Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace fans, we asked you to show us how you're preparing for the Eagles' third-ever FA Cup final at Wembley.

It could be a magical day in the capital - with around 30,786 of you travelling down - and plenty of you seem ready to see the club claim its first major trophy in its history.

So what's the overwhelming feeling? Nerves, excitement or anticipation?

Here are some of your replies:

Pedro: I'm excited and nervous like a child waiting for Christmas, hoping that Palace's Santa brings the FA Cup to south London. After waiting over 50 years - man and boy - I believe Palace will deliver and give me one of the happiest days of my life!

Laura: We've been celebrating Palace's third trip to the final by decorating the house and having a BBQ with as much red and blue as possible! Up the Palace. Bring it home to south London boys!

Sam: I flew all the way from my home in Johannesburg on Thursday via Frankfurt, as an unaccompanied minor, just to experience this unbelievable game. I can't believe how lucky I was to get tickets to see the Eagles' third FA Cup final. I'm ready for the iconic walk to Wembley - I can't wait!

Graham: Third time lucky OR, better still, make our own luck by playing excellent and positive football!

Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison looks to the FA Cup final when the Eagles take on Manchester City on Saturday.

Watch a clip below or The Football News Show in full here

As Oliver Glasner prepares for a landmark day in Crystal Palace's history, his impact at the club is being scrutinised.

Since he took the helm:

• He has the best points per game record of any Palace Premier League manager.

• Crystal Palace need one more point for their highest ever Premier League points total.

• Since a winless period in first eight games of this season, Palace would be sixth in the Premier League from their results.

• Palace are seventh in a league table calculated from his first game in charge last February.

It is not long now until Crystal Palace face Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final at Wembley.

To get you in the mood, here are the goals that secured Palace's spot in the final...

Follow the FA Cup final across BBC Sport, with live coverage on BBC One, Radio 5 Live, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Image source, Getty Images

The big day is edging nearer and the nerves are rising.

But who will come out on top when Crystal Palace take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday?

We put some questions to our fan contributors for each team to see how they are feeling before the big game...

Jay Crame
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Here is what our Crystal Palace supporter had to say on questions put to them before the FA Cup final with Manchester City...

How confident are you that Palace can win the trophy and what would it mean?

Confidence is not a word in the Palace fan vocabulary so we will not be using that term. I think I speak for most fans when I say the nerves are starting to jangle already! This will be our third shot at winning the FA Cup so we are very much hoping that 'lady luck' will be looking down on us this time around.

For Palace to win the FA Cup would mean everything. To have come close on two occasions really does hurt. When you talk to Wigan and Portsmouth fans, to have your name on that famous old trophy means absolutely everything, no matter how the footballing gods have treated them since.

Who will be your game-changer?

The obvious answer is Eberechi Eze as he is in red-hot form heading into the final, and while he gets all the headlines, this Palace side have a number of players that could be game-changers, including Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Daniel Munoz.

But, I have not mentioned the back-line and they will be key as they have been great this season - even more so since Chris Richards returned to the starting line-up.

Who or what concerns you most about City?

It is Manchester City - outgoing Premier League champions, former Champions League winners who head into the final off the back of their worst season in some time, their star striker is back fit, and they are managed by Pep Guardiola. There is plenty there to concern us, especially as this is their last chance of silverware this campaign.

Palace do have the ammunition to beat this City side and showed some of that in the game at the Etihad a few weeks back, but more than that, the Eagles have a very astute manager. Oliver Glasner is arguably the best manager that has ever taken charge of the club and gives us the best chance of getting a victory.

Score prediction?

Do we have to? OK, so let's be bold here and go for a 2-1 win for Palace. London will literally be painted red and blue!

Find more from Jay Crame at The Eagles Beak, external

Our Manchester City fan contributor was asked three questions before the FA Cup final:

• How confident are you that City can win the trophy and what would it mean?

• Who will be your game-changer?

• Who or what concerns you most about Crystal Palace?

This is what Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany, external had to say...

Saturday's FA Cup final will see Manchester City take on Crystal Palace at Wembley.

But should the semi-finals of the competition still be played at Wembley?

Manchester City fan Amos and Crystal Palace fan Dan give us their thoughts on the latest edition of The Football News Show.

Catch the full episode here

Listen to full match commentary of Crystal Palace vs Manchester City on BBC Radio 5 live from 15:30 BST on Saturday

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday's FA Cup final could provide the dream send-off for Manchester City captain Kevin de Bruyne, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season.

Victory over Crystal Palace at Wembley will give City some satisfaction in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

I asked City boss Pep Guardiola about the threats that the Eagles players will provide and he mentioned Eberechi Eze's "quality", Ismaila Sarr's "pace" and how "strong" Jean-Philippe Mateta is.

But one name of interest stood out.

Guardiola said: "[Adam] Wharton is a really good holding midfielder who links well inside."

Wharton is only 21 and his performances for Palace have led to a call-up into the England national team. He could form the platform for the Three Lions in the middle of the park for years to come.

With De Bruyne departing and 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan not hitting the heights of his first spell, City are desperately in need of a midfield rebuild.

Along with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders, Wharton has been linked with a move to City in the summer.

Guardiola has clearly spotted the potential of the player and after being passed fit for the showpiece, Saturday may well be an opportunity for a City audition for Wharton.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi believes there is no such thing as an ideal time to play Manchester City.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final, the England defender laughed off the idea that city had 'slipped off' and insisted Palace are prepared for a tough game:

"Have they slipped off, they are in another final, so I don't know?" said Guehi.

"We all know how good Man City are and their quality. Like the manager [Glasner] said, we will focus on ourselves, on doing the best we can for the fans.

"The fans have been fantastic, not only this season but every single season. They back the team and the players and it would be really nice for them to have this piece of silverware."

Guehi was also asked about his future at Selhurst Park, with reports linking him with a move in the summer.

"I think the most important [thing] is doing my best for this football club. I come in every day and I try to be the same, I try to work hard and this football club has given me a lot," he said.

"I'm still under contract so my focus is always at this football club and the most important thing is doing the best I can and seeing what the future holds."

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Glasner said there will be some "tough but good decisions to take" on his starting line-up and that "it's positive news, everyone is fit." He added "Adam [Wharton] trained the whole week and is available."

• On his side's preparation for the final: "It feels like a normal game. There's much more attention and interviews to do during the week, but our preparations have been more or less the same as for a Premier League game, like they were for the semi-final and quarter-final. We have a lot of confidence and are looking forward to the final."

• When asked how he would feel if Palace won, Glasner said: "You can ask me after the game - I don't talk about this because we haven't won anything. We have a great game in front of us but I don't talk about if this happens or that happens. When it happens we can talk about it. We feel well prepared for this game and as Marc [Guehi] said, we will give our best every single one [of us]".

• On the magic of the FA Cup: "Just have a look around – it's the magic [around you]. There are more cameras and journalists than the last few months [put] together. It's a lot of attention and playing in the biggest stadium in front of 90,000 fans is something special."

• Glasner added: "Everybody wants to play in a final at Wembley and we are all in a privileged situation that we can experience it and [I think there should be] a lot of joy and positivity about this final."

• The Austrian said he hopes his "back is good enough" to lift the FA Cup but that his side "shouldn't feel pressure to bring silverware to Crystal Place as this hasn't happened before in the clubs history".

• On whether it means more to Palace than City: "If something is [happening for] the first time in your life it means more than something you do every single year. But I think still for a manager, for a player, and for a club winning a trophy is always something great in a season so I don't expect them to wave us the white flag and say 'it's a first title for Crystal Palace, you should get it.' I think they will fight to win it."

Listen to full match commentary of Crystal Palace vs Manchester City on BBC Radio 5 live from 15:30 BST on Saturday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace are around 24 hours away from taking part in their third-ever FA Cup final at Wembley.

Manchester City are the only team standing in the way of the Eagles getting their hands on their first major trophy in their history.

Whether you are one of the lucky 30,786 travelling fans or you have other plans for what could be a very special day, we want to hear from you.

Let us know how you're preparing for a big day, how the nerves are holding up and if there are banners and flags being made - or if you're meeting up with friends already - send in your pictures here.

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

Let go by Arsenal. Released by Fulham and Reading. Trials at Bristol City and Sunderland that came to nothing. Told by Millwall: "thanks, but no thanks." All before the age of 18.

It would have been easy for Eberechi Eze to give up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

After all, the youngster from a council estate in Greenwich, south-east London, had experienced nothing but pain, frustration and crushing rejection.

"I remember facing Arsenal a few months after being released by them [at the age of 13] and welling up because of all the emotions and not dealing properly with the feelings of being released," says Eze.

"I didn't know how to process it. I had tears ready to pour down my face."

Read more in depth on Eze's journey from rejection to Wembley

It hasn't been the season that Manchester City wanted but their bid for a top-five finish is still in their own hands, despite their slip-up against Southampton last week, and they will see it as being important that they end up with a trophy.

Most clubs would be absolutely delighted with that, including Palace, but for Pep Guardiola and for City, it won't be good enough.

I just have a feeling this is going to be a classic FA Cup final - I really hope so, anyway.

We know Palace can cause City problems from their trip to Etihad Stadium a few weeks ago.

City won 5-2 in the end but I don't think that scoreline really reflects what a close contest it was - Palace went 2-0 up and only a marginal offside call stopped them from leading 3-0 before Pep's side fought back.

That will give Palace plenty of confidence, even though City will be favourites and have got lots more experience of a big occasion.

So, this will be close. I am going to go with my heart over my head and say that, this time, Palace will win.

Sutton's prediction: 3-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is set to be the first Austrian to take charge of a team in the FA Cup final, while opposition manager Pep Guardiola has won the FA Cup twice and the League Cup four times in his time in England so far.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has failed to score in any of his five appearances at Wembley, with three of those coming in the FA Cup. This is the most games Haaland has played for City at a specific venue without finding the net.

Palace forward Eddie Nketiah has been involved in a goal in each of his past three FA Cup appearances (two goals, one assist), all as a substitute. He has also won the FA Cup once before, playing eight minutes from the bench in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Chelsea in 2020.