In his regular pre-match conference, Alan Pardew has confirmed that Yohan Cabaye could feature for the Eagles against Manchester City at Selhurst Park on Saturday, but defender Joel Ward is out for up to four weeks with a knee injury.
Cabaye took an early shower on the international break when he was substituted against Portugal last week, with a fear that he may be out for a few weeks. However, Pardew has confirmed that the 29-year-old will be available for this weekends ‘top of the table’ clash.
Pardew also went on to confirm that both Ward and Maroune Chamakh are out injured and therefore not in the squad. Ward scored in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge prior to the international break. However, after an injury in training, the full back is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
31-year-old Chamakh is still to feature for the Eagles this campaign following problems with his hamstring. The ex-Arsenal striker is set for a fresh spell on the sidelines following an injury to his abductor.
Speaking ahead of the game, Pardew said:
Unfortunately we’ve lost Joel Ward this week. After his great performance against Chelsea he’s got injured in training and will definitely be out for three to four weeks, so that’s a blow to us.
Albeit only after four games, Pardew’s side are flying high in the table, currently sitting in fourth position, but the ex-Newcastle boss wasn’t getting ahead of himself:
It’s an unusual position for us and something we probably can’t sustain for a long period, but in the short-term we can enjoy it. We deserve to be there after four games. It’s just a shame there are another 34 to go.
