Roy Hodgson laments absence of key players ahead of ‘strong’ Newcastle United test

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes that his team could have accumulated more points in the season if Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze had been fit for most of the games. Despite missing these two key players, the Eagles have managed to secure a respectable 12 points in their first eight matches.

Palace is just one point behind Newcastle United, led by Eddie Howe, and is set to visit St. James’ Park with the aim of causing an upset in their pursuit of a top-four finish. Hodgson emphasized the well-organized nature of both teams and the significance of converting scoring opportunities, highlighting that neither side is overly defensive-minded.

The Brazilian player, who was previously linked to a move to St. James’ Park, has not made his debut for Palace since his summer signing, but Hodgson stated that he is a potential candidate for the team and needs to be assessed in actual match situations, whether in the first team, as a substitute, or even in an Under-21s game. The manager mentioned that they have only seen highlights of his matches with Flamengo so far.

Hodgson stressed that a team’s performance is dependent on the opposition’s capabilities and that they are aware of the hard work required to create goal-scoring opportunities against a strong Newcastle team. He expressed the belief that they could have achieved more if not for the injury crisis they’ve faced, particularly the absence of influential players like Olise and Eze in the early part of the season. Hodgson is hopeful that things will improve with the return of these two key players to the team.

Due to their injury crisis, Palace may be without up to ten first-team players. However, it’s possible that Matheus Franca, a player previously targeted by Newcastle United, could be included in Palace’s squad for the upcoming weekend.