Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Prediction, Preview & Lineups: Who Will Win Saturday's FA Cup Semi-Final?

Crystal Palace and Aston Villa face off at Wembley on Saturday evening for a spot in the FA Cup Final.

Both clubs have history within their sights as the Eagles have hopes of winning the famous trophy for the first time, while Villa are bidding for their first triumph since 1956/57.

Read on for Matthew O’Regan best betting tips and predictions ahead of the game, which kicks-off at 5.15pm on Saturday, live on BBC 1.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Preview

Oliver Glasner has complained in his press conferences about the unfair advantage that Villa have over Palace due to having played a game later than the Villains- criticism, which is bound to wind up Unai Emery given their European exploits.

The Eagles have had a relatively pleasant run to Wembley, beating Stockport 1-0, Doncaster 0-2, Millwall 3-1 and then impressively dismantling Fulham 0-3 at Craven Cottage.

Palace were one of the inform teams in 2025 but have stuttered in recent weeks, with their only win in April coming at home to bitter rivals Brighton. To the surprise of many, Glasner chose not to rotate too heavily in the midweek draw with Arsenal, with only a few first-teamers rested.

Aston Villa have gone nearly 30 years without a major trophy since their 1996 English League Cup triumph, but hope has been renewed under the stewardship of Unai Emery.

The Villains reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Conference League last season, before being edged out over two legs against PSG in the Champions League quarter final this campaign.

Since losing 0-4 to Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup final, Villa have progressed past the third round on just two occasions, losing to Manchester City in the fourth round in 2016 and at the same stage against Chelsea last year. This campaign started with back-to-back 2-1 home wins against Premier League opposition in West Ham and Tottenham, before sweeping aside Championship sides Cardiff and Preston in the next rounds.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

Aston Villa’s last gasp 2-1 defeat to Manchester City was a big blow to their Champions League chase, but Emery can take solace in the fact that it was their first domestic defeat since against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on the 25th February. Prior to this, Villa had won ten of their last 11 games in all competitions, with their only defeat coming away at the invincible PSG.

Unai Emery is a manager who excels in cup competitions, possessing a team packed full of match-winning experience. Playing against a Crystal Palace side with just one in six, I predict Villa to get the better of The Eagles in a close encounter.

Oliver Glasner sets his side up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with emphasis on a fast and aggressive back three.

Marc Guehi is the embodiment of this, with the 24-year-old possessing terrific recovery pace. The 24-year-old has made a foul in 11 of his last 13 appearances and a tackle in his last 13 games and 20 of the last 21.

With Palace expected to sit back and counter, Guehi could have a lot of defensive actions to complete, with the player priced at 6/5 to have over 0.5 fouls and over 0.5 tackles.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Lineups

Injury wise, Crystal Palace are without Ben Chilwell (illness), Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad (knee injury), while Villa have a clean slate to choose from.

The lineups for Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa will be displayed below approximately one hour before kick-off.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Bet Boosts

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Odds