Crystal Palace's top player will not be available for their game against Chelsea due to a concerning injury sustained during their Carabao Cup victory.

Over the summer, there was a major change in the Crystal Palace football team as Chadi Riad joined from Barcelona. However, ahead of their Premier League match against Chelsea this Sunday, manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed that they will be missing one of their key players.

The two London clubs are set to face off at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea coming off a strong win against Wolves in their previous game. On the other hand, Palace has had a rough start to the season, losing their first two league games to Brentford and West Ham. However, they did manage to secure a win in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, beating Norwich 4-0.

Unfortunately, during that game, Riad suffered a knee injury just minutes into the match. The £12.6million signing was in visible pain and had to be substituted for Chris Richards. In his post-match press conference, Glasner stated that he did not have a definite diagnosis but confirmed that Riad will not be able to play in the upcoming game against Chelsea.

"We all hope it's not too serious," Glasner said. "At the moment, it looks like he will miss the Chelsea game on Sunday. I will have more information on Friday. Riad himself seems optimistic, saying 'It doesn't look too bad. I hope'."

The absence of Riad, who was expected to be a key player in Palace's defense, is a major concern for the team. With the recent departure of Joachim Andersen and uncertainty surrounding Marc Guehi's future, the 21-year-old's injury leaves Glasner with limited options in the center-back position. The only other options are Guehi and Richards, and there is also a possibility of Rob Holding returning to the squad. However, Holding has only made one appearance for the team since joining from Arsenal last summer and was surprisingly left out of the squad for the Norwich game.

It is likely that veteran right-back Nathaniel Clyne will be forced to play in the back-three due to the shortage of options. However, there have been rumors of Palace signing new defenders before the transfer deadline on Friday. Some of the names linked to the team include Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg, Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea, and Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal.

Despite the injury setback, Palace will be looking to bounce back from their rough start to the season and put on a strong performance against Chelsea. It will be a challenging game, but the team remains optimistic and determined to secure a positive result. As always, fans can stay updated on all the latest news and analysis regarding the team through our Chelsea news exclusives and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates straight to their inbox.

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