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Crystal Palace: Dan Cook shares worrying Wilfried Zaha injury news
Dan Cook has shared his concerns as Crystal Palace look set to be without Wilfried Zaha ahead of their derby clash at Selhurst Park this weekend.
The Lowdown: Crucial game on the weekend
After a horrid run of form that’s seen Crystal Palace win just once in their last 10 games across all competitions, one of the last teams they will have wanted to face is their in-form bitter rivals, Brighton & Hove Albion.
Palace will welcome the Seagulls to SE25 without their star talisman Zaha, who has been ruled out for several weeks due to a muscular injury that he picked up a few games ago against Newcastle United.
Some may have hoped that given the added importance of the game against Brighton, Zaha could have pushed his body to the limit and made himself available for the game this weekend.
The Latest: Zaha to miss the Brighton clash
Speaking on the HLTCO podcast, Cook believes that the standout ‘headline’ ahead of this weekend’s match is the absence of Zaha, which, although expected, is still a damning blow.
He said: “The main headline, of course, is that Wilfried Zaha won’t be available to us. He has been struggling with a thigh issue. I think he is due back towards the end of February.
“And even though he is an incredibly quick healer and has been throughout his career so far, it will be too early to expect Wilfried Zaha back in that first-team picture for the game against Brighton.
“That in itself is obviously a major blow given how much he cares about the rivalry and his own personal perspective when we do take on Brighton & Hove Albion given the history with the play-offs and everything else.”
The Verdict: Palace must learn to live without Zaha
Palace and Brighton couldn’t be experiencing more contrasting periods, as Palace could well be dragged into a relegation battle very soon and drop down into the Championship for the first time since 2013, while Brighton are on the cusp of qualifying for Europe.
However, when it’s a derby game, the form book tends to go out of the window, and given how raucous the Palace faithful can be at Selhurst Park, it won’t be a pleasant atmosphere for the visitors.
While Patrick Vieira would have loved to have Zaha fit and firing for this weekend, it has been reported that he likely won’t sign a new contract before the end of the season and therefore become a free agent, so Palace must get used to winning and playing without the Ivorian winger on Saturday afternoon is a great opportunity to show a positive glimpse of what life without him in the side will be like.
