Brighton vs Grimsby LIVE commentary: Seagulls eyes third FA Cup semi-final but face League 2 heroes – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

League Two heroes Grimsby Town will be eager to continue their dream FA Cup run when they travel to Premier League Brighton today.

Grimsby have already eliminated Southampton, Luton, Burton and Cambridge to reach this point.

The Mariners are currently 15th in League Two and know this will be their toughest task yet.

However, this competition is made for clashes, and a win for Grimsby would be one of the biggest this season.

Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi’s side are one of England’s most exciting sides and are looking to make the FA Cup semi-finals for just the third time.

The Seagulls have lost just one of their last 12 games in all competitions and face the Mariners for the first time since 2014, when the pair met in League Two.

Brighton vs Grimsby: talkSPORT coverage

This FA Cup quarter-final will take place on Sunday 19 March.

Kick-off at the Amex is scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

talkSPORT will have live commentary from the south coast, with Adrian Durham as presenter.

Comments will then come from Joe Shennan and former Chelsea defender Scott Minto.

talkSPORT.com will also have all the reactions from the game.

To log in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 via the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen through the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Brighton vs Grimsby: Team News

The hosts will be without Adam Lallana and Jakub Moder, while it will be too soon for Tariq Lamptey as he battles to overcome a knee problem.

And despite a semi-final place up for grabs, De Zerbi could decide to rotate his side, with Robert Sanchez set to start in goal.

The visitors have no injury concerns but will be without George Lloyd, Mikey O’Neill and Stephen Wearne as they are level.

Two-goal Southampton hero Gavan Holohan is set to line up in midfield as Paul Hurst’s men seek to become the first ever Fourth Division side to progress to an FA Cup semi-final.

Brighton v Grimsby: What was said?

Brighton boss De Zerbi: “I believe in my players. They know it will be a tough game.

“We can’t think we’re in the Premier League and they’re in the Fourth Division, otherwise we’ll make a big mistake.

“Football changes but the emotions remain the same. We are ready to try to get to Wembley.

“We have to play with the tempo against Grimsby and without arrogance – but if we play with our level against Leeds, Palace… we have a good chance of winning.

Brighton vs Grimsby: Facts of the Match

• Brighton and Grimsby Town have not faced each other in any competition since February 2004 in a league game, won 2-1 by the Mariners with goals from Isaiah Rankin and Phil Jevons at Blundell Park.
• It’s the first time Brighton have faced Grimsby in the FA Cup since January 1930 in the third round, which was won by the Seagulls after a replay – at that time they were in the Third Division South while the Mariners were a top flight coast.
• Brighton are looking to reach an FA Cup semi-final for just the third time, also in 1982-83 and 2018-19. It is only their fifth quarter-final appearance and only their second game at this stage against a side from a lower division, knocking out Millwall in 2018-19 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
• This season, Grimsby Town are the first team in FA Cup history to eliminate five teams from a top division in a single season of the competition (from the first round). This is their first FA Cup quarter-final since 1938-39, when they beat Chelsea 1-0 as a top team, and it will be the biggest gap between quarter-finals ( 84), breaking Reading’s record of 83. (1927-2010).
• As a top side, Brighton progressed in 14 of their 16 FA Cup appearances against lower division sides, only failing against third tier Oxford United in 1981-82 and the Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in 2019-20. Their two such matches against League Two sides have seen them progress, against Coventry in 2017-18 and Newport County in 2020-21.
• Since the establishment of the fourth tier of English league football in 1958-59, Grimsby are only the fifth team in this division to appear in an FA Cup quarter-final. The four previous teams were eliminated: Oxford United in 1964, Colchester United in 1971, Bradford City in 1976 and Cambridge United in 1990.
• It will be the first FA Cup quarter-final to see a Premier League side play at home against an elite away side since 2016-17, when two such matches were played and won by home sides – Arsenal 5-0 Lincoln City and Tottenham Hotspur 6-0 Millwall.
• Since the FA Cup first round this season, no team has scored more goals than Grimsby Town (15, tied with Wrexham). It is the most by a fourth tier team in a season since Crewe in 1992-93 (also 15), with Colchester the last fourth tier team to score more than 15 goals (18 in 1970-71). All of their 15 goals have been against higher division sides, with only Tottenham in 1900-01 – then a non-league team – scoring more (16) against higher division sides in a season from the first round .
• Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi hasn’t succeeded against a team in the fourth tier of a league system since the 2013-14 campaign, when he was successful in Italy’s Serie D with Darfo Boario. His only previous cup quarter-final was in 2015-16 with Foggia in the Coppa Italia Lega Pro, drawing 1-1 with Akragas before progressing on penalties and winning the competition that year.
• Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma has been involved in a goal in each of his three FA Cup appearances this season, scoring once and assisting twice for the Seagulls. Among Premier League players in the FA Cup this season, only Fulham’s Manor Solomon has had more shots (14) than Mitoma (8) and only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (23) has had more throw-ins in opposition than him (19) .