Manager confirms injury boost for Newcastle v Crystal Palace as senior player returns

By Danny Wright

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey will be back in his side for their clash against Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Saturday.

Hennessey, 30, sat out of last weekend's shock 2-1 win over Chelsea through injury and was replaced by Julian Speroni as the Eagles scored the first goals and earned their first points of the Premier League season.

The Wales international had been ever-present for Palace prior to their win against Chelsea and his return will no doubt be a huge boost for Hodgson, who has boasted about hos options ahead of the visit to Tyneside this weekend.

"We're lucky. No further injuries, just the two long-term ones. Wayne has recovered, so a clean bill of health," said Hodgson in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, as quoted by Crystal Palace's official Twitter account.

Hennessey has made seven appearances for Palace this term in the Premier League, conceding 17 goals in the process and failing to keep a single clean sheet.

The Eagles are rock bottom of the league with the worst defensive record after drubbings against Huddersfield, Manchester City and Manchester United in their first seven games in which senior player Hennessey played.

Newcastle will go into the game against knowing history is on their side and that they could potentially fly up to fifth in the table with a win.

The Magpies have lost just once in their last 13 meetings with the South London club, dating all the way back to the 1990s.

In other Newcastle United news, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has made a surprising prediction for the match against Palace.

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