Roy Hodgson confirms double injury boost ahead of Leicester and makes long-term plans clear

Crystal Palace will welcome Leicester City to Selhurst this weekend hoping to bag their first league win of the year.
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Roy Hodgson has confirmed both Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone have returned to training ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Leicester City at Selhurst.

Palace were forced to rely on promising youngster Joe Whitworth for games against Brighton and Arsenal, and even though it’s crystal clear he’ll have a brilliant future, having Guaita and Johnstone back is crucial at this stage of the season when they are fighting for survival.

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Spanish goalkeeper Vicente Guaita is regarded by many as one of the most underrated shot-stoppers in the Premier League while Sam Johnstone is still tipped to be a long-term success.

Roy Hodgson, who was brought in to stabilise a rocking boat and keep the team in the Premier League confirmed in his first press conference that both were competing and are in with a good chance for this weekend.

He told reporters: “Both Vicente Guaita and  Sam Johnstone trained but have lost Nathan Ferguson and Chris Richards for this game. We might get them back for next week.”

What the stats say ahead of Palace vs Leicester

Crystal Palace fans who are not entirely sold on the idea of bringing back Roy Hodgson will hope that he and his trusted assistant Ray Lewington can mastermind their first league win against Leicester in seven attempts.

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Star forward Wilfried Zaha has gone 10 games without scoring, but he’s coming up against one of his favourite Premier League teams having scored seven goals in the last 10 meetings with the Foxes, no other Premier League side has he enjoyed more success against.

Future plans

When Roy Hodgson left Watford at the end of last season, he said he’d retired and was going to enjoy the time out of the game with his family, but after taking a call from Steve Parish to return to Selhurst, he might be tempted to stick around longer if things go well in the next 10 games.

He did admit his main focus is helping the team stay in the league and not too bothered about what happens in the summer.

Manager Roy Hodgson added: “I’m purely focusing on the now. I don’t know what Crystal Palace’s plans are going forward. They have asked me and Ray to do a very specific job. I like it that way.”