This is one of the biggest games in the history of both clubs as Brighton and Hove Albion looks to make a second FA Cup semi-final since making the final in 1983. Their opponents, Grimsby Town,, will look to make the semi-finals for the first time since 1939.
Both clubs have very rich histories, and this is a momentous day for both fanbases.
Grimsby sits 15th in League two and with 76 spaces between them and 7th-placed Brighton. The visitors will come into this game as massive underdogs and will have a tough time beating the Seagulls.
However, the Mariners are no strangers to being labelled the weaker party, as they have already beaten Premier League and Brighton's south coast neighbours, Southampton, and Championship Luton Town. Grimsby has proven victorious in these games because of their organisation in defence and ability to outrun teams.
Gritty Grimsby defence
In the last round against Southampton, Grimsby set up in a 3-4-3 formation and packed out the middle of the pitch to slow Southampton down.
This ultimately stopped the Saints from playing football on the floor and did not let them use the quality they possess, and this is something that Grimsby will look to do against Brighton.
They are not likely to engage in the press to avoid the ball getting to dangerous wingers Kauro Mitoma and Solly March. Stopping them from getting into one on one situations will be crucial to keep Grimsby in the game.
This also means Brighton will not be able to play around the press and create overloads in the final third. Instead, the Mariners will pack out the midfield to stop the ball from getting to threatening attackers.
This will make Grimsby far tougher to break down and could mean the visitors can keep a clean sheet. It also means Grimsby will not be pulled out of position, denying any space for Roberto De Zerbi's players, reducing their creativity as well as space to run in behind.
By making the pitch so small it means De Zerbi won’t be able to play the football he wants to as his side will be unable to drag players out of position.
Brighton’s answer to Grimsby
Based on the analysis above, De Zerbi will most likely make some tactical changes. He tends to choose strong starting elevens in cup games and after losing to Charlton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after the World Cup, Brighton will not want to let this game slip away.
De Zerbi may, however, make one change - despite current Premier League form. Pascal Gross will possibly play at right-back despite Joel Veltman’s man-of-the-match performance against Crystal Palace.
When Brighton is expected to have lots of possession or when an opposing team does not have a star man on the left wing, De Zerbi plays Gross as an inverted right back, to give Brighton another dimension in attack. Meaning, March can find himself one-on-one with his opposite full-back or in this case, the wide centre-back, as Gross will drag the wing back towards the middle of the pitch.
This allows March to get to the goal line and use his one-on-one ability to cut inside and get the ball into the box.
Gross playing at right-back means that Brighton can play more one-touch football in the middle of the pitch as well and play through Grimsby’s compact shape due to his brilliant technical ability.
If Gross does play it means that Billy Gilmour could play in central midfield. Gilmour's short passing ability is fantastic and will be very key if Brighton is to break Grimsby down.
Brighton will look to get their midfield players very close to Grimsby’s players to create overloads in the midfield as the midfield three of Grimsby will not be able to cope with Brighton’s two defensive midfielders, attacking midfielder and Pascal Gross.
Despite Gilmour's limited minutes, he does still have a 91% pass success rate this season and this quality on the ball will not only help Brighton in attack, but also that Grimsby will struggle to win the ball high up the pitch due to a loose pass or bit of complacency.
To combat the high energy levels of Grimsby, De Zerbi may also go with an injection of youth; particularly Jeremy Sarmiento. The Ecuadorian is a very high-quality young talent and despite not scoring a goal for the Seagulls, he has a lot of fans excited already due to his directness and athleticism.
This ability to beat a man will give Brighton’s game yet another dimension against Grimsby as Sarmiento’s ability to drive his team forwards means that they can be more direct when on the ball.
However, a big potential issue could arise for Brighton following this, as often against teams who play a low block slow the Seagulls down in possession. The Premier League side starts passing side to side and fails to penetrate defences.
However, having the direct runner Sarmiento in the team reduces these chances, and Mitoma’s reluctance to run at players when he’s deeper makes Sarmiento’s ability to beat a man even more important.
Grimsby in attack
Grimsby does also pose many threats and will cause Brighton problems, in particular their ability from set pieces.
This is something Grimsby will certainly have the better of Brighton on as they have three centre-backs and a striker who all stand above six feet whereas Brighton will only have two centre-backs and the striker (Evan Fergurson or Danny Welbeck).
The Seagulls also have a poor record when defending set pieces meaning every set piece is going to be a chance for the visitors. The way the two sides match up means that Grimsby will be able to get a lot of set pieces to put into the box as well as giving the Mariners opportunities to score goals from open play.
Grimsby will look to sit back and absorb pressure and then use the pace on the wingers to get up the pitch quickly. Pervis Estupinan and Pascal Gross are two full-backs who will mainly focus on the attacking side of the game and be high up the pitch, giving the pace of Harry Clifton and John McAtee a chance to stretch the defence. This will cause issues for the home side, alongside the physicality of striker Danilo Orsi - who stands at 188 cm - who may be able to get on the end of some of crosses that come into the box as a result of McAtee and Clifton making runs from the midfield into vacant wide areas.
This is what they did against Southampton and this is what they will look to do against Brighton and this will make for a very interesting game.