Wolves defender Ronald Zubar is hoping to make it third time lucky in cup competitions in his likely recall against Crystal Palace.

A final loser in the Coupe de France with Marseille in 2007 and in the Coupe de la Ligue with Caen in 2005, Zubar has two painful memories from France he would like to erase by being a Wembley winner with Wolves as they face a tricky tie against Palace tomorrow.

The Guadalupean-born defender said: “Three years ago I missed a penalty in the French Cup final for Marseille against Sochaux – the goalkeeper saved it.

“The score was 2-2 at the end of extra-time – Djibril Cisse scored both our goals – but Sochaux scored in the last minute to get a draw. I missed in the shootout when it was sudden death so I had to score – I was the seventh player to take one.

“Before that I played in the league cup final for Caen against Strasbourg and we lost 2-1. So I’m looking to go one better this year!”

Painful personal memories aside, Zubar admitted the English version also meant something in France.

He said: “Lots of people watch the FA Cup final in France on TV – I remember watching Portsmouth win it two years ago because my friend Lassana Diarra played.

“I know it’s a very big cup in England and it became big in France whenever Arsenal got to the final because of Arsene Wenger and his French players.

“But going back, I also remember Tony Adams – as a defender, he was a favourite of mine because he was such a big, important player.”

Tomorrow’s game will see boss Mick McCarthy field a strong side as they aim to bounce back after three successive defeats without scoring in the Premier League, while it represents another chance for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to score his first goal in open play this season.

Zubar is confident the fortunes of Wolves and Ebanks-Blake will take a turn for the better.

He said: “We need everything for our confidence – a performance, goals and a win. Sylvan hasn’t scored for a while and he missed a good chance last week.

“The players aren’t affected by that but we feel for Sylvan, because we want him to score as goals are so important to us. He just has to keep going in training and on the pitch and it will come.

“He’s still scoring in training and tomorrow could be his big chance to score, so I think we have a great chance to get to the next round.”

With just seven appearances for Wolves since his £2million summer move from Marseille – and none in his favoured position of centre-back – Zubar has had few opportunities to show his true worth.

Problems with the English language and settling in, not to mention ankle and thigh injuries and the form of Jody Craddock, Christophe Berra and Michael Mancienne, have restricted his availability.

But the 24-year-old remains determined to knuckle down and play ‘the long game.’

He said: “It’s hard when you don’t play and the gaffer knows that. But I’m a professional and I’m getting on with the job waiting for my chance.

“I’m happy to wait. Last season I played two games at right-back. I consider my best position to be centre-half, or a defensive midfielder like Karl Henry.

“But I can play right back and I try to play well there. I played against Manchester City and the gaffer was happy with my performance and that of the team because we played well.

“We lost 3-0 but it wasn’t like a 3-0 defeat. Richard Stearman has played well at right back and the gaffer had no reason to change.

“Now if I’m back in the team, hopefully I can stay in there and help the team.”

In any case, Zubar has another important job at the moment – helping fellow French-speaking signing Geoffrey Mujangi Bia settle in.

The defender said: “I’m here to help him, because it’s important he settles in well as he only speaks a little bit of English. After one month, I’m sure he’ll be able to speak better English but at the moment, I’m helping him.

“He’s staying in a hotel at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll invite him around to dinner with us.”

Zubar believes Wolves could have unearthed a star in the making.

He said: “I watched him in a game before he was here – France Under-21s against Belgium Under-21s – and he played very well. I didn’t know anything else about him then, until the gaffer told me we had a new player coming in to train with us.

“But as soon as I saw him in his first training session, I thought he was really good. He can play with both feet, he can play on the left or right wing, he’s quick, he has good delivery and really good technique.

“He’s only 20, but he’s not just one for the future – when you’re that young, age doesn’t mean anything. You just try things without thinking and you don’t worry about it.

“I think he can make a difference – he’s a good player who can help us. He tells me he likes Franck Ribery, but it’s not fair to say he plays like him yet!

“But I think he might be like Hatem Ben Arfa, who I played with at Marseille and used to be at Lyon. He’s like Ben Arfa because of his technique and his speed.”