Manchester United and Crystal Palace are set to do battle once again as they compete for the prestigious FA cup at Wembley on Saturday. Both managers will be desperate to clinch a piece of silverware after having disappointing seasons with their respective clubs.
Although Alan Pardew’s side managed to escape
the drop zone this campaign, the team’s overall performances in the league,
which saw them finish 15th on the table, haven’t been a source of joy
to the Palace faithful. Louis Van Gaal, on the other hand, has failed to meet his
employer’s minimum expectation of qualifying for next season’s Uefa Champions
League and might be well on his way out of Manchester, after the heavy
speculations linking Portuguese manager; Jose Mourinho to the club.
This year’s final is a repeat of
the 1990 FA cup final, which saw Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United emerge victorious
in the replay of the final 1-0, after the first match finished 3-3 after extra time. Coincidentally, Alan
Padrew played for the losing side on that day and can establish himself as a
true Palace legend by guiding his club to what could be a huge upset and their
most significant trophy yet. It is worth noting that the 1990 win was Sir Alex Ferguson's first major trophy in charge of Manchester United, this could also be Louis Van Gaal's first trophy at the club. If Manchester United win on Saturday, it will be their
12th FA cup title, equaling the record currently held by rivals Arsenal.
Ian Wright Scoring for Palace in 1990 (Pic: BBC)
Crystal Palace had to deal with the likes of Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham, Reading and Watford en route to the final, while Manchester United defeated Sheffield Utd, Derby County, Shrewsbury, West Ham and Everton. Some will argue that Crystal Palace had a tougher road to the final, but none of that will matter at Wembley as both teams will give their all to win the title.
Louis Van Gaal will be pleased to
have a squad selection headache, as he has a fully fit squad at his disposal;
it is highly likely that Marcus Rashford and Golden boy Anthony Martial will lead
the attack for United while skipper Wayne Rooney will assume a role in the heart
of the midfield with a centre back pairing of Smalling and Blind and David De Gea
in goal. For Palace, only Welsh midfielder Joe Ledley has been officially ruled
out the clash, a central midfield pairing of Yohan Cabaye and Mile Jedinak is
likely to be employed, Yannick Bolasie, who was rested in Palace’s last premier
league game of the season is also likely to start as well as goalkeeper Wayne
Hennessey and striker Connor Wickham.
Will Crystal Palace pull off a
huge upset and have their revenge for the 1990 final loss? Or will lightening
strike the same place twice? A truly magnificent cup final awaits us at
Wembley on Saturday.
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