12-goal Crystal Palace injury blow confirmed for Leeds United clash
Leeds United welcome the Eagles to Elland Road on Sunday.
Leeds United’s upcoming opponents Crystal Palace will be without striker Jean-Philippe Mateta who isn’t expected to return from injury until next month.
Mateta started Palace’s opening-weekend 2-0 defeat at Everton but picked up a hamstring injury days before they hosted Manchester City the following week. The French striker has been sidelined for four games across all competitions and is set to miss at least a couple more.
Palace host Polish side Lech Poznan in their Europa League opener on Thursday evening before a Premier League trip to Elland Road on Sunday. According to The Standard, he will sit out both with a return expected after the September/October international break.
Palace boss Pierre Sage predicted a roughly four-week absence when revealing the injury at the end of August, a prediction which has now been all but confirmed. He said: “It’s a crazy thing. We lose him for, at least, maybe four weeks. It’s a muscular issue.”
Mateta was Palace’s top-scorer last season with 12 Premier League goals. The 29-year-old had been open to leaving Selhurst Park both in January and the summer, until that hamstring injury scuppered any chance of a late-window exit.
In his absence, January Leeds target Jorgen Strand Larsen is expected to start upfront at Elland Road. The Norwegian, signed by Palace at the beginning of this year for £48million, has one goal to his name so far this season.
Mateta is part of a lengthy list of potential absentees for the weekend, including former on-loan Leeds striker Eddie Nketiah and Palace talisman Ismaila Sarr. Defender Axel Disasi, signed on loan from Chelsea in the summer, will serve the first of a three-game ban after being sent off against Ipswich last weekend.
A thin Palace squad also has midweek European football to contend with when Leck Poznan arrive at Selhurst Park on Thursday. Being a level above the Europa Conference League that they won last season, boss Sage might be less inclined to rotate which could cause some headaches for the weekend.