Ahead of the trip to Newcastle, Roy Hodgson has described Crystal Palace’s injury crisis as the ‘worst’ since he became manager.
The Eagles are set to be without six players on Saturday, including former Magpies Andros Townsend and Patrick van Aanholt. Premier League winner Gary Cahill will also be a huge miss.
But while Palace’s injury woes might seem like good news for Steve Bruce and co, there’s a £100 million reason why Newcastle are still up against it.
One man who will be fit is talisman Wilfried Zaha. The winger dug Palace out of a hole on Monday night, scoring an equaliser against rivals Brighton.
He’s in a rich vein of form, and Newcastle know all about his qualities.
Last season’s game between the two clubs at St James’ Park was a tight affair, decided by Zaha’s brilliance and DeAndre Yedlin’s stupidity.
With the score at 0-0, Zaha’s feet were too fast for the American, who wiped him out and conceded a penalty. Of course, spot kick expert Luka Milivojevic made no mistake from 12 yards.
While Palace might have to field a patched up team, the only man they need is Wilfried Zaha. They’ve done brilliantly to keep him, even slapping a £100 million price tag on his head last summer.
We don’t know who Hodgson will pick to face the Magpies on Saturday, but we all know which Eagle Bruce needs to work out how to stop.
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