Enciso, Phillips and Woolfenden Start at Palace
Saturday, 8th Mar 2025 14:10
Julio Enciso, Kalvin Phillips and Luke Woolfenden all start as manager Kieran McKenna makes three changes from the Blues’ last league game for this afternoon’s match at Crystal Palace.
Enciso, on loan from Palace's rivals Brighton, returns from the knee injury he sustained at Aston Villa almost a month ago and will be in the centre of the three behind striker Liam Delap with Jaden Philogene on the right and Jack Clarke on the left.
Phillips is in central midfield alongside Jens Cajuste with Sam Morsy, who played 120 minutes at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Monday, on the bench, the on-loan Manchester City man having recovered from his calf problem.
Woolfenden looks set to come into the centre of the defence alongside Jacob Greaves with Dara O’Shea skippering at right-back and Leif Davis at left-back. Alex Palmer continues in goal, one of only two survivors from the FA Cup tie at the City Ground, along with Woolfenden.
Omari Hutchinson is on the bench having hurt his knee at Manchester United, while Axel Tuanzebe, who was also in the XI that night, is absent having suffered a hamstring injury at Forest.
Christian Walton is back on the bench after his groin problem, while Cameron Burgess is also in the 20 having been subbed at Forest with a calf injury.
For Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta is injured following the horror challenge in the FA Cup game against Millwall last week and midfielder Will Hughes is suspended having reached 10 bookings.
Eddie Nketiah and Jefferson Lerma replace them in a team otherwise unchanged from the 4-1 league victory over Aston Villa a fortnight ago.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Muñoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi (c), Mitchell, Wharton, Lerma, Sarr, Eze, Nketiah. Subs: Turner, Franca, Clyne, Kamada, Esse, Chilwell, Rodney, Devenny, Kporha.
Town: Palmer, O’Shea (c), Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Phillips, Cajuste, Philogene, Enciso, Clarke, Delap. Subs: Walton, Johnson, Burgess, Townsend, Hutchinson, Morsy, Taylor, Hirst. Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire). VAR official: Paul Tierney
Photo: Matchday Images
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