How high can the Eagles fly? And will they be able to deny the Red Devils a 12th FA Cup trophy?
If Crystal Palace skipper and Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak is the player who lifts the FA Cup trophy at Wembley on Saturday, it will complete a magical year for the underdog in English football, following Leicester City’s remarkable triumph in the league.
Palace, which narrowly survived relegation from the EPL this season, winning just two of its last 21 league matches, has turned its season around in reaching the final, where it comes face to face with the biggest club in the world, Manchester United.
It’s not the first time the two clubs have met in the FA Cup final. But the Eagles will be playing for a historical first-ever FA Cup trophy, having contested a final just once before, in 1990, ironically against today’s opponent Manchester United, when it lost in a replay 1-nil.
In the midfield for Palace that day was Alan Pardew, the current Crystal Palace manager, who hopes that some of the magic that fell on Leicester City in the league this season falls on his side in today’s final.
“It’s almost like some stardust has fallen on Leicester. We hope it falls on us in the final. Football isn’t all about logic. City deserves all the plaudits and it’s a lift for us, because it demonstrates the underdog can do it. And we are definitely that.”
While reaching the final has turned Palace’s season around, simply reaching the Cup final isn’t enough for a club of Manchester United’s stature. Its fans will be expecting a win from Louis Van Gaal’s team after the disappointment of missing out on a Champions League place by finishing fifth in the league behind fierce rival and neighbour Manchester City. The team also suffered early exits from the Champions and Europa league competitions this season.
United hasn’t had the ideal preparation, forced to hastily reschedule its last league match of the season against Bournemouth from the weekend to the Tuesday just passed, after a bomb scare at Old Trafford, interrupting its build-up to Saturday’s final.
There are a number of similarities between both teams. Both have tall powerful players in the middle, with Fellaini for United and Jedinak for Palace. Both are blessed with ample pace up front with Frenchman Anthony Martial and Englishman Marcus Rashford for United, while Palace has Bolasie and the tricky Zaha.
However, United has definitely held a firm upper hand in league encounters between the two teams since Palace returned to the Premier League in 2013-14, winning five of their six encounters and drawing in the other. The most recent match between the two just a month ago resulted in a 2-nil home win to Manchester United.
United are a strong favourite to win but Palace are capable of causing an upset.
What an occasion it would be for Palace’s Jedinak to lead his club to its first-ever FA Cup trophy, over the team which denied it silverware 26 years ago.