Khalaili Anan midfielder of Union Saint-Gilloise, wearing a Crystal Palace 26-27 home kit, celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Atalanta on January 28, 2026

Anan Khalaili is settling into life at Crystal Palace.Imago

Anan Khalaili and 33% struggler among three Crystal Palace players who can't start vs Newcastle

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

23 Oct 2026, 3:00 pm

Pierre Sage must be extremely careful when making changes for Crystal Palace's must-win clash against Newcastle United.

The manager is under immense pressure at Selhurst Park, but his Eagles managed to secure a 2-2 draw against Besiktas on Thursday, 22 October.

Wilfried Ndidi, formerly of Leicester City, opened the scoring, but Yeremi Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta turned the tables away from home.

Palace looked set to hold out for all three points, only for Junior Olaitan to find the back of the net in the 73rd minute, another goal that could have been saved.

Mick Brown has already told Football Insider that Sage simply cannot survive the current situation in South London, but he's trying his best to.

And if the manager wants to secure all three points against Newcastle on Sunday, 25 October, he can't let these three players start after midweek.

Anan Khalaili

Despite grabbing an assist against Besiktas, Anan Khalaili left supporters wanting more on the right flank, especially defensively.

He completed 17 per cent of his crosses, 20 per cent of his long balls, won just 50 per cent of his ground duels, and only had a 66 per cent pass completion [FotMob].

The ideal solution would be Oscar Mingueza, though he has struggled for minutes since signing as a free agent from Celta Vigo in the summer.

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Ismaila Sarr

Ismaila Sarr came off the bench for the final 30 minutes against Besiktas, and against 10 men, he was expected to make a huge impact in Turkey.

However, he had just 15 touches, completed 50 per cent of his dribbles, won just 33 per cent of his ground duels, and failed to make the desired impact [FotMob].

Sage has multiple other options, and it would appear that the player still isn't focused after nearly leaving in the summer.