Crystal Palace must seize Wembley moment with FA Cup final triumph to enter history books | OneFootball

Oliver Glasner’s side would guarantee a place in club folklore for eternity if they toppled Manchester City to win the club’s first-ever major trophy

Much of the talk in the lead-up to judgement day has been about whether this is the most talented team in Crystal Palace’s history, whether they are the most likeable, whether they would be the most fitting winners of the club’s first-ever major trophy.

Those things may well all be true. They may well not be. The most important thing as far as Oliver Glasner and his high-flying Eagles are concerned is the opportunity that presents itself on Saturday.

Palace must seize the moment at Wembley, in front of around 40,000 of their fans and with more than £45,000 worth of tifos and displays to push them on.

The club’s history in FA Cup finals, like its tapestry more broadly, is one of desperately near-misses. In previous finals, in 1990 and 2016, Palace were so close to getting their hands on the trophy, only to lose out to Manchester United on both occasions.

Standing in their way this time are seven-time winners Manchester City, intent on avoiding the ignominy of a season without silverware, chasing their 19th major honour in the nine years since Pep Guardiola first took charge.

Might glory mean a little more to Palace than their opponents, then? Would this be a fair conclusion?

“I don’t know,” Glasner replied, when asked that very question on the eve of the game. “If something is the first time in your life then maybe it means more to you than when you have it every single year.

If something is the first time then maybe it means more to you than when you have it every single year

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner

No doubt. City may still not be the leanest version of themselves, but the second half of their season has been far more convincing than the first.

They will head to Wembley as favourites, keen to avenge last year’s FA Cup final defeat by Erik ten Hag’s United and victorious over Palace in the Premier League, by five goals to two, a little over a month ago.

Quizzed as to whether having the neutrals onside brings extra pressure, Glasner said: “Not at all. Not one per cent.” He and his players can afford only to have laser focus on their side of the bargain, on what they can control.

A handful of the Eagles’ better players, including Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze, may well be the subject of transfer interest this summer irrespective of the result, meaning even more if they are crowned winners at Wembley.

But Glasner is not concerned that Saturday will be the end of an era rather than the start of bigger things to come.

“It definitely won’t be the end… because we play on Tuesday against Wolves and then we go to Liverpool,” he exclaimed at his press conference on Friday, his frankness raising a chuckle in the room.

Glasner knew what he was doing — his wry reply holding an important point but not belittling the magnitude of the game that stands before him and his players.

One win from greatness: Oliver Glasner knows all about upsetting the odds to seal glory in a major domestic final

The FA via Getty Images

“When you go and celebrate, when you come home, showing the trophy to the fans and all these celebrations, all these positive feelings, these are the things that will always stay in my heart and in my mind,” Glasner smiled, remembering when, as a player, he was part of a modest SV Ried side who defied the odds to win the Austrian Cup in 1998.

“When you win a trophy, these moments stay forever. These moments, these feelings, this togetherness, you will always feel. A few years ago, we had the 25th anniversary of winning that trophy.

Get it right on one Saturday afternoon of football and his players will become that Palace team from 2025. And so to judgement day, to find out.