Crystal Palace will be looking to return to winning ways when they face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday in the Premier League.
The Eagles struggled with injury problems prior to the international break. Palace have picked up just one win so far in the league and have dropped to the relegation zone after their 2-0 defeat against Fulham at Selhurst Park.
Villas have not won in their last five games in all competitions, losing four in a row. The international break couldn’t have come at the right time for both clubs.
Palace will be heavily boosted by the return of some of their key players from injuries and suspension.
Ahead of the match, Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Cheick Doucoure is ready to start for the Eagles once again. He has been training really well in the past couple of weeks, and Glasner thinks the Mali international should be able to start.
“Cheick Doucoure is ready to start after two weeks of very good training,” said Glasner.
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder, who is on £70k-per-week wages, has made only one start in the Premier League, and the club have missed him badly.
Crystal Palace injury update v Aston Villa
The Eagles, however, will be without their talisman Eberechi Eze for this game.
Eze trained with the squad this week, but Glasner is happy to rest him for the game against Villa.
It looks like Glasner made a sensible decision here. While he needs his best player on the pitch, there’s no point rushing him back when more than two-thirds of football is left to be played in the season.
Palace are still missing Eddie Nketiah, Matheus Franca, and Daichi Kamada due to injuries and suspension.
Will Hughes is back from suspension, and he is likely to play a big role in midfield, especially in the absence of Adam Wharton.
Jefferson Lerma and Chris Richards are also available for selection.
While the Eagles are still missing a lot of players, Glasner will be happy to have Doucoure and others back at this crucial phase of the season.
