Will Ben Chilwell’s return be enough to stop the rot, or is Crystal Palace’s injury crisis about to bite hard in the heat of Istanbul?
For those of us who made the journey to Brighton on Sunday or watched through hands over eyes from home—the memory of that 5-0 hammering isn’t going away quickly. It was messy, alarming, and felt like a sharp hit of reality. But football moves fast. Before we’ve even had time to fully process what went wrong on the South Coast, Palace are already on a plane to Turkey to face Beşiktaş at the Tüpraş Stadium.
Heading into a ground renowned as one of the most volatile arenas in world football is daunting at the best of times.Doing it with a depleted squad on the back of consecutive away defeats is a proper test of nerve.
Ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League tie, Pierre Sage sat down with the media to deliver a wide-ranging team news update, offering a mixture of relief and frustration for Eagles fans assessing who is actually available to pull on the shirt.
Chilwell Back, But Defensive Scars Remain
The headline boost for Palace is the return of Ben Chilwell. The left-back has missed the last three matchday squads through injury, leaving Sage short of natural balance and experience down that flank something that was brutally exploited at Brighton.
Having Chilwell back in the fold brings crucial European know-how to a backline that desperately needs leadership.
Sage confirmed the positive news, simply stating:
“Ben Chilwell is back.”
Short, sharp, and to the point. His inclusion will be vital if Palace are to offer any sort of resilience against a Beşiktaş side that has already scored seven goals in their opening two Europa League fixtures.
Fresh Setbacks and the Henderson Timeline
However, for every step forward, Palace seem to be taking one back on the training pitch.
Sage revealed that Takehiro Tomiyasu’s frustrating spell on the sidelines has been prolonged after suffering a fresh injury blow, keeping him out for the foreseeable future. To make matters worse, midfield dynamo Quinten Timber has also been ruled out of the trip to Istanbul.
“Tomiyasu is out until the next international break because he has another injury,” Sage explained.
“We have Quinten Timber, who is out too.”
There was, at least, a glimmer of light regarding club captain Dean Henderson. The goalkeeper hasn’t featured since early September following an injury picked up against Fulham, leaving Palace without their primary vocal leader at the back.While Thursday comes too soon for his match return, he is closing in on a comeback.
“Dean started to train with the team on Monday, so we will see this weekend if he’s able to play, but he’s not with us for tomorrow.”
What It Means for the Fans
As fans, looking at this team news. On one hand, seeing Chilwell back provides a massive lift to a squad that looked utterly lost defensively on Sunday. His composure on the ball and positional discipline could be the difference between holding firm or getting overwhelmed by the early storm Beşiktaş will undoubtedly produce.
On the other hand, losing Timber in midfield leaves a glaring hole in our ability to break up play and transition quickly.Against a Turkish side that plays with endless energy and pushes numbers forward, missing his engine room presence is a huge blow.
With Tomiyasu out until the next international break, Sage’s options to rotate his defensive unit remain razor-thin. It means players like Jaydee Canvot and Axel Disasi who returns from domestic suspension will have to step up immediately and bear the weight of fixing a backline that has conceded 17 goals already this season.
We know how tough Istanbul is. We know the atmosphere will be deafening. But if Palace can dig deep, lean on Chilwell’s experience, and manage the key moments, Thursday night could be the exact spark this season needs to get back on track.
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