2 mins: It’s a fairly confident start from Fulham in possession. I like the way Calvin Bassey strides out of his position slightly to the left of defence.
Let’s do this. We’ve had flags being waved, balloons bouncing around in the stands and plenty of noise from both sets of supporters.
Right let’s get our FA Cup quarter-final weekend on.
“Every team left in this competition will believe they can win it,” chimes Ally McCoist on the ITV comms mic. Too right. The teams are out.
I’d love someone to explain the 12.15pm kick-off time of this game. It’s not like the Sheffield derby or the Old Firm where it’s scheduled early to reduce pre-match drinking, but I guess neither fanbase has too far to travel so it’s far less of a concern than when, say, Bournemouth are given a 12.30pm game away at Newcastle. OK, maybe I don’t have too many gripes after all.
An email from Martin Brown:
Worth noting the small story of [Joachim] Andersen. He moved to Fulham but made clear this was against his own wishes, he loved it at Palace. As a Palace fan I can see him scoring!
He’s a quality player for sure, Martin. I would think a goal from him is rather unlikely though, if I can allay your fears somewhat.
Oliver Glasner has been getting chatty with the ITV pundits on the resplendent Craven Cottage turf before kick-off.
Some reading around the weekend’s other FA Cup quarter-finals:
Palace have won 10 of their past 13 matches in all competitions, which is absolutely remarkable. Especially so considering they started the season really poorly, failing to win any of their first eight Premier League games.
From a Crystal Palace perspective, it’s refreshing to see Jean-Philippe Mateta back in the starting lineup after suffering a lacerated ear in a clash with Millwall’s Liam Roberts in the FA Cup fifth round.
Mateta will lead the line in a virtually full strength Eagles side, flanked by Ebere Eze and Ismaïla Sarr, with Oliver Glasner opting for Jefferson Lerma in the engine room with Will Hughes absent through illness. There’s a lot to like about that Palace lineup – and they’ve got a strong away record of late, including a 2-0 win at Fulham on 22 February.
Fulham fan Richard Hirst, presumably emailing in from south western France, is feeling the tension ahead of kick-off:
“Lots of nerves and tension in SW France as well as SW6. But I’m confident (who am I kidding!) that we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first cup final with a return visit. COYW.”
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 beautiful sunny morning in west London and Craven Cottage, though not renowned for its rocking atmosphere, should be bang up for this one. The prize of a Wembley appearance for these two clubs is a biggie.
It’s FA Cup quarter-final weekend, with the first of these four slightly unlikely ties – Manchester City apart – coming in the form of a London derby at Craven Cottage. Fulham and Crystal Palace are both chasing history in this competition this season, having never lifted the cup. Palace came close nearly a decade ago in that 2016 final against Manchester United, (Alan Pardew’s dance, Jesse Lingard’s goal and all that) while it’s been 50 years since Fulham last got all the way to a Wembley showpiece. One of them is guaranteed a semi-final trip to north London at least.
Jean-Philippe Mateta looks set to make his return after suffering a nasty head injury in Palace’s previous FA Cup game against Millwall, with both teams fortunate enough to have come through the international break without a long list of absentees.
This is a really tough one to call, but should be uber-competitive: you’d have to go a fair distance to find two sets of supporters who are more up for the cup. Kick off is at 12.15pm GMT, so let’s get going – team news will be upon us shortly.
