Munoz, Sarr, Clyne: Crystal Palace injury news and estimated return dates ahead of Sunderland clash
Crystal Palace are hoping to end Sunderland’s long unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light
After falling victim to one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time against sixth-tier Macclesfield FC, Crystal Palace will hope that they can welcome back some of their experienced stars from injury as they return to Premier League action with an away trip to face high-flying Sunderland.
The Eagles are without a win in ten matches across all competitions, in a run stretching all the way back to a 3-0 win over Shelbourne in the Europa Conference in December, while their last league victory came just days earlier on 7 December when they beat Fulham 2-1 away from home.
It’s a stark contrast from the 19-match unbeaten run the club was on earlier in the campaign under Oliver Glasner, and highlights just how challenging the team are finding it to perform without big-hitters like right wing-back Daniel Munoz as well as pacey winger Ismaila Sarr.
Palace are tasked with trying to beat a Sunderland side that are yet to lose at the Stadium of Light this season, but will they be boosted by the return of any first team stars?
When will Daniel Munoz be back from injury?
Munoz, an extremely popular player with fans of Fantasy Football has been a huge miss since his injury, with the club winning just one game since his knee injury.
The Colombian is blessed with excellent attacking instincts and has been one of the top performers in the entire division this year with six goal contributions in 14 matches from defence. Fans will be hoping to see him back this month, with the match against Chelsea on 25 January looking like a probable return date.
Eddie Nketiah latest and other key Crystal Palace injury absentees
Former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah is expected to be out injured until at least February due to a thigh problem, placing even more pressure on star striker Jean Philippe Mateta and the club’s other attacking options, including new signing Brennan Johnson.
Midfielder Daichi Kamada will be out for a similar time-frame with his own hamstring issue, while Cheick Doucoure also remains out with a knee problem.
Doucoure should be back for 2 February before the match against Brighton a week later. While Kamada is scheduled to be back later that same month to potentially make his comeback against basement side Wolves on 21 February. Experienced right-back Nathaniel Clyne also missed the Sunderland match in another blow in defence. He could make his return against Chelsea at the end of the month.
Exciting winger Ismaila Sarr is currently at AFCON with Senegal. His team face Egypt in the semi-final on Wednesday, meaning he could return after the Sunderland game if his team are beaten in that match. If his team are triumphant in that clash, the AFCON final takes place on Sunday 18 January.
Chadi Riad is struggling with a knee injury and has no expected return date determined at this point. In brighter news, however, Jefferson Lerma should return to face Sunderland after missing out recently due to concussion protocol.