This FA Cup semifinal promises to be tightly contested with both Crystal Palace and Aston Villa eager to make history.
The stage is set for the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium. The winner will return to the iconic venue next month to face either Manchester City or Nottingham Forest. Both teams will be chasing history in the prestigious competition as they have never won the FA Cup before.
For Palace, this marks a golden opportunity to reach their first FA Cup final since 2016. Despite never lifting the trophy, the Eagles have reached the semifinals three times in the past decade. Oliver Glasner’s men showed resilience in midweek as they twice fought back to earn a draw against Arsenal, but their winless run has now stretched to four matches.
Villa, meanwhile, are hoping to end a 28-year major trophy drought, having last lifted silverware in 1996. Their 2-1 loss to Manchester City in midweek ended a five-game Premier League winning streak. Yet, Unai Emery’s team remains one of the most in-form teams with 10 wins in their last 12 across all competitions including victories over PSG, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest.
Crystal Palace will be boosted by the return of Chris Richards, who is available again after serving a one-match suspension. The centre-back is expected to slot straight back into the starting lineup, likely replacing Jefferson Lerma in defence, with Will Hughes a potential partner for Adam Wharton in midfield.
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Manager Oliver Glasner will still be without long-term absentees Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure due to knee injuries. Ben Chilwell is suffering from illness and is unlikely to feature, though he was not expected to start.
Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Aston Villa head into Saturday’s semifinal at Wembley with a near full-strength squad. The only absentee is Axel Disasi, who is cup-tied and unavailable for selection. Ollie Watkins, who was surprisingly benched against Manchester City, is expected to lead the line here. Behind him, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, and John McGinn are likely to form the attacking support trio.
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Rashford; Watkins
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