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Key occasions
11 minutes: It’s nonetheless one-way site visitors on the Cottage, with the house aspect slowing the tempo down a little bit as they probe for a gap.
Andersen shoots from the sting of the field and wins one other nook as a sprawling Lerma makes the block.
9 minutes: Sarr concedes a nook after Willian tries to tee up Robinson with a stunning cushioned contact from the left wing. Fulham nonetheless on prime, as Bassey is denied on the again submit.
8 minutes: Willian is now 36, he left Fulham final yr to hitch Olympiacos and has come again, damaged again into the aspect and grow to be one in all Fulham’s key gamers once more. He’s enjoying on the left and mixing effectively with Pereira.
6 minutes: Marco Silva’s most marginal choice name was most likely to choose Muniz over Raul Jimenez, given the Mexican has been getting the nod more often than not within the Premier League.
Muniz has been sharp thus far although.
5 minutes: Fulham simply look that bit livelier in the mean time and so they’ve been faster to the second balls for positive. Wharton journeys Pereira to concede a free-kick and the previous Manchester United man performs it quick, earlier than Palace clear.
3 minutes: Muniz slips one simply broad after wriggling away from a few defenders in spectacular vogue. First rate likelihood, that.
2 minutes: It’s a reasonably assured begin from Fulham in possession. I like the way in which Calvin Bassey strides out of his place barely to the left of defence.
KICK OFF
Let’s do that. We’ve had flags being waved, balloons bouncing round within the stands and loads of noise from each units of supporters.
Proper let’s get our FA Cup quarter-final weekend on.
“Each crew left on this competitors will imagine they’ll win it,” chimes Ally McCoist on the ITV comms mic. Too proper. The groups are out.
I’d love somebody to elucidate the 12.15pm kick-off time of this sport. It’s not just like the Sheffield derby or the Outdated Agency the place it’s scheduled early to scale back pre-match ingesting, however I suppose neither fanbase has too far to journey so it’s far much less of a priority than when, say, Bournemouth are given a 12.30pm sport away at Newcastle. OK, perhaps I don’t have too many gripes in spite of everything.
An e-mail from Martin Brown:
Value noting the small story of [Joachim] Andersen. He moved to Fulham however made clear this was towards his personal needs, he beloved it at Palace. As a Palace fan I can see him scoring!
He’s a high quality participant for positive, Martin. I’d suppose a objective from him is quite unlikely although, if I can allay your fears considerably.
Oliver Glasner has been getting chatty with the ITV pundits on the resplendent Craven Cottage turf earlier than kick-off.
🗣️ “Palace are very affected person with their gamers, I believe it is the precise step for younger gamers.” 🦅
🗣️ “[Wharton] is such a tremendous soccer participant.” ✨
🗣️ “[Mateta] is such a stunning man.” ❤️
Oliver Glasner joins us forward of kickoff at Craven Cottage #FACup | #CPFC pic.twitter.com/OyK7IkZ0ac
— ITV Soccer (@itvfootball) March 29, 2025
Some studying across the weekend’s different FA Cup quarter-finals:
Palace have gained 10 of their previous 13 matches in all competitions, which is totally exceptional. Particularly so contemplating they began the season actually poorly, failing to win any of their first eight Premier League video games.
From a Crystal Palace perspective, it’s refreshing to see Jean-Philippe Mateta again within the beginning lineup after struggling a lacerated ear in a conflict with Millwall’s Liam Roberts within the FA Cup fifth spherical.
Mateta will lead the road in a nearly full energy Eagles aspect, flanked by Ebere Eze and Ismaïla Sarr, with Oliver Glasner choosing Jefferson Lerma within the engine room with Will Hughes absent by means of sickness. There’s lots to love about that Palace lineup – and so they’ve obtained a powerful away document of late, together with a 2-0 win at Fulham on 22 February.
Fulham fan Richard Hirst, presumably emailing in from south western France, is feeling the strain forward of kick-off:
“A lot of nerves and rigidity in SW France in addition to SW6. However I’m assured (who am I kidding!) that we are going to rejoice the fiftieth anniversary of our first cup ultimate with a return go to. COYW.”
Crew information
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Willian, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz.
Subs: Benda, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon, Reed, Cairney, Smith Rowe, Traoré, Jiménez.
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Muñoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell; Lerma, Wharton; Sarr, Eze, Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Clyne, Franca, Kamada, Nketiah, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny, Kporha.
It’s a stupendous sunny morning in west London and Craven Cottage, although not famend for its rocking ambiance, must be bang up for this one. The prize of a Wembley look for these two golf equipment is a biggie.
Preamble
It’s FA Cup quarter-final weekend, with the primary of those 4 barely unlikely ties – Manchester Metropolis aside – coming within the type of a London derby at Craven Cottage. Fulham and Crystal Palace are each chasing historical past on this competitors this season, having by no means lifted the cup. Palace got here shut almost a decade in the past in that 2016 ultimate towards Manchester United, (Alan Pardew’s dance, Jesse Lingard’s objective and all that) whereas it’s been 50 years since Fulham final obtained all the way in which to a Wembley showpiece. One among them is assured a semi-final journey to north London at the very least.
Jean-Philippe Mateta appears to be like set to make his return after struggling a nasty head damage in Palace’s earlier FA Cup sport towards Millwall, with each groups lucky sufficient to have come by means of the worldwide break with no lengthy record of absentees.
It is a actually powerful one to name, however must be uber-competitive: you’d need to go a good distance to seek out two units of supporters who’re extra up for the cup. Kick off is at 12.15pm GMT, so let’s get going – crew information will likely be upon us shortly.