With only three days to go until Crystal Palace ’s huge FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley, Patrick Vieira will likely now have a good idea of the starting XI he'll name to take to the pitch.
By and large, preparations for the match - easily the biggest of the Eagles’ season so far - have not been disrupted much, though Vieira could have done without the knock picked up by Tyrick Mitchell at Leicester and the foot injury that has had Palace fans sweating over the availability of Michael Olise. Mitchell has reportedly since resumed light training and should be fit to feature, though he’ll be ready to start the game remains in question.
Vieira will also be deliberating how to organise his side, with his most-used, expansive 4-3-3 system usually adapted to a more compact 4-2-3-1 in games against high-quality opponents. That worked to good effect for most of Palace’s most recent game against the Blues in February, though they did eventually succumb to an 89th minute Hakim Ziyech winner at Selhurst Park that day.
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If Vieira chooses that system again it will allow Palace to set up to frustrate Chelsea and then do damage on the counter, with a more advanced No.10 role allowing for an extra creative player to play through the middle. That would then give Vieira more options on the wings, with Wilfried Zaha potentially replacing Jean-Philippe Mateta as the central striker.
Below, football.london have gone through some of the potential starting XIs that Vieira might choose including a worst-case scenario that sees both Mitchell and Olise unable to start at Wembley. We’ve also highlighted the two different formations that the Eagles boss could be toying between, with either defensive cover prioritised with two holding midfielders - likely Cheikhou Kouyate and James McArthur - or a midfield three that gives an extra berth to a player to push forward.
