Although both teams have enjoyed positive campaigns for varying reasons, few would have expected either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa to navigate their way to the last four of the FA Cup.
Since succumbing to cross-city neighbours Chelsea at the semi-final stage in 2022, Palace have failed to progress beyond the third round of the FA Cup in each of the last two seasons. Aston Villa have also fallen at the first hurdle on numerous occasions in recent seasons, suffering several embarrassing eliminations along the way.
The Villains have a proud history in the world’s oldest club competition, although haven’t lifted the FA Cup since registering their seventh triumph almost 70 years ago. The closest the West Midlanders have been to landing an eighth FA Cup crown came during the 2014/15 campaign, despite narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League that season. After dispatching several top-flight clubs en route to the final, Villa were comfortably beaten by Arsenal at Wembley.
Crystal Palace have faced Manchester United in each of their two FA Cup final appearances, assuming the role of underdog on both occasions. The Red Devils needed a replay to overcome a plucky Palace outfit in 1990, securing a narrow 1-0 win after the two teams initially played out a thrilling 3-3 draw. Louis van Gaal would then lead United to glory in 2016, as Palace found themselves on the end of a 2-1 defeat.
Live television coverage of Saturday’s keenly-anticipated semi-final clash will be provided by the BBC, with online viewers able to watch events at Wembley unfold via BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website. ITV will screen the second semi-final on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester City meet Nottingham Forest in another all-Premier League tie.
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa key information
Date: Saturday 26th April
Kick-off time: 17.15pm
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Assistant Referees – Gary Beswick & Lee Betts)
VAR: Craig Pawson (Assistant VARs – Nick Hopton & John Brooks)
TV Channels: BBC One (TV), BBC Sport/iPlayer (stream online)
Odds: Crystal Palace – 23/10, Draw – 12/5, Aston Villa – 23/20
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa team news
Palace and Villa came through their respective midweek fixtures unscathed, much to the delight of Unai and Oli. Both managers have repeatedly shuffled the pack in recent weeks amidst extremely busy schedules, but will undoubtedly select their strongest XIs for this Saturday’s semi-final.
Crystal Palace team news
Although he doesn’t quite have a full complement to choose from, Oliver Glasner only has a handful of players on the treatment table.
Neither combative midfielder Cheick Doucouré nor Moroccan international defender Chadi Riad will return before the end of the season, having both sustained serious injuries in January. Raid has endured a particularly torrid campaign, rupturing his ACL in August before incurring another cruciate ligament tear at the turn of the year. Maxence Lacroix seems to have fully recovered after suffering a concussion during Palace’s 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the beginning of the month, having started each of the last four Premier League fixtures.
First-choice striker Jean-Philippe Mateta will likely return to lead the line, having made a telling impact from the bench against Arsenal on Wednesday evening. Glasner also rested Ismaïla Sarr for the Eagles’ trip to the Emirates, so the pacey playmaker should be refreshed and ready for this weekend’s crucial encounter. Either Jefferson Lerma, Daichi Kamada, or Adam Wharton will partner Will Hughes in the middle of the park.
Crystal Palace predicted line-up vs. Aston Villa (3-4-2-1)
Coach: Oliver Glasner
Dean Henderson (GK), Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guéhi, Daniel Muñoz, Adam Wharton, Will Hughes, Tyrick Mitchell, Ismaïla Sarr, Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta
Aston Villa team news
Unai Emery finds himself free of any injury concerns, but is plagued with several selection headaches.
The Spanish tactician will have been unsettled by Ollie Watkins’ comments last weekend, as the striker bemoaned a lack of starting opportunities amidst the arrival of Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford. It seems Pau Torres will get the nod ahead of long-serving centre-back Tyrone Mings in the middle of Villa’s defence, while it’s a coin toss between Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen to determine who will start at left-back.
The West Midlanders have a wealth of talent at the top end of the pitch, with the likes of Marco Asensio, John McGinn, and Jacob Ramsey all vying for a place. Belgian duo Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana could operate as the two holding midfielders, while sought-after youngster Morgan Rogers seems a shoo-in to occupy one of the available attacking positions.
Aston Villa predicted line-up vs. Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Unai Emery
Emiliano Martínez (GK), Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Marcus Rashford
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
BBC One has exclusive broadcasting rights for Saturday’s semi-final, with coverage commencing 30 minutes before kick-off. Online audiences can catch the action on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with a full match replay available after the final whistle. This streaming service is accessible via all compatible electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Recent form and head-to-head record
After shipping five goals in consecutive Premier League contests, Crystal Palace have bounced back to claim respectable draws in each of their last two fixtures. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s late equalizer at the Emirates certainly would have buoyed the Eagles’ spirits, but a recent record of one win in six provides some cause for concern.
Having once again located the calm waters of mid-table mediocrity, Palace will no doubt have welcomed an extended FA Cup run. Following routine victories over Stockport County and Doncaster Rovers, Oliver Glasner’s men overcame South London rivals Millwall to set up a quarter-final tie against Fulham. Goals from attacking trio Eberechi Eze, Ismaïla Sarr, and Eddie Nketiah secured an impressive win at Craven Cottage, as Palace marched onto the last four of the competition.
Before Matheus Nunes’ last-gasp winner on Tuesday night, Aston Villa had triumphed in each of their last five Premier League fixtures. Although a difficult night in the French capital threatened to puncture their late-season momentum, the Villains responded by dispatching Southampton before putting on a brave display in the return leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Villa’s pathway to the semi-final started with back-to-back home wins over Premier League opposition, defeating West Ham United and Spurs within a four-week window. Another success at Villa Park then followed in the shape of a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City, before Marcus Rashford’s double eased Unai Emery’s men past Preston North End.
The first-ever meeting between these two clubs was ironically an FA Cup tie, although it occurred at a much earlier stage of the competition. Villa ran out 5-0 winners on that occasion, before going on to beat Sunderland in the 1913 final (in another notable coincidence, this fixture was played at Crystal Palace’s former ground).
The West Midlanders have historically had the edge over Palace, registering 23 wins and 16 draws in 56 meetings. Nevertheless, Aston Villa have failed to defeat the South Londoners since September 2023. After eliminating Saturday’s opponents in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup last October, Palace returned to Villa Park three weeks later to earn a valuable Premier League point.
Odds for Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Both teams have delivered a string of impressive performances in this season’s FA Cup, and therefore predicting a winner for Saturday’s tie is an enviable task.
Crystal Palace have been watertight at the back, conceding just one goal in the competition so far. Villa have also been defensively robust; only West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá and Frenchman Mathys Tel have managed to breach their resistance. Interestingly, the two teams have netted exactly nine FA Cup goals each this term. While six of Palace’s strikes have come before the interval, Villa have only scored one first-half goal to press. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely this tie will be decided after 45 minutes.
Having broken the deadlock in November’s clash between Saturday’s opponents, Ismaïla Sarr bagged a brace to help Palace secure an emphatic 4-1 triumph at Selhurst Park in the return fixture. Few would bet against the Senegalese to score against Villa again this weekend….
Betting tips
Crystal Palace to win and BTTS (Both teams to score): 11/2
Aston Villa to score in second-half: 4/6
Ismaïla Sarr to score or assist: 13/8
Marcus Rashford over 1.5 shots on target 7/2
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change