- Crystal Palace lose Evann Guessand ‘for weeks’
- Ivorian suffered injury midweek
- Will miss Fiorentina clash on Thursday
Oliver Glasner has bad news regarding Evann Guessand after he made five changes to his Crystal Palace team for today’s game against Newcastle United (April 12th). The Austrian has opted to start a completely different frontline against the Magpies.
That meant Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Evann Guessand are rested. He instead went with Brennan Johnson, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Yeremy Pino in a three-man attack.
Palace have a Europa Conference League second-leg clash with Fiorentina on Thursday. Glasner is clearly prioritising the encounter with the Italians, whom they beat 3-0 in the first leg.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle: Glasner on his XI
Glasner spoke to Sky Sports ahead of today’s game and gave his reasons for the changes made to his team. He had unfortunate news about Evann Guessand:
“Yes we had to make one because Evann was injured and he will miss the next at least 3-4 weeks.”
Guessand came off for Pino in the second half of the 3-0 win over Fiorentina. The Ivorian’s injury is a massive blow as Eddie Nketiah was ruled out for the rest of the season this week.
There are also changes in midfield, with Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada dropping to the bench. Glasner handed starts to Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes.
Glasner added:
“JP Mateta had his first almost 90 minutes for three months so he needs to rest. Ismaila Sarr had so many minutes with Senegal so he gets a rest. In midfield it’s the same… Jeff Lerma will be used and we also need Jeff’s physicality against Newcastle today.”
Palace usually struggle on the weekend after a Conference League game, but they face a Newcastle team in a difficult situation. Eddie Howe is feeling the heat after a humiliating 8-3 defeat on aggregate to Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16 and a 2-1 home loss to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Guessand Blow
Guessand has been in fine form since joining Palace on loan from Aston Villa in January. The Ivorian has bagged two goals and one assist in 11 games across competitions.
The 24-year-old earned a starting berth on the left wing but an injury midweek means he’s now set to miss the second leg against Fiorentina. That gives Pino the chance to impress, and the Spaniard caught the eye at Selhurst Park against the Serie A club.
