Crystal Palace

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Palace's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Macclesfield's top scorer Danny Elliott is only fit enough for a place on the bench for the hosts. Josh Kay returns from suspension to start.

Macclesfield XI: Dearnley, Fensome, Menayese, Dawson, Buckley-Ricketts, Mellor, Heathcote, Lacey, Kay, Edmonson.

Subs: Callister, Matheson, Griffiths, Elliott, Dos Santos, Whitehead, Woltman, Stone, Borthwick-Jackson.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner makes six changes.

There's a start for 16-year-old winger Joel Drakes-Thomas, while defender Kaden Rodney, 21, also starts.

Chris Richards, Borna Sosa, Walter Benitez and Christantus Uche also start.

Crystal Palace XI: Benitez, Canvot, Guehi, Richards, Sosa, Rodney, Wharton, Devenny, Pino, Drakes-Thomas, Uche.

Subs: Henderson, Mitchell, Lacroix, King, Benamar, Hughes, Marsh, Casey, Johnson.

There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester

• Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester

• Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM

• Boreham Wood v Burton Albion

• Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London

• Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent

• Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk

• Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Salford P-P Swindon

• Sheff Wed v Brentford

• Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR

• Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio

• Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Grimsby v Weston (17:45)

• Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

• Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Saturday lunchtime's contest has all the makings of a modern classic.

The competition's holders travel north to face the lowest-ranked side remaining and victory for the non-league hosts would be the biggest FA Cup upset of all time in terms of league places.

So can the phoenix club continue their ascent or will the Eagles soar comfortably into round four?

One hundred and forty six years of history and some memorable cup runs were consigned to the history books when Macclesfield Town ceased trading in 2020. Their revival as Macclesfield FC under current owner Rob Smethhurst and Robbie Savage has been well documented but with the latter leaving for pastures new, it is down to John Rooney – younger brother of Wayne – to mastermind another promotion.

Rooney has experienced a fairly solid start to his coaching career but he and his team have recently endured the worst event imaginable in sport – the loss of a team-mate.

On 16 December, 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod lost his life after a car accident on the M1 motorway while travelling home after a league match in Bedford. The club's subsequent match against Alfreton was postponed.

McLeod scored three times in seven games for Macclesfield, including once on debut against Atherton Laburnum Rovers in an FA Cup second qualifying round win in September. His goal that day helped Macclesfield reach this stage and he will be fondly remembered on Saturday.

Crystal Palace's current dilemmas pale into insignificance when compared to the devastating loss experienced by those associated with Macclesfield. The south Londoners are without a win in eight league and cup matches and recent reports suggest that club captain Marc Guehi and manager Oliver Glasner could soon be on the move to other clubs.

Palace are sitting on their second-best Premier League points tally after 21 games but have slipped from fourth in the table to 13th in the space of a month following a run of four defeats and two draws. They are winless in eight matches if you include the cup competitions and Glasner's fatigued side appear vulnerable to an upset this weekend if recent form is anything to go by.

Did you know?

• Macclesfield FC were formed in 2020 and are competing in the FA Cup proper for the first time. They have never faced Premier League opposition before in this competition, but they have in their previous guise as Macclesfield Town.

• The Silkmen could become the first side to reach the fourth round in their debut season since Harlow Town in 1979-80.

• Macc have won just one of their past four home games (drawn two, lost one), although it was their previous outing at home to Radcliffe on Tuesday.

Image source, PA Media

Key Players - Danny Elliot

Macc's star striker Danny Elliot was at the pre-match press conference but is an injury doubt after failing to play a minute of the past two games. He is the Phoenix Club's all-time top scorer with 57 goals. Scored a club record 37 times in 2025 across all competitions. Former clubs include Port Vale, Chester and Scunthorpe, and he was linked with an EFL move last summer.

Squad summary

Macclesfield's top scorer, Danny Elliott has failed to play the past two games, and there are doubts around his participation. Left-back Brandon Lee will be absent after suffering a serious knee injury in round two against Slough, but midfielder Josh Kay returns after serving a three-match ban.

What a tie this is.

My 606 co-host Robbie Savage built the foundations for this Macclesfield side and they have gone on an amazing run under John Rooney to get this far.

It started with a win over Atherton Laburnum Rovers in the second qualifying round in September.

One of their scorers that day was Ethan McLeod, who died in a car accident before Christmas on his way back from a game, which puts everything in perspective.

This would be the biggest shock in FA Cup history if Macclesfield won, because no sixth-tier side has ever beaten one from the top flight since the FA Cup started in 1871, but I don't think that will happen.

Palace have not been in good form recently but they played well in their draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday when they defended strongly.

The holders are solid even when they don't fire up front, and they should win this pretty comfortably.

Sutton's prediction: 0-4

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup game against Macclesfield Town at The Leasing.com Stadium (kick-off 12:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta "will not travel" for the cup game and instead will "rest" as he "has some issues with his knee".

• More from Glasner on Mateta: "Everything's under control but we don't want to risk that he plays on astro [turf] and it gets worse, that's why he stays in London."

• He doesn't expect Mateta's knee to be an issue for next week's Premier League game against Sunderland.

• There are no new injury concerns but no player recently sidelined will return either.

• Captain Marc Guehi, who has been linked with a move away from the Eagles, will start on Saturday.

• On defending their FA Cup honour: "We want to win another trophy. This is our approach. It's not defending something, it's winning something. We can't defend it because we already have won it. This trophy will stay forever in Crystal Palace history books. But it's adding another trophy – that's how we enter the FA Cup."

• He said it might be Macclesfield's' "match of the decade," but if "we show our standards, we will win".

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace on BBC One from 12:00 GMT or listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Manchester

See here for how to follow the FA Cup on the BBC

Ellie Thomason
BBC Sport senior journalist

Crystal Palace will play on an unfamiliar 4G pitch in a 5,300 capacity stadium when they play non-league Macclesfield in the FA Cup on Saturday, but what else can they expect from the Silkmen?

John Rooney's side are part-time and many players have jobs outside football. Top scorer Danny Elliott owns a company aimed at helping footballers build long-term wealth through smart property investments.

Right-back Lewis Fensome owns a gym, fellow defender Sam Heathcote works in a school, while Luke Duffy and captain Paul Dawson do part-time coaching.

Elliott has missed Macclesfield's last two games through injury, but spoke in Thursday's news conference and expects to be in the squad.

Dawson is a driving force in the Macclesfield midfield and is tenacious in both attack and defence. He runs the middle of the park and scores his fair share of goals too, most recently netting the winner on Tuesday against Radcliffe with a long-range strike which went in off the crossbar.

Talented midfielder James Edmondson - on loan from Blackburn Rovers - is one to watch. His sensational goal against Slough helped Macclesfield progress to the third round of the FA Cup and was voted goal of the second round.

Palace's forwards will have the towering centre-back pairing of Heathcote and Rollin Menayese to contend with, while full-backs Fensome and Luis Lacey - brother of Manchester United's Shea Lacey like to press high.

Macclesfield sit 14th in the National League North, but have a number of games in hand due to their FA Cup run and recent postponements. They returned to winning ways in the league on Tuesday and will hope to build on that in Saturday's historic fixture for the reformed club.

Ellie Thomason
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

There are 116 places between National League North side Macclesfield and Premier League Crystal Palace, but the Silkmen are optimistic they can cause an upset against the holders in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Forward Danny Elliott, who has scored five goals in the competition so far this season, said the Eagles' recent winless run has given him hope.

"They are not in the best form at the minute but they are the holders, we don't doubt they will be fantastic," he said.

"Anything can happen. Playing on our pitch and in our environment with our crowd gives us more of an advantage than if we were at Selhurst Park."

There will be a familiar face in the Palace squad for Elliott, grew up on the same road as their new signing Brennan Johnson and went to the same school as him.

"It feels like a strange full circle moment really," he said on facing Johnson.

"Playing the holders and all of these David versus Goliath stories, to get something out of the game will be absolutely fantastic. I'd love to score and continue that run, but being able to score an upset would be amazing for the football club."

Ruth Gregory
BBC Sport

Non-league Macclesfield host FA Cup holders Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (12:15 GMT) and it has presented a dilemma for one young football fan with an affinity for both clubs.

For Macclesfield season ticket holder Toby, it is a fixture he could have only once dreamed of, having also supported Palace since the age of four.

"It's just surreal," he said. "Sometimes I used to think 'what if Macc were to play Palace?'. And it was just like 'that's not going to happen'. Well it is.

"It's just an event you wouldn't normally see happen as a supporter. It feels really weird to be seeing all Palace's top players here."

The 12-year-old began watching Macclesfield in 2020 after the club reformed under new owner Rob Smethurst, while also still following the Eagles to away games across England's north west.

Macclesfield are 14th in the sixth-tier National League North and are managed by John Rooney, brother of ex-England captain Wayne. Palace, meanwhile, are 13th in the Premier League.

Toby is still torn between which team he wants to see progress through to the fourth round.

"I've got tickets in the home end," he said. "Choosing who I want to win, it would be great to see Palace play in another round but it would just be amazing to see Macc go on into the fourth.

"I'm not expecting too much of a thrashing from Palace and I'm expecting Macc to do well, so probably a 2-1 Palace win.

"But I'm hoping Macclesfield do get a last-minute goal, that would be great."

• Follow live coverage of Macclesfield v Crystal Palace across BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:15 GMT on Saturday

Arsenal are ready to enter the race to sign 25-year-old England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. (Mirror), external

However, Manchester City are confident they will sign Guehi in the coming days, beating rivals Liverpool to his signature. (Star), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, PA Media

Ex-Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast that his former club should go all out to sign Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi this month:

"I would pay the money for him. He's a brilliant centre-half. Someone of his quality, experience and leadership - all the things you would want in a centre-half - it would be a no-brainer.

"All the top clubs are looking at him but if Manchester City can get the deal over the line, I think it would be very tempting to get him in."

Former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie added:

"At the start of the season, they recruited and it hasn't really been that convincing.

"They've tried to adapt and play in a way that leaves them a little more exposed, and they have conceded a couple more goals as a result of that. But they've got to go and get someone who can be commanding."

Listen to the full Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Palace fans

Tresbon: Palace down to the bare bones but it's the first time in weeks a team hasn't overrun us in the final 20 minutes. Perhaps, the curse of Euro Thursdays is hitting Villa too. Jaydee Canvot came of age here - he reads the game very well.

Robert: I felt this draw was like a victory against high-flying Villa! Half of our squad are missing through injury and yet we hung on to get this valuable point!

Phil: Not classic Palace but a very well-earned point on the back of a very, very difficult period. The FA Cup fixture on Saturday and then Oliver Glasner will have time to get players fit and hopefully some new players in so they can press on for the second half of the season.

Ann: With so many matches coming thick and fast, the players must be finding it really difficult both mentally and physically to be prepared with such a small squad.

Villa fans

Prit: Draw was a fair result, especially as Villa couldn't make their pressure in the first half count. We looked tired in the second half and the midfield was running on empty. Palace away is always a difficult game for us so if we can't win it then let's take a draw and move on to the next game.

Toppy: Overall, a fair result. In the first half, we looked in control but lost our way in the second. Palace looked much more threatening after the break, and it became one of those games that could have gone either way. On the plus side, we didn't lose to our bogey team, kept a clean sheet, and our rivals dropped points. However, Jadon Sancho doesn't look great, and some of our players need to practice their shooting. Hopefully, Unai Emery can find some attacking reinforcements this January too.

Matt: What have I just witnessed? Where was the urgency? The press? Unbelievable. A weakened, vulnerable and out-of-sorts Palace were there for the taking. Opportunity missed.

Keith: The performance from Villa was OK, but Palace made it difficult. As always, we could have won the game, but we were not clinical in front of goal. But again, a clean sheet and a point is always welcome. Jadon Sancho should never have started - he is an expensive liability and should be returned to Man Utd as soon as possible.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is a wanted man this month and Liverpool could be lining up a £20m move to sign the 25-year-old England international. (Mirror), external

Meanwhile, boss Oliver Glasner says he will "intensify" talks about a new deal with the club in the "next weeks" before he makes a "final decision". (Mirror), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pundits Danny Murphy and Stephen Warnock are on hand to bring you the action and talking points from the nine Premier League fixtures so far this week.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Credit to the players for their performance and commitment. With all the circumstances, playing the most in-form team in the league and showing a game like this, I am very proud of every single player.

"We could see first half we are not full of confidence right now, but we worked into the game and second half we created some good moments.

"At the end, we had to defend a few situations and the game could have gone either way, so a draw is fair result.

"Today we had, I would say, 12 and a half outfield players available, because Chris Richards only came back yesterday. This is why we made just one substitution."

On Marc Guehi's future and Manchester City's reported interest: "If the offer would have been high enough [last summer] and the club was fine with it and Marc wanted to go, then he wouldn't be a Palace player any more.

"Last January would have been the same. Every single player has a price where a club will sell him, [especially] when you are Palace because we are not at the end of the food chain in football.

"I think Marc will stay. I'm sure our chairman will ask a very high price for him. Let's see.

"I think the fans can be calm. But you never know what can happen in football."

Did you know?

• Since their return to the Premier League in 2013-14, Crystal Palace have been involved in 41 goalless draws, more than any other side in that time.

• The Eagles had 11 shots in the game and have now hit double figures for shots without scoring in seven Premier League games this season, more than any other side.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

In several recent interviews and media conferences, Oliver Glasner has mentioned that his side are fighting for their lives, and you can see his point.

With the number of players sidelined by injury and Johnson the only new arrival so far, his stretched squad simply struggle to muster the energy to go toe-to-toe with opponents.

Palace's first-half intentions were clear - stay in the match while conserving energy for a second-half assault.

To their credit, the approach almost worked. Johnson was a constant threat, and on another night the nice interplay between the new signing, Yeremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta might have produced a goal.

"It was our 33rd game of the season and we could only make one substitution because we needed JP [Mateta] to defend set-plays," Glasner told Sky Sports.

"When I see what the players are doing, it is incredible, huge credit to them."

Marc Guehi produced another solid defensive performance, with no sense of him being distracted by transfer interest from Manchester City, but Glasner could offer no guarantee on his captain's future.

"I think Marc will stay, but if he says 'I want to leave' and a club pays massive money with five months left of his contract, then any player would leave if you are a club like Palace," Glasner said.

"We are not at the end of the food chain in football."

On this occasion Palace were not able to continue their strong form against Villa – they had won nine of their previous 13 Premier League home games against them.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Oliver Glasner is forced into making two changes to the Crystal Palace side that lost to Newcastle on Sunday.

Jefferson Lerma (concussion) and Nathaniel Clyne (adductor) join the club's growing injury list, and are placed by Jaydee Canvot and Justin Devenny.

Chris Richards returns but is only fit enough for the bench.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Canvot, Lacroix, Guehi, Devenny, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Johnson, Pino, Mateta.

Subs: Benitez, Uche, Sosa, Richards, Rodney, King, Benamar, Casey, Drakes-Thomas.

Unai Emery also makes two changes following Aston Villa's defeat of Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Lucas Digne replaces Ian Maatsen at left-back, while Jadon Sancho starts on the wing in place of Emiliano Buendia.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Sancho, Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Buendia, Torres, Garcia, Malen, Jimoh-Aloba, Maatsen, Bogarde, Hemmings.