BY ANDREW MCSTEEN
In their four FA Cup games so far this season Crystal Palace have conceded just one goal – against their South London rivals Millwall in the fifth round.
A third round 1-0 win against Stockport was followed by a 2-0 win against Doncaster. Millwall were then dispatched 3-1 and, most recently, Fulham were seen off in the quarter-final 3-0.
Today the Eagles face Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, a team they have remained unbeaten against this season, securing two wins and a draw, but conceding in all three.
“It’s always important,” said manager Oliver Glasner to the South London Press about how crucial the defence will be against their Midlands rivals at the national stadium.
“We’re always talking about the basics – with all the respect for every single opposition team, whether you play at Doncaster or you play at Manchester City. It’s always crucial and we’re always talking about having a great, good balance.
“But I don’t just want to talk about defending, because if you want to win the game, you also have to score and we want to win the game within 90 minutes. If it takes 120 minutes, we will take 120. If we need penalties, we will try to win it on penalties. But the goal is to win it within 90 minutes, and therefore we need to score.”
On Wednesday, against Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal, Glasner’s side had just 32.3 per cent possession but came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw and this goalscoring intent is what the Austrian wants to see at the national stadium on Saturday.
“At the Emirates, most of the time we were defending in a very compact shape, but when we have the opportunity to go forward, then let’s go forward,” he explained. “This is how we want to play tomorrow, again.”
