- Crystal Palace face Brentford
- Evann Guessand set to return
- Oliver Glasner gives update on Ivorian
Oliver Glasner is expecting Evann Guessand to be available for Crystal Palace’s encounter with Brentford on Sunday. The Ivorian forward has been on the sidelines since early April with a knee injury.
Guessand has missed Palace’s last nine games across competitions since sustaining the injury in a 3-0 win over Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League. He sat out both legs of the 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals.
The 24-year-old, on loan from Aston Villa, will be eager to get back on the pitch ahead of the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27th. He could do so against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
READ: Latest Crystal Palace news and updates
FOLLOW: Read Crystal Palace on Facebook, Instagram and X
Glasner on Guessand
Glasner gave an update on Guessand and Borna Sosa, who has also been out of action in recent weeks. He told reporters in his pre-match press conference:
“We are training later today, so we’ll need to see. But we hope that Evann Guessand returns to the squad for Sunday. It’s looking good, but he has two training sessions to come through.”
Glasner added:
“We want him getting a few minutes, so he can be an option in Leipzig. There is a bit more of a question over Borna Sosa, he might still be out until Arsenal. But all others are available.”
Guessand had become a starter under Glasner before sustaining a knee injury. The Austrian used the versatile attacker on the left wing.
The Villa loanee has made 11 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He will be looking to reclaim a starting berth in the team ahead of the Conference League final.
Other Injury News
Aside from Sosa, Cheick Doucoure and Eddie Nketiah are the only other absentees ahead of the trip to the Gtech. Doucoure is still recovering from surgery, while Nketiah has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.
Glasner will want to ensure his players remain injury-free ahead of their first-ever European final. Losing a key man for one of, if not the biggest, games in the club’s history would be a nightmare.
Palace are safe from the drop and unable to secure European qualification. That doesn’t mean Glasner won’t be putting out a team to try and get all three points on Sunday.
The Eagles sit 15th in the league, with 44 points from 36 games. They face a Brentford side challenging for Europe, currently occupying eighth place with 51 points.
