Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham is the Palace's first competitive match in three weeks after what was a much-needed rest for the squad who have had to deal with a busy football schedule. Chilwell has reached the cup final with Chelsea in 2020/21 and semi-finals in 2023/24 and knows more than anyone how to handle the pressure.
Speaking to the club website, the 28-year-old spoke about how motivated his side is ahead of the clash and how Glasner has soaked up the Wembley atmosphere ahead of the tie.
“I've been to Wembley a few times!” Chilwell smiled. “We're all just so motivated and so ready.
“It’s been a few weeks since we've had a game, so we've been making sure – if you saw training this morning – we've been making sure that every day has been sharp.
“The manager (Oliver Glasner) is making sure that we're on it every day because, like you said, these opportunities, as I know, don't come around very often.
“The manager has spoke about it a lot, that he's never been to Wembley. He told us this morning that he went to the (England) game (on Monday) just to go and soak in Wembley and it added a bit more motivation for him. I'm sure there’re probably a few boys in the changing room that also haven't been to Wembley.
“The motivation is 100 percent there. If we can hopefully get the win on Saturday, which we're going to be very motivated for, then the next step is Wembley. There's not much more motivation needed than that.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was taken off injured early in the quarter-final win over Millwall, will return for the Eagles and Chillwell believes he could be the difference maker.
“Before I came to Palace, I watched him on TV,” Chilwell said. “We know how good of a footballer he is, and how prolific he is in front of goal.
“But I think the other side of it, which I've been impressed by, is how he is around the building. He's the glue of the place, really. He's the loudest one in the changing room, the loudest one around here. You need a few of those.
“They're the most important figures in the changing room. You definitely notice when he's not in the building, put it that way, because he's just such a bubbly character.
“Then again, like I said, on the pitch, he's having a brilliant season and he's had a brilliant few seasons. Hopefully, having him back this weekend will be a massive boost, and hopefully, he can help us out.”