Eberechi Eze could be about to make his eagerly awaited return for Crystal Palace against Brighton on Thursday night.
Crystal Palace are taking on Brighton tonight in what is a huge rivalry-fueled fixture. The game is the Premier League’s only game this Thursday, which places a huge spotlight on the rivalry which will only make the victory sweeter for either side.
Ahead of the game, Palace were handed a huge fitness boost in the form of Jefferson Lerma returning.
Now, another positive fitness update has emerged for Palace with Roy Hodgson revealing Eberechi Eze is “on the cusp” of a return, according to journalist Matt Woosnam. Eze has been out since late November after picking up an injury against Luton Town.
This will be a massive bonus for Palace, especially considering how close recent games between the two have been. Chris Sutton has predicted the game and he couldn’t separate the two bitter rivals.
So – with the two rivals so close and a tight game expected, Eze could be the difference maker at Selhurst Park.
Eberechi Eze could be the star for Crystal Palace vs Brighton
Palace will no doubt be incredibly excited to welcome Eze back to the starting line-up as he has been a sore miss for The Eagles.
He’s a £100k-a-week talent and if he returns on top form, he could help Selhurst Park witness a huge victory.
Eze’s average rating on SofaScore of 7.44/10 shows just how important he is to Palace and his impact in multiple games has been profound – such as when he caused Everton all kinds of problems back in November.
Importantly, Eze is a player Palace don’t really have an answer to replacing right now in the number 10 position. He’d instantly improve Palace with Jordan Ayew or Jeffery Schlupp missing out.
Brighton will face a far more dangerous offence with Eze back. The Englishman has averaged two key passes per game along with completing three dribbles per game this season – which emphasises his top ability.
Crystal Palace fitness updates
Hodgson provided an update on the status of multiple players on Wednesday – as the return of both Eze and Lerma took centre stage, one player is set for an extended period out.
The Palace boss was asked about Joel Ward‘s fitness status to which he admitted the stalwart will be out “for a while”.
Ward joins Cheick Doucoure, Odsonne Edouard, Jaysun Rak-Sakyi, Sam Johnstone and Rob Holding on the injured list.
