Ismaïla Sarr is likely to remain sidelined with a groin issue until after the international break, Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage has confirmed.
The Senegal international was last season’s Conference League top scorer, but has made just five appearances for Palace across all competitions so far.
Palace have lost one of those five games, while they have been beaten in five of the eight matches he has missed, but the under-pressure Sage will have to do without him for at least the next three outings before the November international window.
When asked about when the 28-year-old might be available again, Sage said: “I think after the international break.”
The under-pressure Eagles boss secured a big Carabao Cup win at Fulham on Wednesday night, and will now look to turn Palace’s Premier League fortunes around at Tottenham before hosting Hoffenheim in the Europa League, then welcoming Liverpool to Selhurst Park before the pause.
Asked if he might prefer to be taking on their subsequent league opponents — Coventry and Hull — Sage said: “Every point smells good, and if we take points against Liverpool or Tottenham or against the other team, it’s the same for us at the end, because we need, and we will play all the game to take points.
“We are not in a position to choose one game better than another. We do, we did, and we will do the same with the cups and the league too. That’s why we made some rotations, because we wanted to win on Wednesday, but we wanted to create the conditions of freshness for Saturday too.
“At the moment that strategy is good, but we have to confirm that and go until the goal we fixed at the beginning of the week.”
Sage confirmed Jean-Philippe Mateta was rested against Fulham but will be ready to start against Tottenham.
Jorgen Strand Larsen continues to recover from the ankle issue he sustained in their 2-2 draw with Besiktas last week, and will train with the group on Thursday afternoon.
Sage confirmed Quinten Timber could also potentially feature in the Spurs clash, which should also feature captain Dean Henderson who recovered well on his first start back from injury on Wednesday.
Palace sit one place and point clear of the relegation zone heading into Sunday’s trip to north London, and there has been some suggestion that this weekend could be a major test of the front office’s faith that Sage remains the right man for the job.
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While Fulham was a “good sign,” Sage was wary of using it as a litmus test, given the heavy rotation.
He added: “We change 10 players, and the opponent will be different. That’s why it’s difficult to take a performance, and without the guarantee it will be the same in another context with other players.
“But the idea, the mindset is here, and now we are sure as a group, as a team, that we are able to do that, but we have to do that in the Premier League.
“For the moment, it’s not the case. The good sign was we did this thing in the cup, against a Premier League team.”
