The Blues lost an entertaining quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate to be knocked from the Champions League. Having played in Europe and returned for landmark games himself, however, Vieira said he does not expect the opposition to be fatigued by the outing.
“You don’t feel the tiredness when you play a semi-final of the FA Cup,” he said. “Those Chelsea players will be ready for it and we have to be ready for the fight and look at how we want to approach the game, our gameplan and perform on the day. We can’t count on Chelsea to be tired.
“Football-wise and the game they had I think was really good. They played well. It was a big game and they performed well. They can be unlucky and they were unlucky not to go to the semi-final.
“The physical aspect will not have an impact on Chelsea’s performance. We have to look at ourselves, at what we want to do to give ourselves the best chance.”
Sticking with Palace’s own approach, Vieira looked more closely at the game itself, saying: “It’s an important moment for the football club. We have an opportunity to go to the final and have to prepare the game as best we can to perform on the day.
“We know what to expect from Chelsea. We know the team and individual talent they have. We played them in the league lately and lost 1-0, yes, but gave them a hard game. This is the approach we want: to make it hard for them.”
Finally, Vieira touched upon the size of Sunday’s achievement for the club, and the impact it’s had on the atmosphere:
“I think it’s a really important competition in this country. The love from the fans, the players, there is excitement around the FA Cup. We wanted to do well and are in the semi-final. It’s a really exciting period and we will enjoy the day.
“You feel the passion around the team and football club. This is good. This is why we have to enjoy the moment.”
