- Crystal Palace drew 2-2 vs Brentford
- Three defenders sustain injuries
- Cause for concern for Oliver Glasner
Oliver Glasner will be fretting over Maxence Lacroix, Chadi Riad and Chris Richards, all of whom picked up injuries in Crystal Palace’s clash with Brentford. The defensive trio were forced off in the second half at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Lacroix came off in the 61st minute after sustaining a facial injury, and he was replaced by Richards. The Eagles started with the Frenchman partnering Jaydee Canvot and Riad in defence.
In the 73rd minute, Riad went down after being caught by Dango Ouattara and he looked to be in real discomfort. The Moroccan couldn’t play on and pulled his shirt over his face before Jefferson Lerma came on in his place.
Richards then rolled his ankle during a collision with Igor Thiago. Glasner looked set to bring Nathaniel Clyne on his place but the American decided to power on.
Palace injuries take hold in Brentford draw
Palace were held to a point by Brentford on Sunday despite being the better side. Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton were on target for the South Londoners.
Glasner is preparing his Eagles for their first-ever European final on May 27th when they face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig. He’ll be nursing a headache following injuries to Lacroix and Riad, while Richards played on, albeit still looking unhappy.
The Austrian coach insisted he wouldn’t be making heavy rotation for today’s game and the Arsenal clash next weekend. He said:
“I had many hours on a plane and in a hotel, and I thought about it. I want to stop this talking. “So we won’t rotate a lot. Yes, we will maybe make more and earlier substitutions, maybe after 60 or 70 minutes at the latest, maybe one or two at half-time if that’s possible, but everything else we won’t do.”
After the events that unfolded against Brentford, he might just be having second thoughts. It’s crucial that his squad come through the Arsenal game unscathed and ready for the trip to Leipzig.
Honours even
Palace took an early lead through a 5th-minute Sarr penalty after he was brought down in the Brentford box. Ouattara equalised in the 39th minute before Wharton scored his first goal for the Eagles in the 51st minute.
The English midfielder’s strike looked to have secured all three points until Ouattara struck in the 87th minute. A frustrating end to the game given how well Glasner’s men had played for the vast majority of the encounter with the Bees.
