Palace v Cheltenham

Selhurst Park, Wednesday 8.00pm

The League Cup

Team news

Having narrowly beaten Plymouth Argyle in the 1st round after extra time, Palace will be looking for a more impressive performance against Second Division Cheltenham Town.

With Alex Kolinko still suffering from a groin injury, on loan keeper Nic Michopoulos will make his second start for the club with fellow new boy Sven Scheuer taking lance Cronin’s place on the bench.

Captain Craig Flemming is still out with an ankle injury so Danny Butterfield will start at right back as he did against Gillingham. On the right hand side of midfield, youngster Wayne Routledge could be given a break following fears that he could be taking on too much pressure too early. This could give Tommy Black a chance to shine out wide following his appearance as a sub on Sunday.

However where Black plays all depends on the fitness of the Palace front men. Dougie Freedman is looking doubtful, as is Andy Johnson. If both were to be ruled out Dele Adebola would most likely start up front with either Tommy Black or Latvian international Andrejs Rubins.

With Cheltenham lying third from bottom in Division Two, the Robins, much like Palace, will be hoping that a cup run can make up for the poor start to the season.

Having travelled to Norwich in round one and come away with a very impressive 3-0 win Graham Allnet’s men will have nothing to fear as they travel to Selhurst Park.

Allnet is likely to name the same starting XI which slumped to a 4-1 loss against Notts County. This means that defender Neil Howarth will once again miss out with a hamstring injury, leaving Antony Griffin to continue in his place.

Cheltenham - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
22nd	11	2	3	6	9

Full league table

Cheltenham - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
5	3	0	2	10	7

Full form table

One to watch

Tony Naylor

Cheltenham's top scorer

Alsop - 3 goals

Cheltenham's bad boy

Duff - 3 0

Palace old boys

None.

The well-travelled striker has been one of the main reasons for Cheltenham's recent success and has scored two vital goals for the West Country team this season. Though not their top scorer, his experience is vital for the team and with a 3-0 away win against Norwich already under their belts, Cheltenham will be a tough match for Palace on Wednesday.