Newcastle United receive Crystal Palace news they hoped to avoid as double injury boost confirmed

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner was in high spirits on Friday afternoon as he revealed his side had welcomed back key stars such as Eberechi Eze and Eddie Nketiah to training ahead of this weekend's visit of Newcastle United.

The attacking duo, both sidelined with hamstring issues of late, are expected to make Glasner's matchday squad for Saturday's 3pm showdown with Eddie Howe's side, offering a huge boost to the struggling outfit. “Players are coming back," the Austrian coach told reporters on Friday.

"Players have had one more week of training after returning from injuries, so it was very positive. Ebere [Eze] will be in the squad tomorrow, and Eddie Nketiah as well. We worked pretty hard on their rehab, and also the medical staff did an amazing job, so that’s why they are available earlier than expected. Both had a good week."

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After ending the season on a high last term, Palace have laboured to just one win and five draws in their opening 12 Premier League fixtures this term. Only rock bottom Southampton have scored fewer up to this point, with Eze and Nketiah's respective returns a huge boost for the south London outfit.

Newcastle boss Howe is well aware of Palace's league position and consistency struggles but is determined to ensure his players don't head to the capital with the wrong mindset.

"I don't think it's a reflection on the strength that they have and how they play - and certainly Selhurst Park is a difficult ground to go to," Howe said of Palace's form.

"I look back at the win against Tottenham, I think they played really well and I think in their recent games they've seen an upturn in performances and results. I think they've been much more competitive in the last few games and they'll always be competitive because that's the nature of the club that they are. So we go there knowing tough game, tough fixture but we back ourselves always."