"It's a final in one of the most prestigious cup competitions in the world ... It means so much to people," he said in an phone conversation from London as he prepared for the big match. "It will be amazing and to play in a match like this in a country where you work and have been working for a number of years, to play it in their own backyard, it's a pretty big deal. "I am really looking forward to the opportunity to get on the pitch. You know it's a big game, you know the atmosphere is on point, that it's going to be electric. I know what the Palace fans are like, loud and noisy, that sits quite well with me. We can use it as fuel." Palace have traditionally been one of London's lesser lights, bouncing around the lower divisions for much of their history. The past couple of seasons have seen the south London side stabilise as a top-flight club and now they have the chance to win their first major trophy and qualify for Europe. As Jedinak says, the current bunch of players have a real chance to stamp themselves as pathfinders for the club.

"You would be creating history. It would be the first major cup that the club has ever won. What does it do going forward? It could kick start things, give Palace a platform to progress from. If it all goes well, then we will have European football to compete in next season and everyone at the club would be looking forward to it." Jedinak has tasted success at Wembley before. In the play-off final against Watford he led the Eagles to the promised land of the premiership in an extra-time victory. And last month, in this year's FA Cup semi-final, Palace again defeated Watford to seal their spot against United. "The semi-final was a great experience and it was a great team performance to come through. Knowing that and having the experience of playing there, having a few games in that environment is important," Jedinak said. "We all know that it will be a very different atmosphere between the semi-final and final. I am sure the noise and the sound of the fans will be even greater than what it has been in the semi. It's good to to know that when you go out there you will be familiar with the surroundings and the feel of the place."

This is the first time Palace has made the cup final in 26 years. In 1990, the high-flying Eagles came up against Saturday's opponents, Manchester United, in one of the most thrilling finals in the history of the competition. Often known as the Ian Wright final – the former England and Arsenal hero started his career at Palace as a late developer – Wright came off the bench to score twice in a pulsating game which finished 3-3 after extra time, current Palace boss Alan Pardew amongst those playing in red and blue. United won the replay 1-0, a victory which in many ways secured Sir Alex Ferguson's job at Old Trafford. The Scot had been at United for five years and not won anything, and his position was thought to be on a knife edge before the Mancunians went on the cup run that brought them glory that season. A lot is being made of that game in the media and by the fans and the chance Palace has for revenge. But the Palace players are not giving it a lot of thought, says the club captain. "We have touched on it ... we had that discussion but we have tried to focus on the now as well," he said.

"We know that there was that game, we respect that and understand what it meant to this football club. "'But we all know what Man United has done since then and we are only reaching our first final in this competition since then. "For us it's concentrating on what's ahead of us and worrying about our own game, respecting the opposition and understanding what we are trying to do to nullify them." Sometimes it feels as if a team has their name written on the cup some way out. If Palace do get up, they can say that they haven't had an easy road to success. "We have had a difficult run to get here, we have beaten some really quality opposition and have taken a lot of heart from that.

"Maybe our season and league form wasn't the best, but we always held it together and were able to produce in the cup. "We had Southampton away, Stoke at home, Tottenham away, Reading in the quarters and Watford in the semi. We had four Premier League teams, which for any Cup run is a big task. "To get through those games and to do so really well and play some really good stuff and more importantly see games out was a big boost for us. " Win or lose, Jedinak will not have much time to drown his sorrows or celebrate his success as he will have to join up with Ange Postecoglou and the Socceroo squad for the game against England the following Friday before returning to Australia for the two-match series against Greece. "Although it's a friendly game, it's going to be a great opportunity for us. These games don't come round too often," Jedinak said.

"To be playing such a big nation in their own backyard and enjoying that experience as a group, hopefully we can put in a performance that we deserve to put in after our recent run of form." Postecoglou has not been able to call up Asian-based players and has brought in a few new faces and some inexperienced youngsters. That doesn't concern the national captain. "You have to see it as positive. It's an opportunity for players. We know that there are going to be players who have not been used in the past, that there are key players who have been part of the set-up for a while that have not been selected this time," he said. "But we are going to have to deal with that. The boss has picked players who he believes deserve the opportunity. Some are new guys, some are players he has used before but who we haven't seen for a while. "It will be nice to get into camp ... once you get there you know what happens, we get together, work hard and get used to each other and prepare and look forward to the game.

"We always have the info and instructions that the staff prepare for us so that we can put into action what we practise during the week. We are looking forward to taking on England."