Lewes prepare to face Crystal Palace in the Third round of Adobe Women's FA Cup.

Crystal Palace visits The Dripping Pan on Sunday 14^th December at 4pm for the third round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, looking to extend their 3-game winning streak across all competitions.  

In a press conference before the game, Crystal Palace manager, Jo Potter, explained how “it’s a competition that [they] want to go far in”, especially considering their progress last season. Palace reached the quarter-finals of the FA cup last season, making it the furthest they’ve ever gone in history, but hope to go build on that result this season.  

Palace currently compete in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League 2 after relegation from the Women’s Super League at the end of the 2024-25 season, with the team sitting in 6th. In contrast, Lewes Women are competing in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division, following relegation from the Women’s Championship at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Lewes are currently playing in 7th.  

The most recent meeting between the two sides saw Crystal Palace take the 2-0 win back in April 2024, with Lewes finishing 11^th in the (what was formerly known as) Women’s Championship, resulting in relegation to the third tier of women’s football. 

Despite Lewes being in a lower league than them, Potter has expressed concern over the fact that “they’ve got a lot of threats” and “some real pace all over the pitch”, which could breakdown the WSL2’s defence. Furthermore, Lewes come into this game off the back of a 4-0 win against Cheltenham in the second round, giving them motivation to win as ‘underdogs’.  

Both teams have key players that could change the game, making it hard to predict the outcome despite the league difference. For Lewes, forward Umotong has a history of contributing goals and assists against Crystal Palace, making her a known threat. However, Palace also have an attacking threat in Hopcroft who scored against Lewes in their last league meeting. With the midfielder coming back from injury, she holds a very influential position in the team. In the backline, Lewes defender Cleverly has made a name for herself following her strong runs and impressive defensive performances, creating a strong partnership with goalkeeper Moore who’s entering her 4^th season with the club. Crystal Palace also have a strong goalkeeper, with Yanez in form following amazing saves in recent matches, forming a solid foundation for the Palace defence. Just ahead of the backline sits Blanchard, a creative, composed midfielder known for a goal-scoring and assisting capabilities, making her an incredible asset.  

As much as Crystal Palace have some key players that could win them the game, one key player will be out due to suspension: Ruesha Littlejohn. Littlejohn picked up a red card in Palace’s recent league cup game against Leicester City, with the FA reviewing it and updating the suspension from three to five games across all domestic competitions.  

Despite the league gap between the clubs, recent results and form suggest this FA Cup tie could be closely contested, with both teams determined to progress. The winner will advance to the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and continue their pursuit of cup glory.  

The game kicks off at 4pm on Sunday 14th December and can be watched on TNT Sports in the UK.