- Crystal Palace through to Conference League semi-finals
- Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix injured
- Chris Richards thinks they will be okay
Chris Richards is ‘sure’ Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix will be okay after the pair suffered injuries in a 2-1 loss (4-2 aggregate win) against Fiorentina. The pair came off in the first half in Florence, which put a slight dampener on a memorable night.
Palace took the lead on the night through Ismaila Sarr, who scored his seventh UEFA Conference League goal. But the visitors responded through Albert Guðmundsson’s penalty as the two sides headed in at one apiece at half-time.
Fiorentina grabbed a second when Cher Ndour found the back of Dean Henderson’s net. But Oliver Glasner’s men saw the game out and reached the semi-finals, where they will face Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk.
Richards on Wharton and Lacroix
Palace players were in a jubilant mood after the game, but there are concerns over Wharton and Lacroix. They have been crucial this season and losing either of them would be a huge blow.
Wharton was the first to sustain an injury, and he hobbled off visibly upset. With the World Cup just around the corner, he’ll be desperate to make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Lacroix then looked to require a stretcher before powering on and trying to play through the pain. But it became all too much and he eventually signalled to come off.
Richards spoke to TNT Sports after the game and was asked if he’d heard anything regarding his two injured teammates. He responded:
“No insider information but I know the two guys who did go down and they are usually pretty strong. So I’m sure that it’ll be gone in the next few days.”
Jefferson Lerma came on for Wharton while Chadi Riad replaced Lacroix. Richards praised their performances:
“Chadi came in and did really well tonight and so did Jeff so that’s part of the team is that the next person is always ready.”
Palace turn their attention to the Premier League this weekend when they face West Ham United on Sunday (April 20th). There will undoubtedly be an update on the injured duo in the days ahead.
