In recent years it’s become the fashionable thing to say ‘The FA Cup is no longer important’, but try telling that to the thousands of Crystal Palace, Everton, Manchester United and Watford fans that will be descending on Wembley this weekend, anxiously hoping that it will be their team lifting the famous trophy next month.

For Palace fans, the FA Cup has always been seen as ‘the one that got away’, having come so close in 1990 following a sensational semi-final triumph, only to fall at the final hurdle.

For years I’ve been drinking with my dad and his mates before home games and while it’s always fascinating to hear them reminisce about Pardew’s winner at Villa Park, Ian Wright’s miraculous return from injury and the heartbreak of Mark Hughes’ equaliser, I can’t help but feel sad that I’ve never been able to experience a Palace cup final, so a win on Sunday would be incredibly special.

While I and many others wholeheartedly disagree with the semi-finals being played at Wembley, that’s not going to take away from the importance of the occasion, and in a rematch of the 2013 play-off final with Watford, both sides will genuinely fancy their chances.

Pardew has been experimenting with formations in the league recently, but if we want to win then he needs to stick to the basics and the system that has been so successful for us over the last three years.

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We’re at our very best when we play a five-man midfield and counter using Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie.

Despite his goal at Arsenal, Bolasie is not a striker and is wasted in a front two. Our wingers are at their most dangerous when they use their pace and unpredictable trickery to run rings around the full backs.

Odion Ighalo made all the headlines for Watford for his goal scoring exploits earlier this season, but the key to stopping them is to cut off the supply to Troy Deeney. He’s big, strong and creative, with everything positive they do going through him.

By playing three in the middle, we can mark him out of the game and control possession, giving us the opportunity to get the ball out wide and get it into the box.

Our results have picked up of late but in a one-off game between two teams with nothing to lose, league form is irrelevant and it’s virtually impossible to call a winner.

Both sides will be up for it and will need no further motivation, with games like this so often decided by a defensive error, a refereeing decision or an individual moment of brilliance.

With Manchester United competing in the other semi, is it too much to ask for a Wembley showdown with them to give the younger generation of fans the chance to experience what they missed out on, while giving those still hurting from 1990 an opportunity for revenge?

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