Oliver Glasner at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.placeholder image
Oliver Glasner at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. | Getty Images
Chelsea host Crystal Palace in the opening weekend of Premier League action.
Crystal Palace could be without midfield linchpin Daichi Kamada for the Premier League opener against Chelsea this weekend following an injury picked up in the Community Shield against Liverpool.
It was another jubilant day out at Wembley Stadium for the Eagles, with the underdogs beating Arne Slot’s new look Liverpool side. The Reds took the lead through £79 million man Hugo Ekitike before Jean-Philippe Mateta levelled from the penalty spot.
It was another Liverpool summer signing who put the Champions ahead again after 21 minutes in Jeremie Frimpong but Ismaila Sarr pulled back an equaliser after the break, sending the game to penalties. Heroics from Dean Henderson and Justin Devenny secured the win for Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace handed fresh injury concern
There was one blow for the London outfit to take from the game and that comes in an injury to Kamada. The 29-year-old limped off in the first half and had to be replaced by Will Hughes.
Speaking after the game, when asked about transfers, Glasner said: "I'm very happy with the squad because they just won another trophy. I see the number of games we have to play next season as a reward, we want to win something and we want the European football. We might miss Daichi Kamada - who got injured today - at Chelsea next week and it's times like this where we will assess our targets and find the right players."
Despite preparing for a season of European action, Crystal Palace have been quiet in the market with just Borna Sosa and Walter Benitez arriving at Selhurst Park. To make matters worse, Chadi Riad, Cheick Doucoure, Eddie Nketiah, Matheus Franca and Caleb Kporha were all sidelined for the Community Shield due to injury.
Oliver Glasner faces injury headache
It leaves Glasner with somewhat of a team selection headache ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. Should Kamada miss out against Enzo Maresca’s side, that will be a sizeable blow for the Eagles.
Kamada made 34 appearances in the Premier League last season, racking up more than 1,500 minutes. While not a guaranteed starter for the side, the midfielder only failed to feature in four league matches, two of which he was absent for due to suspension. He played in both the 1-1 draws against Chelsea last term.
Glasner did not let the new injury concern take away from a triumphant day at Wembley. He said: "I like it [the feeling]. I have to give big credit to the players for this win today, we came back and were able to decide the game on penalties. We were on the same level as Liverpool and it was a big performance, I'm proud of the team.
"We know what we can do and how we can create chances. Things have developed over 18 months and the players are really starting to believe in what we are doing. I knew we could score at least two goals."
In other news, How West Ham and Crystal Palace have fared in last five Premier League opening weekends.
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