Jaissle warns Newcastle: 'Palace will want to react at Selhurst Park'

After a difficult week on and off the pitch, Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle is expecting a strong reaction from Crystal Palace when his side visit Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Palace, 14th in the Premier League and just one point behind Newcastle, are going through a troubled spell that began with a heavy 5-0 defeat to fierce rivals Brighton.

On Thursday the London club drew 2-2 with Beşiktaş in the UEFA Europa League, failing to hold on to their advantage even though the Turkish side were reduced to 10 men in the 77th minute. Following these results, manager Pierre Sage's position has come under threat, with reports claiming the Frenchman has just two matches left to prove himself.

Speaking ahead of the game, Jaissle said: "There are always periods when you would or would not want to play a team. They suffered a heavy defeat and then drew. They will certainly want to show a reaction on the pitch. We can only focus on ourselves and the things we can control. We are fully locked in on the Crystal Palace game in order to put our game plan into practice."

Newcastle United, who are looking to return to winning ways after defeats to Coventry City and Aston Villa, have received encouraging news on the injury front. Jaissle announced that Anthony Elanga could return to the squad this weekend, while Jacob Ramsey is set to be reintegrated into the first team soon.

The German coach said: "Anthony trained this week and worked very hard. He is not in a position to play 90 minutes, but we hope he will at least be ready to be part of the squad. I am also happy that Jacob Ramsey is returning to the pitch. We have to progress step by step with him and manage his load carefully; we don't want to take unnecessary risks. It is pleasing that our players are gradually coming back, and the next question mark will be their physical level."

For Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has recovered from a long-term injury, marked his comeback with a goal against Beşiktaş. The French striker has now scored 63 goals in all competitions for Palace since his debut in February 2021, making him the team's top scorer.

Mateta, who came off the bench against Brighton and is expected to return to the starting line-up this weekend, said: "I always feel good when I score, but it means much more if we win at the end of the match. I think we did everything to win, but when you give them chances they can punish you, because they are a very good team. Still, we deserved more. We fought, we showed a good attitude and we got a point. Our aggression is back, the team was very strong, but we gave them two chances and both went in."

Player to watch

Crystal Palace – Chris Richards

If he features in this game, Richards will make his 100th Premier League appearance. Aged 26 years and 211 days on matchday, he will become the 14th American player to reach the milestone.