According to The Chronicle, Rafa Benitez is still ‘unsure’ as to whether Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey will be fit to face Crystal Palace this weekend.
The skipper started Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, but was withdrawn at half-time with what Rafa Benitez described to be a ‘twisted ankle’. T
There’s been no further update on Lascelles’ his injury situation, however The Chronicle claim that Jonjo Shelvey will now have three training sessions between now and Saturday to prove his fitness to Rafa Benitez, with the Spaniard clearly feeling as though he wasn’t fit enough to start against Arsenal last weekend.
Given how important this game is – with us having just one point on the board from our opening five games – it feels absolutely vital that both make it.
Palace are a strong side and both Lascelles and Shelvey are the heartbeat of our team from a defensive and creative perspective.
Personally, I expect Shelvey to make it, but there’s been no news on Lascelles since Rafa’s post-match update on Saturday, making me wonder if he’s still being assessed.