Crystal Palace midfielder Will HughesCrystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes
Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes | Getty Images
Crystal Palace could be without up to four players for their game against Southampton on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace hope to continue their excellent form this week as they face a favourable trip to the South Coast to play against bottom-of-the-league Southampton.
Oliver Glasner’s side beat Fulham 3-0 in the FA Cup over the weekend to set up a semi-final tie against Aston Villa later in the month. They saw a return from injury for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta too which was a huge boost for the Eagles.
They could be without up to four players according to the latest injury updates and Southampton’s injury news suggests that they could be without six players for the game at St Mary’s Stadium.
Crystal Palace current injury list
Firstly, three Palace players have been ruled out due to injury for Wednesday night. Joel Ward is dealing with a long-term calf strain which has him out for the foreseeable future.
Defender Chadi Riad is also injured with a ruptured ACL which is due to keep him out injured until 2026. Cheick Doucoure is also out for the game on Wednesday as he is dealing with a long-term knee injury too.
Midfielder Will Hughes is a doubt for the Southampton match due to the fact that he has an illness. Hughes missed out on the FA Cup win.
Crystal Palace recent recoveries
The big story is that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is fully fit again after recovering from the horror injury that he suffered in the FA Cup against Millwall which caused him to have 25 stitches on his face.
He played for 70 minutes against Fulham in a mask, and is expected to feature heavily this week too.
Crystal Palace boss Glasner’s comments on squad fitness
Glasner spoke about midfielder Will Hughes before the FA Cup win against Fulham on Saturday he was in doubt for that game due to his illness. He said over the weekend: “He's a bit sick, so let's see how the afternoon and the night will be.”
The Palace boss hasn’t yet provided an update on Hughes’ fitness before the game against Southampton.
Impact on Team Selection and Tactics
Seeing as Hughes is the only major doubt for Palace, it means that Glasner will have to find a replacement in central midfield for the former Watford star.
In their past two games, Palace have started Adam Wharton and Jefferson Lerma in midfield, which they look set to do again. Many believe that Wharton got away just one yellow card against Fulham last time out after a challenge he put on Rodrigo Muniz when he was already on a yellow.
Southampton’s injury concerns
The Saints could be without six players for the game against Palace on Wednesday as they are all in doubt.
They could be without two centre-backs Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jan Bednarek who are both currently being assessed over respective hamstring and head injuries.
James Bree is also recovering from a hamstring injury that he has been dealing with for several months, however, he is reportedly very close to a return and could feature this week. Ross Stewart and Juan Larios are both lacking in match fitness and so are doubts as to whether they will be ready for the game.
In other news, Palace get fresh competition in their bid to complete a transfer for a £25m winger.
Related topics:Crystal PalaceSouthamptonFA CupFulhamMillwallWatford
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