Crystal Palace Sweat on Pino Fitness Ahead of Liverpool Showdown
Crystal Palace are facing an anxious wait over the fitness of Yeremy Pino as they prepare to host Liverpool in Saturday’s clash between the Premier League’s only unbeaten sides.
The meeting at Selhurst Park will carry added spice. Not only is it a rematch of last month’s Community Shield — which Palace dramatically won on penalties at Wembley — but it also comes just weeks after the Eagles pulled the plug on Marc Guehi’s £35m deadline-day move to Anfield, despite a deal being agreed.
Pino Doubt After Knee Scare
Palace’s 2-1 victory away at West Ham last weekend was overshadowed by Pino’s withdrawal at half-time due to a knee problem.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, boss Oliver Glasner admitted:
“He had some pain in his knee. We’re not sure what it is yet, so we’ll need to assess him and probably have a scan. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious, but he couldn’t carry on playing.”
The £26m summer signing from Villarreal has yet to get off the mark in England, but with 14 goal contributions last season in La Liga, his absence would be a huge setback for Palace ahead of such a pivotal fixture.
Sarr Boost for Glasner
There is brighter news for Glasner: Ismaila Sarr is set to return to training this week after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Sarr, who has a reputation as a Liverpool tormentor, has already scored against the Reds twice this year and famously struck twice for Watford in their 3-0 win that ended Liverpool’s 2019/20 unbeaten run. Only one team has suffered more goals from him than Jürgen Klopp’s men.
High Stakes at Selhurst Park
Whether it’s Pino or Sarr leading the line, Liverpool know they face a dangerous opponent in Palace, whose impressive start to the campaign has gone somewhat under the radar.
For Glasner, the priority is clear: positive scan results for Pino. For Liverpool, it’s about proving themselves in the toughest test of their unbeaten run so far.
