'It’s final of the FA Cup, an honour and privilege': Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed admiration for Crystal Palace as he prepares his side for the upcoming FA Cup final showdown at Wembley.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Guardiola was full of praise for the Eagles’ recent form under Oliver Glasner and emphasised the importance of performing at their best in such a prestigious fixture.
"It is a fantastic team. Crystal Palace have had a good season, second part. More than a year with Oliver working with the same players.
"It’s final of the FA Cup, an honour and privilege. Of course we have to perform well. We travel to London and we will try to win the title," Pep said.
The City boss highlighted several key Palace players who could pose a threat to his side, including Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton.
"Mateta is strong on long balls and after that I would say their quality with Eze is obvious.
"Sarr in the semi-final punished Villa a lot. Wharton is a really good holding midfielder who links well.
"It is a final. If we played against Villa it would be the same," Guardiola shared.
