Date: 7th January 2023 at 9:58am
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Crystal Palace host struggling Southampton in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon. 

New Saints boss Nathan Jones is yet to pick up a point in the Premier League since taking charge at St. Mary’s, but he will be hoping a victory in the cup can kickstart a positive run for his side.

Palace, meanwhile, sit in 12th place in the table after a strong start to the campaign, although they have lost three of their last four matches in the competition.

Both sides could make a number of changes for the cup tie, with their priorities likely to be on league success.

Eagles boss Patrick Vieira could rest the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen, although it appears that the former’s time at Selhurst Park could be coming to an end.

According to The Evening Standard, Zaha is the subject of interest from both Juventus and Barcelona.

The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his senior career with Palace – with the exception of brief spells with Manchester United and Cardiff City – but his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Zaha has attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs

That means the player is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any overseas club from this month onwards.

There has so far been no indication that the Ivory Coast international will agree to extend his stay in the capital.

From Palace’s point of view, the January window represents their last chance to demand a fee for the Ivorian, who looks set to leave the club for free at the end of the season.

The winger has made more than 445 appearances for Palace in total, scoring 89 goals and providing 75 assists.

He has been crucial to much of their success over the past few seasons, and this term he has been in sensational form.

So far, he has netted six times in 16 Premier League matches, as well as registering two assists.

Over the past couple of seasons, Palace have signed both Olise and Eberechi Eze, which means the club won’t be left without any attacking options if Zaha does depart.

 
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