Crystal Palace are preparing to face some of the best the Premier League has to offer across the next eight days — and will have Michael Olise back for the fight.
The Eagles host Manchester City in the early kick-off on Saturday, before facing fellow title contenders Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
Oliver Glasner's side are eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that buffer was even less when they faced Liverpool and City in the space of a week in December.
That experience fell right in the middle of an injury pile-up at Selhurst Park, yet proved nowhere near as ugly as it could have been. Palace, then managed by Roy Hodgson, came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Etihad and led against Liverpool, only to lose in stoppage time.
Michael Olise will be fit to make a cameo on Saturday, his first appearance since February 3 due to a hamstring injury.
"All the players who were in the squad in the last games are fit again,” Glasner told reporters on Friday. “Michael is coming back into the squad. We spoke to the medical team and the advice is for 15 or 20 minutes. He is ready and it gives us one more option towards the end of the game so we are happy.
“[Marc Guehi] is not training with the team at the minute. I would say he will be at least two or three weeks.”
On Olise's fitness, Glasner said: “We didn’t train a lot this week because it’s the third game now, but of course he has shown his individual quality in possession. His dribbling, his finishing is great.
If it is still a tight game at the end, then maybe he can have one or two decisive situations to decide the game
“But he was out now for eight weeks and for the fourth time this season, so he was more in rehab than on the pitch. We will give him the time to find his best performance, to get his quality back.
“Everyone needs rhythm, everyone needs minutes, needs training. He is now starting [to get that] so I don’t expect him at the best level after eight or nine weeks of injury, but he can play 15 or 20 minutes.
“If it is still a tight game at the end, then maybe he can have one or two decisive situations to decide the game against us.”
A 3-0 victory over Burnley in his first match remains Glasner's only win as Palace boss, and Saturday's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth have seen them lose ground on teams around them.
