Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Wolvesvs.Crystal Palace

sportsmole.co.uk, 1 November 2024, 17:26
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has provided the latest update on the fitness of Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

Both Eze and Wharton were handed start in the Eagles' 2-1 victory at Aston Villa in the last 16 of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, with the former heading home the opening goal.

However, Eze limped off in 18th minute with a hamstring injury, while Wharton was taken off just nine minutes later after suffering a reoccurrence of a niggling groin problem.

Glasner has since confirmed that both players will miss this weekend's match at Wolves, and a decision has been made for Wharton to undergo surgery.

Glasner reveals extent of Eze, Wharton injuries

Speaking at a press conference on Friday about Eze, Glasner said: "He's injured. He has a hamstring injury and we will miss him for at least against Wolves and against Fulham. Then we have the international break, and then let's see, but he will be out for those two games.

"There is hope [he will return after that], but it will be very ambitious to have him back after the international break. I know we have a great medical department and he will work hard, so let's see."

On Wharton, the Austrian added: "We took the final decision (with Wharton), he will have surgery so won't be available for Wolves.

"He tried to train today, but he's in too much pain. It makes no sense (to keep playing him), he has struggled over the last weeks and months. We hope to have him back in four weeks."

Glasner has also confirmed that Jefferson Lerma (hamstring), Chris Richards (hamstring), Chadi Riad (knee), Matheus Franca (groin) and Joel Ward (unknown) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Rob Holding will not be considered for selection having been banished to train with the Under-21s.

However, Cheick Doucoure will be back in the first-team squad this weekend sooner than expected, as the midfielder has recovered from his toe injury sustained in September.

Palace receive Doucoure injury boost ahead of Wolves clash

"Joel Ward missed the Aston Villa ame, but it's not that serious," said Glasner "He will miss the Wolves game but should be available against Fulham. Jefferson is also out, at least until the international break.

"Cheick Doucoure will be back in the squad maybe earlier than we expected," Glasner added. "Of course, we're missing many players now. For sure, he can't be at 100%, but it's important that he's with us.

"Next week Chris Richards should train with us if everything goes the right way, and that's the positive news."

Glasner has suggested that the congested fixture schedule over the summer with Euro 2024 and Copa America is now taking its toll on his Palace squad, but has insisted that the Eagles are in the same boat as many other clubs.

"Many managers are talking about the same issues. Our injured players all played a long tournament in summer, with no holiday, no pre-season then many games," said Glasner.

"There is a moment when you pay the bill, we have had to pay it the last few weeks. But it's still a strong squad and we won at Villa. It was 1-1 at Villa (when Eze and Wharton went off). This gives us confidence.

"We go to Wolverhampton to win the game, we don't complain about injuries or that they didn't play during the week. We want to play this cup, the players did really great at Villa. We want to continue this winning streak."

Crystal Palace currently sit 17th in the Premier League table and are looking to win their second successive top-flight game after beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Selhurst Park last weekend.

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs.