Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has urged his players to remain composed in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City, warning that excessive emotion could prove costly—drawing a parallel with Brazil’s infamous 7–1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final.

Palace are aiming to secure the first major trophy in the club’s history when they face the reigning Premier League champions at Wembley. It marks the Eagles’ third FA Cup final appearance, with their two previous attempts—both against Manchester United—ending in defeat.

While a historic opportunity beckons for the south London club, Glasner has cautioned against allowing emotion to override tactical discipline.

“Yes, this would be a reward for an outstanding FA Cup journey, but I don’t really think about the trophy,” he told reporters during Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“I can remember the World Cup in Brazil and the Brazilian players were crying during the national anthem because of all the emotions—how much they wanted to give back to their country by winning the World Cup at home... and they lost 7–1 to Germany in the semi-final.

“We shouldn’t feel pressure to bring silverware to Crystal Palace because this has never happened in the club’s history. We will give our best—that is our mindset for tomorrow.”

Palace enter the final as underdogs, sitting 12th in the Premier League—eight places and 16 points adrift of their opponents. Nevertheless, Glasner’s men can take confidence from a resounding 3–0 semi-final victory over Aston Villa and strong recent league performances, including a draw with top-four hopefuls Nottingham Forest and an impressive away win at Tottenham Hotspur.

“Our preparation was more or less the same as for a Premier League game,” Glasner continued. “We focused on what we want to do. We analysed Man City, but 90 per cent of our focus was on ourselves, because that is what we can influence.

“The players have done very well over the past few weeks and we have a lot of confidence going into the final.”

The Austrian manager also confirmed a clean bill of health for his squad, with midfielder Adam Wharton available again after missing last weekend’s win at Spurs.