A mismatch in the animal kingdom, the Eagles and the Lions collide in a colossal FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday, as Crystal Palace and Aston Villa fight for the right to play under the arch again next month.
Either Nottingham Forest or Manchester City will be standing in the victor's way of stardom, which Palace are yet to achieve in the prestigious competition, while the Villans are bidding to reach final number 12.
Match preview
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Twice before Crystal Palace have contested an FA Cup final, and twice they fell to the superiority of Manchester United, firstly suffering heartbreak in the 1990 edition following a replay and then being subjected to extra-time misery against the Red Devils 26 years later.
However, the third time may just be the charm for the capital outfit, who have taken down Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall and most recently Fulham en route to the home of English football, impressively slaying the latter 3-0 in the last eight.
If the Eagles' FA Cup semi-final history is anything to go by, the Palace army have every reason to be optimistic; their side have alternated between defeats and wins in their previous five matches at this stage of the tournament, most recently losing to Chelsea in 2022, suggesting that victory is on the cards if that trend is to continue.
Oliver Glasner's men may head to Wembley with an unsightly four-game winless run on their record, but their efforts in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal were valiant, as was their staunch defending with 10 men in a previous goalless stalemate with European outsiders Bournemouth.
Thanks to Eberechi Eze's delightful volley and Jean-Philippe Mateta's equally exquisite finish against Arsenal, the Eagles have also netted multiple goals in eight of their last 10 matches away from their Selhurst Park home, and 2021-22 Europa League winner Glasner in no stranger to knockout supremacy.
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Of course, the Austrian's opposite number Unai Emery has also garnered a reputation as a silverware specialist from his time in Spain and France, and the four-time Europa League-winning manager now seeks a maiden honour in English football to add to his impressive collection.
Thanks to Emery's former club Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League trophy will not be on display at Villa Park next season, but the Lions have taken down all of Preston North End, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Cardiff City to reach their first FA Cup semi for a decade.
That 2-1 win over Liverpool in 2015 preceded a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal in the final, though, and a team with seven FA Cups to their name already are long overdue an eighth; their last triumph in the tournament came all the way back in 1957.
However, the highs of thrashing Newcastle United 4-1 last weekend preceded the lows of conceding a last-minute goal to Manchester City in midweek, where an excruciating 2-1 loss to the Premier League champions left the Lions two points adrift of the Champions League places.
While it is FA Cup or bust for Crystal Palace, the Lions cannot afford to prioritise one competition over the other at this late stage, but a stellar 17-game scoring sequence across all competitions is aiding their quest on both fronts.
Vengeance will also be firmly on the minds of Emery's side, who were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Crystal Palace earlier this season and also suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at Selhurst Park as recently as February, further raising the stakes for a captivating Wembley contest.
Team News
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One week after his contentious red card in the stalemate with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace's Chris Richards returns to the fray following his suspension, leaving only Chadi Riad (knee) and Cheick Doucoure (knee) as the Eagles' confirmed absentees; Ben Chilwell has recovered from sickness but would not have started anyway.
Richards has become a mainstay of this Palace defence and will no doubt slot straight back into the XI, potentially as a straight swap for Jefferson Lerma if Glasner opts for the fresh legs of Will Hughes alongside Adam Wharton in midfield.
Selecting Justin Devenny and Eddie Nketiah at the Emirates showed where Glasner's priorities lie, and the Eagles boss will no doubt bring Mateta and Ismaila Sarr back in to the attacking trident alongside the effervescent Eze.
Meanwhile, Villa have reported a clean bill of health for Saturday's semi-final, where Emery's only missing player will be the cup-tied Axel Disasi, whose omission will not have a major impact on his manager's plans.
The Villa boss notably dropped Ollie Watkins from the first XI at the Etihad, immediately after the England international marked his return to the lineup with a 33rd-second opener against Newcastle, one that saw him draw level with Gabriel Agbonlahor for the most all-time Premier League goals for Villa.
However, Watkins will surely be selected to spearhead the charge on Saturday, while the influential John McGinn will no doubt be recalled too; the Scotland international is one of three survivors from Villa's last trip to Wembley in the 2019 Championship playoff final, alongside Tyrone Mings and the ostracised Kortney Hause.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Rashford; Watkins
We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa
The fact that Aston Villa have failed to win any of their last four games against Crystal Palace - conceding 13 goals in the process - makes Saturday's semi-final all the more intriguing, as Emery's men may ordinarily edge this battle on paper.
Ultimately, though, we also have faith in the Lions to edge this one on the field too; with an extra day's rest, a fully-fit squad and a fired-up Watkins who thrives after a starting XI snub, Emery should make another final as Palace's painful wait for FA Cup trophy number one goes on.
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Ben Knapton
