The last time that Unai Emery defeated Crystal Palace, **Roy Hodgson**was sitting in the dugout.
Since then, the Eagles earned a 5-0 victory against the Villans to end the 2023/24 campaign, drew 2-2 at Villa Park, won 4-1 at Selhurst Park,, and defeated Emery's men 3-0 in the **FA Cup**semi-final.
Two men doing an excellent job with stretched resources meet again at Villa Park, where the hosts have not lost for more than twelve months. Can Palace tip the scales in their favour once more?
How will a midweek match affect the performance?
Palace were not walking into the season with a big squad. Borna Sosa signed from **Ajax**to take the place of **Ben Chilwell**as their deputy left wing-back. Walter Benitez brought in European experience from Nice and **PSV Eindhoven**as an extra shot stopper, but he does nothing for the starting eleven.
Now, Glasner will be holding his men to high standards with the extra load of midweek matches. The first experience last week saw their first fixture in European competition, the first leg of the playoff qualifier with Fredrikstad, and two draws sandwiched a closely fought 1-0 win on Thursday night.
Dropping points away at **Chelsea**and against Nottingham Forest is not a dismal sign. But even the manager mentioned the physical fatigue from playing three times in seven days took its toll against the Tricky Trees. The guests got the equaliser after half time and made the most of their openings.
This week, there were barely any changes for the trip to Norway. Tyrick Mitchell made way for Sosa, Will Hughes was unavailable, and Justin Devenny replaced the returning Daichi Kamada off the bench. With no more confirmed incomings, time will tell how well the group holds up on Sunday.
**Yeremy Pino**has since signed for the Eagles from Villarreal. A winger by trade, the Spaniard should add quality to the offence. But one cannot expect him to be a seamless replacement for Eberechi Eze.
Palace are not likely to be at their best physically, and minds might be weary. A perfect performance at Wembley will be the standard, but it will be a struggle to stay that strong for the full ninety minutes.
Firm tactical foundations but will there be the quality to match?
Both managers have been at their respective clubs for long enough to implement an identity. Glasner has been in South London for 18 months, and Emery in the Midlands for the best part of three years.
Through the last two fixtures, Palace have shown how their identity has evolved in the new year.
Both times, Palace had less than 40% of the possession in contrast to many of their matches from the start of the 2024/25 season. But they are comfortable sitting into their deep defence with a disciplined 5-2-3 block. That traits has remained on display this term against **Chelsea**and Nottingham Forest.
Moreover, when the time is right, they have the tools to spring counters. Adam Wharton is brilliant at feeding first time passes down the gut of an opponent to propel transitions. **Jean-Philippe Mateta**is a streetwise striker with the mobility to manhandle defenders, and **Ismaila Sarr**shines in space.
All those tools are still present, and the camp can take confidence from the hit-and-run that **Brentford**executed last weekend when they left Emery's men frustrated with a higher share of the possession.
But the talismanic ten of the last few years has that something special on the ball to make a difference. There will be days when Eze's presence is missed, and the hope will be that day is not tomorrow.