Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa: FA Cup prediction, team news and lineups

FanSided World Football

·25 April 2025

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa: FA Cup prediction, team news and lineups

Crystal Palace are unbeaten in four meetings with Aston Villa, their longest such streak for 28 years, smashing them 4-1 at Selhurst when the pair most-recently went head-to-head in February.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa preview

Aston Villa are seven-times FA Cup winners, but they haven't hoisted this trophy aloft for 68 years, most-recently capturing any silverware in 1996. Crystal Palace meantime have never won a major trophy, beaten FA Cup finalists in 1990 and 2016, so which one will keep alive their hopes of glory?

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Aston Villa come into this huge tie at Wembley as favourites, given that they're 12 points better off in the Premier League, but have failed to win any of their last four encounters with Crystal Palace, so certainly won't be taking them lightly. Unai Emery's team have so far overcome West Ham, Tottenham, Cardiff and Preston as the Claret and Blue Army have reached the semis for the first time in a decade.

Overall, the Villans are in excellent form, winning ten of their last 12 across all competitions, dating back to a humbling at Selhurst. The two exceptions are away defeats at PSG and, most-recently, Man City, defeated 2-1 at the Etihad on Tuesday, the winner coming deep into stoppage time. So, having won five league games on the spin beforehand, they remain seventh, just two points outside the Champions League positions. For now, all Villa fans are fully focussed on seeing their side reach a 12th FA Cup Final, only seven clubs have featured in more, so will they prevail on Saturday evening?

As for Crystal Palace, they have dumped out Stockport, Doncaster, Millwall and Fulham to reach just a sixth semi-final, on the cusp of only a third final. In less good news, Oliver Glasner's side travel to Wembley without a win in four, first conceding five in back-to-back games against Manchester City and then Newcastle, thereby doing so for the first time in 90 years.

The Eagles have since stabilised with successive draws against Bournemouth and then Arsenal, coming from behind twice to earn a point on Wednesday; Eberechi Eze and then Jean-Philippe Mateta both scoring spectacular long-range strikes across North London. Nevertheless, with Palace entrenched in 12th, as always seems to be the case, they're fully focussed on this FA Cup semi-final, so will their excellent recent record against Villa continue?

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa head-to-head record

Matches Played: 56.

Crystal Palace Wins: 17. Draws: 16. Aston Villa Wins: 23.

Crystal Palace team news

Chris Richards can return in defence, having served his one-match suspension against Arsenal, while Will Hughes, Ismaïla Sarr and mid-week scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta will all return to the lineup. Oliver Glasner stuck to his word and went strong on Wednesday, hoping his team will benefit from the match rhythm, rather than being hindered by potential fatigue.

Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Guéhi, Lacroix; Muñoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze, Mateta.

Crystal Palace player to watch vs Aston Villa

Jean-Philippe Mateta spectacularly scored his 17th of the season on Wednesday, while he's previously scored five times against Aston Villa, only netting against Freiburg more frequently in his entire career.

Aston Villa team news

Unai Emery's lineups are tougher to predict, given that he's been forced to regularly rotate due to Villa's hectic schedule. Ollie Watkins, who was excellent during last weekend's thumping of Newcastle, has started only one of the Villans' last five matches, so will he return, or will two-time FA Cup winner Marcus Rashford continue to get the nod?

Elsewhere, the major question regards if Amadou Onana will continue alongside Boubacar Kamara at the base of midfield, or will the more attack-minded John McGinn or Marco Asensio return?

Aston Villa player to watch vs Crystal Palace

Marcus Rashford was part of the Manchester United team that beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final nine years ago. However, he's only ever scored twice in 17 meetings with the Eagles but, after bagging a brace in the previous round at Deepdale, could he be the difference at Wembley?

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa prediction

We think this semi-final is extremely tough to call, but we are backing Aston Villa to have enough, with their squad depth potentially key, given that extra time a distinct possibility: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa.