Crystal Palace will host Leeds United at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon and Patrick Vieira will be hoping his team can pick up all three points from the clash after a poor start in the Premier League.
However, their chances won’t be boosted by some fresh injury news emerging out of the club.
What’s the latest?
According to Football.London journalist Robert Warlow, Joachim Andersen is a doubt for the game against Leeds this weekend.
Writing in an article for the publication, Warlow claimed that the Palace defender’s calf injury picked up in training ahead of the Chelsea clash could keep him out of the team for another week, meaning the game this weekend could come too soon for the player.
Andersen joins Nathaniel Clyne, James McArthur and Jack Butland on the long list of Vieira’s injury concerns.
Vieira should be worried
There is no doubt that Patrick Vieira should be worried about not having Andersen back in the team for the Leeds fixture, as the talented centre-back has been a standout performer for the Eagles already this season.
Andersen has the highest SofaScore rating in the entire Crystal Palace squad (7.38) due to his incredible defensive contributions over his six Premier League outings so far.
The Danish defender has scored one goal, making 1.5 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and a whopping 9.8 clearances per game, as well as winning 71% of his duels so far.
Not only that, Andersen currently ranks first for pass interceptions in his own half and ranks fourth for pass interceptions in total over the entire Premier League, proving further that he is a huge miss for Palace.
Vieira hailed the 26-year-old centre-back last season, outlining what makes him such a valuable asset to the London club.
The Frenchman commented: “He is massively important.”
“When you want to have possession and you have a centre-back who is really comfortable having the ball at his feet it’s quite important.”
The Dane is clearly a player who can put Palace on the front foot, laying the ball calmly into the feet of the young and attacking talents who blossom in the club’s starting XI.
Indeed, it is clear that Andersen this season continues to be a hugely significant part of the team as they lost to Chelsea without him last weekend. Thus, it will give Leeds United’s attacking threat an advantage on Sunday too, so getting him back to his best as soon as possible will be crucial for Palace.
