Key Crystal Palace duo ruled out for Man City and Liverpool clashes | Football

Palace host City in the Premier League on Saturday before travelling to Anfield next Sunday.

Arsenal will be hoping the Eagles can trip up their title rivals but the chances of that happening are now a lot slimmer after Oliver Glasner gave the latest update on his injury ravaged squad.

No less than eight players are in the treatment room including centre-backs Marc Guehi and Chris Richards, and Glasner has confirmed the pair will miss Palace’s next two games at least, saying on Friday: ‘All the players who were in the squad in the last games are fit again.

‘[Marc] is not training with the team at the minute. I would say he will be at least two or three weeks.

‘We will look from day to day – one day it looks better and then the next day not so. But I think he [Richards] will miss at least the Liverpool game and then we will see. He will be out for two or three weeks.’

The defenders’ injuries and the continued absence of Rob Holding means Palace will likely line-up with a back-three consisting of just one natural centre-back in the form of Joachim Andersen.

Right-back and captain Joel Ward and midfielder Jefferson Lerma will likely fill the gaps for now.

Glasner has won just one game since replacing Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park, with the South Londoners now 14th in the table and just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

‘Michael is coming back into the squad. He has shown his individual quality in possession. His dribbling, his finishing is great,’ the manager added,

‘We spoke to the medical team and the advice is for 15 or 20 minutes. He is ready and it gives us one more option towards the end of the game so we are happy.

‘But he was out now for eight weeks and for the fourth time this season, so he was more in rehab than on the pitch. We will give him the time to find his best performance, to get his quality back.

‘Everyone needs rhythm, everyone needs minutes, needs training. He is now starting [to get that] so I don’t expect him at the best level after eight or nine weeks of injury, but he can play 15 or 20 minutes.

‘If it is still a tight game at the end, then maybe he can have one or two decisive situations to decide the game against us.’

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