Zaha, Ward, Andersen: Crystal Palace injuries and return dates ahead of Brighton and Hove Albion clash

Patrick Vieira is sweating over the fitness of some of his key players ahead of the derby game against Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend.

The Eagles were without Wilfried Zaha at Old Trafford and even though the team did put up an impressive showing, they eventually lost 2-1 and now need to respond against an in-form Brighton side at Selhurst.

Joachim Andersen hasn’t been involved in a while and Palace are without a win in their last five games in all competitions and Selhurst will go wild if they were to lose to their sworn rivals at home this weekend.

Despite what has been a very difficult time for the club on the field lately, the Eagles are still 12th on the league table while Brighton come to London looking for a win that will power their European ambitions.

Several of the injured Palace stars are making strides and hoping to return to action even though some of them will have to painfully sit this one out.

LondonWorld brings you the latest injuries and return dates for the Palace players ahead of this weekend’s encounter:

Wilfried Zaha

Injury- Thigh

Expected return- Palace manager said he would not put a time scale on him but he should be ready by the 25th of this month. There is a feeling within a section of the fan base he could return earlier given his impressive recovery record.

Joachim Andersen

Injury- Calf

Expected return:  Andersen has been away for a while but there is finally light at the end of the tunnel having trained this week. There is a 50% chance he could return against Brighton this weekend.

Joel Ward

Injury: Muscular

Expected return: There is no time limit to his injury and that could be a good thing as the next few days will tell us if he will be ready for the weekend game. He is one player who never loses against Brighton so having available is a good omen.

James McArthur

Injury-Groin

Expected return: Another massive miss for the season. McArthur was one of the pillars of last season and this season he just can’t catch a break. He is definitely out of the game against Brighton. Not expected anytime this month.