It’s the first FA Cup semi-final of 2024-25 as Crystal Palace and Aston Villa face off at Wembley on Saturday. One of these sides will earn the honour to play either Nottingham Forest or Man City under the famous arch once again next month.
By Alex Roberts
We’ve reached the point where there are no dark horses, every side still in the tournament has earned the right to be here. It’s been 29 years since Villa last won a trophy, while Palace have never won a piece of ‘major’ silverware.
Both Unai Emery and Oliver Glasner will need to put that out of their respective minds, however. In order to make history, they need to focus on the present.
Trouble in paradise?
Star striker Ollie Watkins has found himself dropped for some of Villa’s biggest games of the season, including Tuesday’s defeat to Man City. Emery decided to go with Marcus Rashford in the number nine spot, a decision that paid off to an extent considering he scored, albeit a penalty.
Watkins recently admitted he was left ‘fuming’ after missing out on a starting place in both of the Champions League quarter final games against Paris Saint Germain, and although Emery brushed off any notion of a bust-up, things don’t appear like they once were.
Top quality number nines are hard to come by nowadays, and Watkins is certainly one of them. Emery is risking unsettling the England international. Despite what many may think, Rashford is not an out and out striker. Dropping Watkins in yet another massive cup tie would be risky business from Emery.
Daniel Muñoz is a star
The right-wingback is absolutely thriving under Oliver Glasner at Palace. Solid defensively as well as a consistent attacking threat, Muñoz has already scored twice in his four FA Cup games, playing a key role in getting them here.
In the league, he’s proven to be their best tackler with 2.2 successful tackles per 90 minutes and a 64.2% success rate. He’s genuinely hard to get past, and some of the best wingers in the country have tried and failed to get the better of him.
He fits Glasner’s system like a glove but of course links with a move away have started to circulate despite the recent signing of a new contract. Palace are a side on the up under the Austrian, reaching the FA Cup semi-final is testament to how far they’ve come. Showing that kind of ambition will keep players like Muñoz at the club.
An ex-wonderkid living up to the hype
For those of us who are old enough to have played FIFA 16, we all saw this Youri Tielemans renaissance coming from a mile away. It’s been a roundabout journey, from Anderlecht, to Monaco, and then Leicester City but now he’s finally the main man for one of the best sides in England.
Aging like fine wine, he’s arguably the best midfield general in the Premier League right now. Sitting just ahead of the defence or a little further forward, he has an impressive 88.3% pass accuracy rate, created five chances, and 12 accurate long balls in his previous four FA Cup appearances. A true midfield orchestrator.
He’s what every club in the world wants and needs, a player who turns up in the big games, and this may be the biggest of his Villa career… so far. Tielemans starred in the 3-2 win over PSG and then the 4-1 victory over Newcastle. We’ve now reached the business end of the season, it’s time to reach that 88 potential rating.
Prediction
To quote almost every pundit in the country, it’s going to depend on “who wants it more.” This is the type of game where form goes out the window but one of them needs to win. We’re going to go with 2-2 after extra time and then Villa on penalties.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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