Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa LIVE: FA Cup semi-final team news and line-ups

“He’s injured,” Emery said.

“Today without Rashford, but Ollie Watkins is playing really well and he is feeling good, he is feeling confident. He is scoring goals in the last matches that he’s played.”

Aston Villa’s president Monchi and sporting director Damian Vidagany have taken to the mic at Boxpark to issue their final rallying cries before the Villains take to the Wembley pitch with a shot at an FA Cup final.

Ollie Watkins starts up front for Aston Villa as Marcus Rashford misses out entirely from the matchday squad that travelled to Wembley.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, return to full strength after making numerous changes against Arsenal in midweek.

The FA Cup semi-final is due to kick off at 5.15pm BST on Saturday 26 April at Wembley Stadium.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BBC One, with coverage on the channel from 4.45pm BST. A live stream will be available via the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara; Asensio, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins.

We’re expecting team news imminently – here’s what we know so far:

Ben Chilwell missed Crystal Palace’s midweek meeting with Arsenal due to illness, but could be back amongst things. Oliver Glasner rotated for that fixture with the semi-final in mind – Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr are among those who could return to the starting side, along with Chris Richards after his suspension.

Unai Emery is not thought to have any fresh injury concerns. A competitive fight for forward places could see Ollie Watkins preferred up front, while John McGinn should also make the starting side.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is treating today’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa like any other match.

The Eagles are one game away from only the third final in their 163-year history and the chance to win a first major trophy.

But Glasner insists a day out at Wembley will mean nothing unless they secure a place in the May showpiece.

“Of course playing a semi-final is always great and it shows how well we have done in the competition, until now,” said Glasner.

“But it’s just a semi-final. It’s a huge game, at Wembley, and we are looking forward to it. But it’s clear the goal is to win the game and get to the final.

“We’ll enjoy it, it’s the biggest stadium in England, it’s very traditional and we can play in front of 40,000 Crystal Palace fans.

“But I don’t care if we played at Selhurst Park or Villa Park, we would try to win. The approach is no different.

“It’s a game. I don’t want to make it bigger than it is. It’s a football game and we feel well-prepared.”

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says he is “choosing both competitions” as the club try to end the season with success in the Premier League and FA Cup.

Villa’s pursuit for a return to the Champions League through a top-five finish in the Premier League takes a back seat as they head to Wembley to take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.

Emery is trying to end a 29-year trophy drought, going back to the 1996 League Cup, but is not prioritising the cup over their league ambitions.

Asked whether winning a trophy is more important than Champions League qualification, the Spaniard said: “When you start the season you are trying to set objectives through four competitions, the Premier League, Champions League this year, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

“We are now still in two competitions, now we are focusing in each match in each competition trying to get our best, to be in Europe is one clear objective we have.

“The first way to get Europe is through the Premier League, but getting the trophy in the FA Cup.

“Now, we can’t choose only one competition. We are choosing both competitions strongly because we have two ways for our positive season to end.”

Third round: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham

Fourth round: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham

Fifth round: Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff

Quarter-finals: Preston North End 0-3 Aston Villa