highlighting that this was a deserved result.

The opener came from a set-piece - a Palace weakness this season, as 13 of the 23 goals scored against them in the Premier League have come from such situations.

Palace appeared to lack leadership on the pitch to deal with the situation and though they came alive after Pino's strike, it ultimately came far too late.

It is an embarrassing result for Palace, but Glasner's wider focus will be on trying to turn around their alarming drop in form, with the Eagles having not won in any competition since 11 December.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner speaking to BBC Sport after the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Macclesfield Town: "We give congratulations to Macclesfield for winning.

"We had no kind of quality today and I saw no one who could win a dribble. Then conceding set goals and timing in the header.

"If you can't create clear chances, it is a lack of quality that we have shown today. We deserved to lose."

On his hopes after making changes at half-time: "Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen today and we can find excuses but you don't need tactics and a manager for these games.

"So I think if you just show what you are capable of and show pride then you perform in a different way."

Did you know?

• Macclesfield are the first non-league team to eliminate the FA Cup holders since Crystal Palace knocked out Wolves in the 1908-09 first round.