Crystal Palace faces a challenging trip to Villa Park with five key players sidelined, while Aston Villa looks to exploit their misfortunes in a crucial Premier League showdown following an intense international break.
With the international break coming to an end, Crystal Palace is faced with the challenging task of making their way to Villa Park without five key players. Aston Villa, who previously eliminated Palace from the EFL Cup this season, will aim to take advantage of the Eagles' difficulties as both teams prepare for this clash in the Premier League.
Last season's strong finish for Palace was overshadowed by a summer filled with changes, as key defender Joachim Andersen transferred to Fulham and the talented Michael Olise moved to Bayern Munich. To strengthen their squad, Palace signed Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea and Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal. Unfortunately, recent injuries have weakened their squad and diminished the influence of these new players.
In their most recent Premier League encounter with Villa, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Palace due to goals from Eberechi Eze and Daichi Kamada, both Eze and the promising midfielder Adam Wharton were forced to leave the pitch due to injuries. Eze's hamstring injury and Wharton's groin issue have sidelined them until early December, making it highly unlikely that they will be fit for the upcoming match against Villa. Their absence is a considerable setback, as Eze's creativity and Wharton's midfield contributions have been vital to Palace's attacking play this season.
Compounding the situation, Eddie Nketiah is dealing with a hamstring injury, which raises questions about his availability for the upcoming match. To exacerbate manager Oliver Glasner's challenges, Kamada's recent red card against Fulham will result in a suspension for the Villa game, thereby restricting Palace's attacking capabilities. Additionally, Jefferson Lerma's persistent hamstring problems have sidelined him for the last two matches, leaving his status uncertain.
Glasner recently commented on Wharton’s situation, stating, “We made the final decision regarding Wharton; he will undergo surgery. He attempted to train, but the pain was too severe, making it impractical. He has faced significant challenges over the past weeks and months. Therefore, we decided to proceed with the surgery, and we hope to have him back in approximately four weeks.”
On the other hand, Villa is also dealing with injury issues. Unai Emery's team was without Ross Barkley and Matty Cash in their recent loss to Liverpool, and Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara also picked up injuries at Anfield. These challenges have prompted Villa to keep a close watch on their international players, hoping they can regain full fitness before their domestic season continues.
