Glasner wants cool heads from Palace to avoid Brazil-like defeat in FA Cup final

Oliver Glasner urged his Crystal Palace players not to get caught up in the emotions of their FA Cup final, or they risk facing a similar fate as Brazil did at the 2014 World Cup.

Palace are competing in their third FA Cup final, having lost to Manchester United in both 1990 and 2016, against seven-time winners Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

The Eagles have beaten Fulham and Aston Villa on their way to Saturday’s showpiece match, but face a difficult test against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Palace are without a win in their last seven games against City (D3 L4) since a 2-0 win in the Premier League back in October 2021.

But Glasner’s team have impressed in the FA Cup this season, conceding just once in the competition while scoring exactly three goals in each of their last three matches.

However, with history beckoning for Palace, Glasner called for cool heads from his team, likening their fixture to Brazil’s semi-final defeat against at the 2014 World Cup.

Brazil were beaten 7-1 by 11 years ago, and the Palace boss believed that taking the emotion out of the game will be key for his players this weekend.

“Yes, this would be reward for an outstanding FA Cup journey, but I don’t really think about the trophy,” Glasner told a news conference on Friday.

“I can the World Cup in Brazil, and the Brazilian players were crying during the national anthem because of all these emotions that they wanted to give back to their country, winning the World Cup at home, and they lost 7-1 to in the semi-final.

“We shouldn’t feel pressure to bring silverware to Crystal Palace because this has never happened in the club’s history. We will give our best. This is our mindset tomorrow.”

One more step to go. #FC pic.twitter.com/iYVlKO38A8

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@FC) May 16, 2025

City have won their last three FA Cup meetings with Palace by an aggregate score of 18-4. The most recent meeting was in the fourth round in 2016-17, with the Citizens winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

Palace come into the clash as underdogs, with 16 points and eight places separating the two sides, but Glasner’s team can come into the contest with confidence.

Their victory over Tottenham last time out saw them equal their record Premier League points tally of 49 with two games of their league season remaining.

“Our preparation was more or less the same as for a Premier League game,” Glasner added.

“We focused on what we wanted to do. We analysed Man City, but 90% we were talking because this is what we can influence.

“The players did very well in the last couple of weeks, and we have a lot of confidence, looking forward to the final.”

Glasner also confirmed that he has a fully-fit squad to pick from, with midfielder Adam Wharton available again after missing the win at Spurs last weekend.