Patrick Vieira has said he will be playing his strongest XI in the FA Cup on Saturday when his Crystal Palace side travels to Millwall.
The Eagles are hoping to get past the third round of the competition for the first time since 2019 but will be up against a tricky side in Gary Rowett's Millwall.
The Lions have knocked out Premier League opposition in Leicester, Everton and Watford in recent seasons and the game is expected to be a sell-out with The Den packed to the rafters for the London derby.
Vieira, a five-time FA Cup winner as a player, said he was taking the competition very seriously and was hoping Palace could progress deep into the tournament starting with victory on Saturday over Millwall.
This, he said, would mean he'd be fielding his best starting XI for the game.
"For me, it was always clear to put the best team on the field to compete," the Frenchman said in his press conference on Friday morning.
"It is a derby, it is the FA Cup and it is going to be challenging and we need to have our best starting XI to compete and to try and win the game."
Palace's next game after their FA Cup clash against Millwall is a big match away at Brighton in the Premier League.
The Eagles are currently pressing for a top-half finish in the top-flight for only the second time in the last eight seasons, and Vieira said building momentum by winning games will be key to helping them accomplish that.
"This competition is important because it will give us belief," added the Frenchman. "We need to win games, we need to have this kind of momentum as a team and as a football club."
All this makes it unlikely that Palace will ring out the changes for tomorrow's game, despite several of the club's academy players training with the first team this week.
Instead, it seems that Vieira will opt for experience and strength for what is set to be a tricky game for the Eagles.
