FA Cup semi-finals: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa, Forest vs Man City
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
Crystal Palace booked their place for this semi-final trip to Wembley by turning over Fulham 3-0 in the quarter-finals.
But that win came at a time when the Eagles were, yep, flying. In recent weeks, Palace have flown a little too close to the sun – and come back down to earth in chastening fashion.
Before the Easter break, Oliver Glasner’s side shipped five goals in back-to-back league matches, losing 5-2 to Man City, despite having taken a two-goal lead after 21 minutes – and then going down 5-0 away to Newcastle a few days later.
After a pair of painful defeats like that, a goalless draw against Bournemouth at the weekend must have felt like progress.
And more positively still, Palace will have taken much satisfaction from their midweek encounter with Arsenal – it ended 2-2 at the Emirates, with the visitors looking impressive.
Of course, Villa have been pretty tasty lately too, even if they did lose to Man City 2-1 midweek.
Before that, a pulverising 4-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend showed what Unai Emery’s side are capable of. Are they capable of beating Crystal Palace, though?
They’ve failed in their last four attempts, including three meetings already this season. That’s an away defeat in the Prem, a draw at home, and defeat in the Carabao Cup too.
Will victory remain elusive for the Villans on Saturday? I’m tempted to back the south London team to win once again, which, given my recent record, presumably means Villa will sail to victory. Still, for better or worse I’m backing Palace to go through to the final at 5/4.
Nottingham Forest vs Man City
Forest arrested a two-match losing streak with a win over Tottenham last time out. But Man City may prove a more unforgiving opponent on Sunday.
Forest have had a remarkable season and beat City 1-0 last time the two sides met. But Pep Guardiola’s team seem to have belatedly rediscovered some of their former relentless quality.
On a six-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, City have little left to play for this season besides the FA Cup. Does that mean they’ll be extra motivated to leave the Tricky Trees’ defence looking like balsa wood at Wembley?
The traders say yes, with City short-priced favourites to win here. But perhaps Forest can still frustrate the favs. After all, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team were the last side to beat City.
In any case, maybe it’s better to take a chance on this one proving to be a cautious affair, from two managers who may put the emphasis on avoiding mistakes, rather than going all out for glory. Under 2.5 goals is a 19/20 shot, while the match is 21/4 to go to penalties.
To bet on a wide range of markets, visit 32Red Sport today. If you’re looking for a different kind of flutter, check out our 32Red Casino site. There’s plenty of slots and table games to keep you entertained!
