Crystal Palace are back in action this afternoon, as the Eagles welcome Fulham to Selhurst Park in what is set to be an equally contested London derby.
Roy Hodgson will be back on the sidelines after missing his side’s trip to Villa Park due to illness, with the club confirming that the 76-year-old led training this week ahead of today’s match-up.
It’s expected to be an exciting affair with both sides from the capital level on points at this stage in the season, as the Eagles look to return to winning ways after losing painfully late to Aston Villa last time out.
It looked for the most part of the second half that Odsonne Edouard’s goal would be the match-winner for Palace, however Villa scored an equaliser three minutes from time, followed by two painfully late goals in the 98th and 101st minute to win 3-1.
The south Londoners will be desperate to restore their form against their London rivals, with a few tweaks to the squad possible following the Villa defeat.
What is the latest Crystal Palace team news?
After suffering an injury during the international break, star centre-back Marc Guehi was absent from the squad that travelled to the Midlands last time out.
While the concerns are not said to be of a serious nature, it’s still unknown as to whether the Englishman will be fit to feature against Fulham this afternoon.
In other injury news, Jordan Ayew was forced to withdraw before the half-hour mark against Villa, with no update as of yet over his fitness ahead of the clash.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was introduced in a like-for-like substitution during the fixture, with the Frenchman in with a chance of starting against the Cottagers.
Should Chris Richards start against Fulham?
In an ideal world, Hodgson would have Guehi fit and ready to play against Fulham, however, the 23-year-old’s injury was described as an aggravated hip problem, suggesting that the defender could benefit from an extended rest period.
Luckily for the Eagles, last summer’s £8.5m signing of Chris Richards stood in during the Englishman’s absence, and had a positive game at Villa Park, despite conceding a controversial penalty.
The United States defender was praised by the popular Palace podcast HLTCO on Twitter X for his “superb” performance, where the account dubbed him a “very capable” centre-back.
During the game, the £55k-per-week ace recorded six clearances, blocked two shots and made one interception, as well as winning two out of three of his ground duels and maintaining a passing accuracy rate of 83%, via Sofascore.
The American had a stellar game in what was his first appearance of the season, with his composure at the back outweighing the disappointment of the penalty conceded late in the game.
By fielding Richards, Hodgson could relieve the threat that Marco Silva’s team can provide going forward if the 23-year-old can replicate the level of his performance against the Villans last week.
The former Bayern Munich man could be the ideal cover for Guehi going forward, with the Englishman’s injury creating the opportunity for the United States international to show his worth at Selhurst Park.