Crystal Palace are back in Premier League action on Saturday, 16th September (15:00 BST) as they travel to one of the league’s most historic grounds to take on Aston Villa – get the lowdown on our latest opponents below…
What a transformation Unai Emery has overseen since taking over from Steven Gerrard at Villa Park.
Villa had won just three of their opening 14 games when the former-Sevilla man took charge, but from the very first match of the new regime – a confident victory over Manchester United – it looked a match made in heaven.
Villa rose from 16th place to finish in the European positions, putting together some remarkable spells of form in the process: between February and April they went unbeaten in 10 Premier League games, winning eight and threatening to gatecrash the race for the top four.
After further strengthening over summer – the eye-catching additions of Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby were seen as a real coup – Villa will hope to mount another challenge for the European positions while balancing the tough schedule of Europa Conference League football. A trip to Poland to face Legia Warsaw follows Aston Villa’s meeting with Palace.
The new campaign has given rise to mixed results, with two confident victories against Everton and Burnley sandwiched in between chastening defeats to Newcastle United and Liverpool. A return to form in front of a Villa Park fuelled by optimism is what Emery will be hoping for this weekend.
A four-time Europa League winner with Sevilla and Villarreal, Emery made his name in Spain before heading to Paris Saint-Germain and claiming the French title. His first stint in England came with mixed results at Arsenal, but a first 10 months at Villa Park have proven that his managerial abilities are just as fruitful in the Premier League.
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Palace and Villa won a game apiece last season, with the Eagles triumphing at Selhurst Park but narrowly losing out in the Midlands.
While Palace have won four of their last five against Villa in south London, their last win at Villa Park was way back on Boxing Day in 2013, when Dwight Gayle’s stunning last-minute strike gave the newly promoted side a valuable three points.
There is something about Royal Villans – and not in a Queen of Hearts sort of way.
Prince William is perhaps Villa’s most prestigious supporter, but the club’s association with the royal family goes back further than the current Duke of Cambridge. In fact George VI, then the Duke of York, made the first royal visit to Villa Park in 1924.
A then Princess Elizabeth followed that up by watching a schoolchildren’s event as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951 and Prince Charles opened the new Trinity Road stand in 2001.
William picked the Villans as a schoolchild, saying he was surrounded by United and Chelsea fans. He had the chance to switch allegiance when meeting Alan Pardew before the 2016 FA Cup final, but clearly whatever Pards said didn’t work…
