Bournemouth v Palace

Dean Court, Saturday 3.00pm

Christian Benteke

Team news

Crystal Palace's misfiring striker Christian Benteke will sit the game out after he suffered a groin injury in training.

With Alexander Sorloth (hamstring) and Connor Wickham (groin) also sidelined, it could leave the Eagles without a recognised forward again this season.

James Tomkins could return but Jeffrey Schlupp (ankle), Joel Ward (leg) and Julian Speroni (knee) won't play. Bakary Sako (ankle) plus Scott Dann and Jason Puncheon (both knee) are out.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

"I heard someone on the TV say they can’t understand why Benteke is still playing, why don’t I give him a rest and perhaps it will be good for him to come out of the team.

"Well, yeah, it might be, but who do I put in? We have to play with someone up front. I haven’t really got round to that way of thinking I saw Malcolm Allison do many years ago, of playing a 4-6-0 — but maybe we will have to.

"Benteke limped off the training field feeling his groin so we wont know how well he is until he comes in tomorrow (Friday) and is assessed again.

"Nobody is coming back, so the squad could be even thinner if Benteke doesn’t make it. It is a good club to be a forward at, because you have got a damned good chance of playing every week."

Bournemouth - league stats

Full league table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
09/12/2017	League	Crystal Palace	2 - 2	Bournemouth
31/01/2017	League	Bournemouth	0 - 2	Crystal Palace
27/08/2016	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 1	Bournemouth
02/02/2016	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 2	Bournemouth
26/12/2015	League	Bournemouth	0 - 0	Crystal Palace

All time results

Last meeting

Palace 2-2 Bournemouth

Saturday December 09 2017

Palace: Speroni, Fosu-Mensah, Schlupp, Sakho (Dann, 25), Tomkins, Townsend (Sako, 78), Loftus-Cheek, Cabaye (McArthur, 65), Milivojevic, Zaha, Benteke

Subs not used: Puncheon, Hennessey, Kelly, van Aanholt

Goals: Milivojevic (pen 41), Dann (44)

Bookings: Tomkins, Milivojevic, Zaha, Benteke, McArthur

Bournemouth: Begovic, S Cook, Francis, Ake, Daniels, Surman, L Cook, Fraser (Afobe, 87), Stanislas (Ibe, 65), Defoe (Wilson, 80), King

Subs not used: Simpson, Gosling, Arter, Boruc

Goals: Defoe (10, 45)

Bookings: Begovic, L Cook

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