“We need reasons to be happy, to be positive”.
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“We will have a different game plan against Manchester United, but that is not to say we can’t control the game”. Perhaps there’s nothing in it at all.
‘We had a similar side in 1990: hard working, diligent, good defenders, a little bit of pace on the attack.
“If I win the FA Cup then I will be going back like a king!”
“But then it all fell away and we only just scraped into the play-offs on the final day of the season”.
Watford also rested players in midweek and Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo are among those expected to return.
His opposite number Quique Sanchez Flores lamented his team’s awful start but was impressed with the way they reacted. “Watford had 10 minutes when they bossed the game and scored, but we bossed it for 80 minutes and that is a testament to our players’ mentality”. Very few others have contributed in front of goal and that’s become a major problem.
“I don’t think anyone at Watford was expecting to be in the semi-final at the start of the season so I love to share my time and talk with realistic people”.
Having said that, there appears no need to risk squandering anything silly by backing Palace at fairly skinny prices; they’re 6/4 to get the job done in normal time and generally 8/11 to make it through by any means.
Under 1.5 goals appeals around 2/1 based on the above, while it’s very easy to look beyond the market leaders for those considering goalscorer wagers.
Pardew’s team dominated large stretches of the semifinal against Watford, especially in the first half.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew walks to the bench before the English FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Crystal Palace and Watford at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday April 24, 2016.
Doubts still remain over the future of Flores as Watford head coach, but the Spaniard remained in an optimistic mood after the defeat.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at those 1990 Wembley games – United winning the replay 1-0 after the first game was drawn 3-3 – and what was happening at the time.
Watford have lost four of their five previous FA Cup semi-finals, with their only victory coming against Plymouth in 1984 in the golden era of boss Graham Taylor and pop star owner Elton John. His goal last week earned Palace a point against Arsenal.
The likes of Joel Ward, Scott Dann, Connor Wickham, Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon were all left out of the lineup; before the game Pardew claimed they all had knocks that required them to miss the midweek clash but added that they would be fine for Sunday’s big game at Wembley.
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This weekend’s game at Wembley will be a great chance for both sides to win some silverware.
