CRYSTAL PALACE and Aston Villa battle it out in a mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final tie at Wembley.
And the headline team news is that Marcus Rashford is not in the Villans squad due to a reported knock, while Ollie Watkins leads the line.
Today’s FA Cup semi-final is of huge significance to both clubs, as seven-time winners Villa hope to end their 29-year drought for a major trophy this term, while Palace look to claim their first.
- Kick-off time: 5:15pm BST
- FREE live stream: BBC iPlayer
- TV channel: BBC One
- Crystal Palace team: Henderson, Munoz, Richards, Guehi, Lacroix, Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Eze, Mateta
- Aston Villa team: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Asensio, Rogers, Watkins
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Electric atmosphere
The atmosphere is electric here at the home of football, with empty seats few and far between.
The Eagles fans sang loudly behind their team’s lineup announcement, while Villa fans at the opposite end of Wembley met each Palace player with a resounding boo.
Villa looking to bounce back
Aston Villa will be hoping to regain momentum after falling victim to a last minute winner scored by Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes on Tuesday.
With only four points between the Villans and Champions League football, a win here could propel them in the Premier League fight for Europe.
Credit: AP Crystal Palace unbeaten in last four meetings with Villa
The Eagles have won three of the last four meetings between the two sides, with the one fixture ending as a draw.
Palace knocked the Villans out of the League cup earlier this season and will be looking for more joy today.
Aston Villa are out
And, the Villans are out on the pitch warming up in front of a sea of claret and blue.
Marcus Rashford out with a ‘knock’
Reports suggest Marcus Rashford’s absence is down to a ‘knock’ and the winger will not miss the remainder of the season.
Fans were shocked to see the attacker’s name missing from Unai Emery’s team sheet.
Crystal Palace are out on the pitch
The Eagles fans welcomed their side out to warm up with a roar as they prepare for a historic FA Cup semi-final clash.
Keepers warming up
Both sides are warming up their respective goalies as fans make their way into the stadium here at Wembley.
Credit: Getty Rashford not in squad for Villa
Marcus Rashford has not been included in the Aston Villa squad for this afternoon’s semi-final.
The reason behind the Manchester United loanee’s disappearance is not yet clear, but Ollie Watkins has the chance to prove his worth up top.
Watkins has grown frustrated in recent weeks after Rashford was preferred in the Champions League quarter-final matches against PSG.
Aston Villa line-up CONFIRMED
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Asensio, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Mings, Maatsen, Garcia, Barkley, Onana, Bailey, Malen, Ramsey
Crystal Palace line-up CONFIRMED
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Munoz, Richards, Guehi, Lacroix, Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Eze, Mateta
Subs: Turner, Ward, Lerma, Chilwell, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Devenny, Nketiah
Not so Pally
Crystal Palace have enjoyed the better of their last four meetings with Aston Villa.
The Eagles have won three times and drawn once.
Oliver Glasner’s men knocked Villa out of the EFL Cup earlier this season with a 2-1 win at Villa Park in the last-16.
Should Palace eliminate the West Midlanders from the FA Cup too, they will become the first side since Tottenham in 1968/69 to knock Villa out of both domestic cup competitions in the same season.
Credit: Getty Palace’s route to Wembley
The Eagles have enjoyed a relatively straightforward route to the semi-finals, with three of their four FA Cup matches this season coming against teams from lower divisions.
Palace made a very difficult quarter-final tie away at London rivals Fulham look easy, smashing the Cottagers 3-0 on their own patch to progress to the last-4.
- Palace 1-0 Stockport (3rd round)
- Doncaster 0-2 Palace (4th round)
- Palace 3-1 Millwall (5th round)
- Fulham 0-3 Palace (Quarter-finals)
Emery looking to end Villa’s trophy drought
Aston Villa may be seven-time FA Cup winners, but only one of those triumphs has occurred during the last 100 years (1956/57).
Since then, the West Midlands outfit have won the European Cup (1981/82), First Division (1980/81) and the EFL Cup (1995/96) – meaning their last major trophy came 29 years ago.
Unai Emery will be determined to end Villa’s trophy drought, and he is well qualified to do so.
The Spaniard has enjoyed success in many big cup finals, winning the Europa League four times with Sevilla (3) and Valencia (1) and both domestic cups in France during his time at PSG.
Credit: Alamy Third time lucky for Palace?
The Eagles have made the final of the FA Cup twice in their history, losing to Manchester United on both occasions.
The first came back in 1990, losing 1-0 to the Red Devils in a replay after the initial final finished 3-3 after extra time.
26 years later, the two sides met again, with Man Utd running out 2-1 winners after extra-time.
Could the third time be the charm for Palace as they look to secure the first major trophy in their history?
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Hello and welcome to SunSport’s live blog of Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa!
The first of two blockbuster FA Cup semi-finals is here as both sides look to take one step closer to silverware.
Palace are seeking their first triumph in the iconic competition, while seven-time winners Aston Villa have their eyes on a spot in the final for the first time in a decade.
Oliver Glasner will know that winning the FA Cup is his side’s best shot at securing European football for next season.
But for the Villans, they are still well in the mix for qualifying for the Champions League through the league standings.
Both sides played in the week, with Unai Emery’s men falling to top-five rivals Manchester City late on, while Palace snatched a 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
The winner of today’s famous Wembley clash will meet either City or Nottingham Forest under the arch in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 17th.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
