Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is confronting a severe selection headache as his team prepares to host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday night. The Eagles could be without as many as ten first-team players due to a combination of injuries and international duty.
Mounting Injury Woes After Newcastle Defeat
The situation worsened during Palace's 2-0 defeat away to Newcastle United last weekend. The loss extended their winless run to seven matches and saw them slip to 14th in the table. More damagingly, the game at St. James' Park claimed two more victims.
Defender Nathaniel Clyne was substituted at half-time with a groin problem, while midfielder Jefferson Lerma was replaced due to a concussion protocol. Glasner revealed he saw Clyne limping and that the player reported feeling his hip and groin. Regarding Lerma, the manager stated the player was "fine" but baffled by his substitution.
Existing Absences Compound the Crisis
Even before the Newcastle match, Palace's treatment room was busy. Chris Richards, Rio Cardines, Caleb Kporha, Cheick Doucoure, Daichi Kamada, Daniel Munoz, and Eddie Nketiah were all ruled out through injury. To compound matters, winger Ismaila Sarr is currently away representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
This leaves Glasner with a threadbare squad to face an Aston Villa side itself missing up to six players, including Ivory Coast forward Evann Guessand who is also at AFCON.
A Daunting Task Against High-Flying Villa
The visit of Unai Emery's Aston Villa represents a formidable challenge for a depleted Crystal Palace. Villa are enjoying a strong season and will look to capitalise on their opponent's misfortune. Glasner must now find solutions from a limited pool of available players to try and halt his side's alarming slide down the Premier League table.
The scale of the injury crisis at Selhurst Park threatens to define Palace's mid-season prospects, making Wednesday's fixture a test of squad depth and managerial ingenuity.
