Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that Yohan Cabaye could face Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday, but Joel Ward will be sidelined for up to four weeks with a knee injury.
Cabaye, 29, came off injured during France's friendly against Portugal last week, but Pardew says the £10 million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain will be available to face City at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
"Yohan came off as a precaution, he's had problems with his groin and he felt a little bit in the scar tissue," said Pardew.
"He did the sensible thing in coming off and he has trained today [Thursday], and he was magnificent."
Pardew also confirmed that Ward and Marouane Chamakh will not be available for selection against Manuel Pellegrini's table-toppers.
Ward, 25, scored in Palace's 2-1 win at Chelsea a fortnight ago, but the right-back is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury in training.
"Unfortunately we've lost Joel Ward this week," said Pardew. "After his great performance against Chelsea he's got injured in training and will definitely be out for three to four weeks, so that's a blow to us."
Chamakh, 31, has yet to appear this term due to hamstring trouble and now faces at least another three weeks on the sidelines with an abductor injury.
With Palace flying high in second, albeit after just four games, Saturday's clash is a top-of-the-table encounter.
"It's an unusual position for us and something we probably can't sustain for a long period, but in the short term we can enjoy it," added Pardew. "We deserve to be there after four games. It's just a shame there are another 34 to go."
