A report from the Daily Mail claims that Crystal Palace may have to go four weeks without Wilfried Zaha after the winger picked up a groin injury in his side’s 2-1 win over Leicester City – ahead of Sunday’s clash against Leeds.
Zaha, 30, was making his fifth league appearance since returning from a previous injury on Saturday. But, when controlling a pass on the left flank, he immediately went to ground. It was clear that the Palace ace injured his groin.
Palace did go on to win the game, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring a gorgeous injury-time winner to beat the Foxes 2-1. A win that saw Brendan Rodgers sacked. Palace have climbed to 12th, with Leeds now in 13th place.
Tuesday night’s win over Forest provided another twist in the relegation tail, as Leeds went from 18th to 13th thanks to Luis Sinisterra’s winner in a 2-1 win. Leeds play host to Palace on Sunday, in Roy Hodgson’s second game back.
The Mail report that Ivory Coast international and Palace talisman Zaha will now be out for three to four weeks. A real blow to Hodgson and Palace. They did show, of course, they can do it without him. But it is a huge injury blow.
Palace may be without Zaha for four weeks ahead of Leeds clash
In turn, it is a boost for Leeds. While it is never nice to celebrate an injury, a Palace side without Zaha is an easier prospect to come up against. Leeds will fancy their chances, given home advantage and having beaten Forest.
A second win in the space of a week, and a fourth win in seven League games under Javi Gracia, would take Leeds to 32 points with eight to go. It would see Leeds take a big leap towards safety. No Zaha strengthens our chances.
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