To start or not to start against Liverpool? Crystal Palace manager to make late decision on Olise 

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson will have to make a late decision on whether 2021 Super Eagles invitee Michael Olise will be named in the starting lineup for the early Premier League kickoff against Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday, December 9.

Approximately a month ago, the France U21 international returned to action after an injury layoff that kept him sidelined for more than four months. 

Despite lacking match fitness and missing the whole of pre-season preparations, Olise has gone the distance in each of the last three games contested by Palace in the Premier League. 

It is unusual for a player who just recovered from injury to be rushed into starting games as he could suffer a relapse. 

Providing an update on the condition of Olise, Hodgson did not mince words, stating that Crystal Palace's medics have told him to be careful with the winger. 

“After almost four months out and an enormous spike in his workload in the last two games, the sports science people are telling me to be very, very careful with him," Hodgson explained to Crystal Palace's official website. 

“Not that is difficult because he’s a very good player and you don’t want to be careful with your best players, but it’s something we have to take into consideration. But as yet, we haven’t made a decision.

“We’ll talk to the sports science people and Michael himself tomorrow and then we’ll have to make a decision on can he start the game or not.”

Olise missed only one game in the Premier League over the course of the 2022-2023 campaign, while he has already missed eleven this season. 

Igho Kingsley 

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