Oliver Glasner has acknowledged that lifting the FA Cup might carry more significance for Crystal Palace compared to their final opponents Manchester City.
As both teams ready themselves for the Wembley showdown, Pep Guardiola is set to lead Man City in pursuit of his 19th trophy in a dazzling nine-year span with the club. In contrast, Palace are vying for the first major silverware in their history.
Glasner insists his men have blocked out the noise and will approach the contest like any other, but there will be tens of thousands sporting red and blue on Saturday afternoon who will be utterly unable to treat the occasion as mere business as usual.
While not entirely declaring that the cup would mean more to Palace, Glasner did admit: “If something is the first time in your life, then maybe it means more to you then when you have it every single year.
“Under Pep, how many trophies they have won, how many City have, how many finals they have played, it’s definitely more than Crystal Palace have. Still, for the players, for a manager, for a club, winning a trophy is always something great in a season.
“So I don’t expect that they will wave the white flag and then say, ‘OK, it’s a first title for Crystal Palace, you should get it.’ I think they will fight to win it.”
The crowdfunding effort for Palace’s fan display at Wembley has surpassed £45,000, including contributions from Eagles players Dean Henderson and Chris Richards as well as Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee, a lifelong supporter.
Glasner has a fully-fit squad at his disposal apart from his long-term absentees, with midfielder Adam Wharton available after missing Sunday’s Premier League triumph over Tottenham. The sides drew 2-2 when they played each other at Selhurst Park in December, but Guardiola’s men more recently came back to claim a 5-2 Premier League victory at the Etihad Stadium last month.
“It’s football,” Glasner said of Palace’s chances at Wembley. “So many things can happen, but we want to do it in our way. We will do it in our way, and then I think we have the best chances to win the final.
“I think City will do the same. This is why 90,000 will watch, and I don’t know how many millions more on TV, because nobody knows the result, but we feel ready to win it.”
Questions loom over the future of the Austrian boss, still in just his first full season at Selhurst Park but drawing rumoured interest from sides including RB Leipzig and Tottenham. A number of players including captain Marc Guehi – whose deal expires next summer – have also been linked to moves elsewhere this summer.
Asked how important lifting a trophy with Palace could be – and that speculation – Guehi replied: “I think the most important is just always doing the best I can for this football club.
“I come in every day and I try to be the same. I try to work hard. This football club has given me a lot. I’m still under contract at this football club. The most important is just doing the best I can and then seeing what the future holds.”
