Crystal Palace Vs Southampton 2020

  • Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is dealing with plenty of injury concerns ahead of their season opener against Southampton on Saturday.
  • The home side are without their entire first-choice defender, with Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt and James Tomkins sidelined and summer signing Nathan Ferguson also unavailable through injury.
  • Hodgson has confirmed summer signing Eberechi Eze is available after overcoming injury but suggested he will only make the bench at best on Saturday. Mamadou Sakho completed his first training session on Friday but is still a way of being available.
  • 21-year-old Tyrick Mitchell finished last season as Palace’s first-choice left-back and with Van Aanholt still crocked he will hope to start the new campaign in the starting XI.
  • Star man Wilfried Zaha has not attracted any serious offers this summer despite wanting to leave boyhood club Palace and his availability is only a positive for Hodgson’s side. He could start on the right on Saturday to make way for Jeffrey Schlupp to play on the left and give Mitchell better defensive cover.
  • The Eagles re-signed Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on loan on Thursday and he could go straight into the starting XI here after bagging some goals for Belgium on Tuesday night.
  • Aside from getting Kyle Walker-Peters back from Tottenham, this time on a permanent deal, the only other transfer Southampton have completed is the arrival of centre-back Mohammed Salisu from LaLiga.
  • Ralph Hasenhuttl may resist handing Salisu his full debut on Saturday and reward the side that finished 2019/20 so strongly.
  • Ex-captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has left to join Tottenham but his departure was expected after turning down a new contract before last season had even finished.
  • Fraser Forster has returned to Southampton following a loan spell at Celtic last season but Alex McCarthy is still the club’s No.1 goalkeeper.
  • Che Adams experienced a difficult maiden campaign with Southampton last term but was at least among the goals in their last few matches. He will hope to start the season up front alongside top scorer Danny Ings.
  • Stuart Armstrong has returned from international duty with an injury and is unlikely to be involved here. Moussa Djenepo or William Smallbone will start on the right wing instead.