Jean-Philippe Mateta has suffered a hamstring injury in training just hours before Crystal Palace’s Premier League clash against Manchester City. He is expected to be sidelined for the next four weeks, which rules him out of four top-flight matches before the first international break.
Mateta has played only 63 Premier League minutes so far this season, so the layoff interrupts a start that had barely got moving. His 5.9 league rating reflects that limited runway, but Palace now lose their main striker before the fixtures start to stack up.
Palace's immediate fixture run
The next league game is away at Fulham on 2026-09-05, followed by Ipswich at home and Leeds away. Palace’s first three listed upcoming league fixtures show how quickly the absence bites, because that stretch is exactly the sort of run where you want your centre-forward available.
Europa League timing
The injury also means Mateta is set to miss Palace’s first ever Europa League match. Metro reported that his first game back could well be the match on October 11, when former Palace manager Oliver Glasner returns to south London with Nottingham Forest, although that is only a possible return point.
Palace have to cope without their most reliable striker for the opening part of the season, and the Fulham trip on 5 September now looks like the first game in a run they must manage without him.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
