Exclusive: Premier League Legend Predicts FA Cup Semi-Finals – Crystal Palace v Aston Villa + Nottingham Forest v Man City | OneFootball

Exclusive: Ray Parlour’s Predictions Ahead of FA Cup Semi-Finals

FA Cup semi-final weekend is finally here and it’s set to be an absolute thrill for the neutral.

Crystal Palace face Aston Villa in the first Wembley clash on Saturday, whilst high-flying Nottingham Forest face the test of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Sunday.

Four-time FA Cup winner Ray Parlour spoke exclusively to EPL Index and shared his predictions.

Parlour won the coveted trophy with Arsenal in 1993, 1998, 2002 and 2003. Only Ashley Cole (7), Petr Cech (5), Patrick Vieira (5) and John Terry (5) have won the FA Cup more times.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa

“Crystal Palace have impressed in this years competition with a highlight being their win at Fulham,” began Parlour, “Eze has been superb and they deserve to be at Wembley.”

“Unfortunately, there form since the quarter-final has dropped off and although they have a couple of match winners and they are comfortably safe from relegation, I just don’t think they will have enough,” said Parlour.

Photo: IMAGO

Oliver Glasner’s side come into the semi-final off the back of an impressive performance in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Eberechi Eze’s sublime volley was followed up by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s cheeky chip over David Raya to secure a point for the Eagles.

Palace fans will be hoping for more magic from their standout duo on Saturday, whilst the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton could also play a huge part.

However, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side have plenty of their own threats. The January signings of Marcus Rashford and Marcos Asensio has further enforced an already rich forward line, including the likes of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey.

“Aston Villa just never give up. They went toe to toe with PSG and their come back at home last week was excellent,” said Parlour, “They really impressed with McGinn, Rashford, Rogers all performing well.”

Photo: IMAGO

“Then to narrowly go out of the competition and then perform superbly at home to Newcastle shows testament to their team spirit and I think they can go to Wembley and beat Palace,” said Parlour.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

“In the other semi-final, it’s a little bit of the same story. Nottingham Forest are having a superb season,” said Parlour, “Being in the top four all season and fully deserved too has made people take notice of them and in the FA Cup, they have also been good, aided by a couple of penalty shoot out wins.”

“They have just dropped off with their form the past few weeks with defeats at home to Everton and away to Villa, but then followed that up with a huge victory over Tottenham Hotspur,” said Parlour.

Photo: IMAGO

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side certainly have players that can harm Manchester City, who have struggled against fast-paced teams all season. The likes of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi could both run Guardiola’s side ragged if given the chance.

However, Parlour believes Man City’s quality and know-how could get them over the line on Sunday.

“They come up against a Man City side who are just doing enough in games right now and with their calibre of getting results in games, they know this is the only silverware they can win this season, so will want to add to their impressive haul over recent seasons,” said Parlour.

“So I see it as an Aston Villa v Man City FA Cup Final.”