Roy Hodgson will be hopeful he can call upon two men for Crystal Palace’s clash with Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon, according to a match preview by Sky Sports.
Both Cenk Tosun and Martin Kelly are considered doubtful for the clash at Selhurst Park, with both currently nursing a hamstring and calf injury respectively.
The Eagles, though, will be without Jeffrey Schlupp (thigh) as they look to win their first match across all competitions since Boxing Day’s win against West Ham United (per WhoScored).
In fact, Crystal Palace have only managed to score eight times since that victory – a feat that has come across as many games (WhoScored).
Tosun, who would have been brought in to help bolster their attacking options this January, being available could be a huge boost to the Eagles’ chances of taking three points on Saturday as well.
The Turkey international has already had an impact in the red-and-blue for the south London outfit, having netted once in his three Palace appearances, averaging a respectable 1.3 shots per game as well (WhoScored).
That average is almost as good as Jordan Ayew’s (1.4) although the Ghanaian has been more clinical this season as he has hit the back of the net six times.
Should Kelly also be made available for the game, Palace will feel that they have a chance of taking all three points on offer as the versatile defender could give Hodgson a number of options to play around with.
The 29-year-old has averaged 1.2 total tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 3.9 clearances in his 19 appearances across all competitions so far this season (per WhoScored) as he looks to play an integral role for the former England manager’s backline.
Palace need a couple more wins to secure their place in the Premier League for another season and will surely look at the clash against Newcastle as the ideal opportunity to record three points.
