Crystal Palace head to the south coast to face their rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.
Five points separate the two clubs in the Premier League, with a win for the Eagles having the potential to turn a miserable season into a rather exciting one.
Palace have had a rather successful transfer window, securing the additions of Adam Wharton and Daniel Munoz, who both will be seeking their first appearances in a Palace shirt against Brighton.
The rivalry between the clubs is one that many fans who don't support one of the two clubs struggle to get their heads around. The rivalry developed in the mid-70's, when Alan Mullery was Brighton boss and Terry Venarables was Palace boss.
The clubs played each other four times in the 1976–77 season as both clubs attempted to get themselves out of the third division. In all four meetings, there was a high amount of trouble.
But tensions reached boiling point in the FA Cup First Round Replay when, after the game, Alan Mullery threw five pounds on the floor and told Terry Venables, "Your team's not worth that." From that day on, the clubs have had an extremely intense rivalry.
Over the years, the clubs have provided some cracking games, notably an incredible play-off semi-final in 2013.
Today, the rivalry is still as tense and bitter as it was 47 years ago. The bragging rights mean so much to both sides, with Brighton just outside of the European places and Palace embroiled in a relegation battle.
A win for the Eagles would be huge, taking them nine points clear of the drop zone and just two points behind Brighton.
The rivalry
Hodgson explained that the rivalry between the clubs resonates with the more senior players within the squad; however, he emphasised that some of the younger ones and the newer players were unaware.
"Certainly, it (the rivalry) resonates with the older ones. It’s like everything else. When you bring new players into a club, you can tell them about these things. We make them aware of the rivalry, and the fans certainly make them aware of it."
The veteran boss takes a real gentlemanly approach to the fixture, talking about the football rather than the rivalry. Hodgson shares his respect towards Brighton as a footballing outfit and admits they are going to provide a very difficult task to his Crystal Palace side.
"What we do know is that it's going to be a tough game because Brighton are a good side."
“The derby-type rivalry adds an extra kick to it. But whether that kick's there or not, whenever you go to play Brighton, especially away from home, you know that you're in for a tough game because they're not eighth in the table for no reason. They're there because they play well.”
Injury News
Crystal Palace had to play the last 13 minutes of their game on Tuesday night without star players Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, as they were both subbed off after going down injured. Hodgson provided an update on their availability.
Eze "came off feeling tightness in his hamstring, so he is going for a scan, and I’ll have to wait and see, I suppose, what the result of that is.”
“When it comes to Michael, I'm presuming and hoping he’ll be okay because it was partly precautionary, the reason why he came off. We’d agreed with him that if he felt tired and he started to feel it, he should let us know, and if it went beyond a certain point, 'don’t push it if you’re feeling that maybe there’s a risk that something will happen.'
Eagles captain Joel Ward has spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury. Hodgson confirmed that the veteran defender is edging closer to a return.
Ward's "coming on well; he is getting close now. He does his clearance this weekend."
“He has been training on his own, or with the sports science and medical people who have been conducting a programme to get him through to a point where they think it is now safe for him to join in with the team."
“That will happen on Monday because his clearance is this weekend.”
Is the best yet to come?
Palace have been suffering through a relegation battle that they did not expect to be in. However, the Palace boss shared that he has never had any doubts about the strength of his squad.
“I thought we had enough in this squad of players even without the benefit of these two additions to get us through. But the big thing for us has really been getting Michael and Ebs back on the field again together."
There is a clear winning formula at Crystal Palace: get Eze and Olise on the pitch together, and they win games. Unfortunately for Hodgson, there have been very few occasions this season where the Palace manager has been able to do that, and Saturday could be another one of those.
“A statistic this morning that I sort of half felt in my head but didn't actually have was that only 17% of the games we've played this season have been with those two on the field together, so it was so good to get them back on the field together the other night."
If Palace can keep Eze and Olise fit, plus the new additions to their squad, Hodgson may be able to replicate the play from the end of last season, which saw Palace play some incredible football.
“I've always believed that when that happens, the team will benefit and progress. Having two extra players of the quality that we've brought in can only help further and improve our chances of moving away from this relegation group.”