Jean-Philippe Mateta injury update as Crystal Palace star cleared for return
Jean-Philippe Mateta was sidelined after a horror challenge (Picture: Getty) Jean-Phillipe Mateta looks set to make his return for Crystal Palace this weekend in the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham. Mateta was carried off the pitch in a neck brace just 15 minutes into Palace’s previous FA Cup encounter with Millwall after a sickening challenge with goalkeeper Liam Roberts. Roberts rushed outside the 18-yard box and leaped to clear a long ball but his high left-footed follow-through struck Mateta in the side of the face. The striker was later taken to hospital where he required 25 stitches in his left ear, while Roberts was slapped with a six-game suspension for the challenge. Mateta missed Palace’s 1-0 win over Ipswich prior to the international break, but the Frenchman has now returned to first-team training with Oliver Glasner’s side. And the 27-year-old appeared to suggest he is ready to make a return to competitive action after posting a short video on Instagram with the caption: ‘It’s time.’ Recalling the incident in an interview with Sky Sports last week, Mateta said: ‘I remember everything, the kick, when I was on the floor. Yeah, I remember everything, it was not like a concussion. Jean-Philippe Mateta is set to wear a protective mask (Picture: Reuters) ‘When he kicked me I was on the floor waiting for him to get a red card and I was good to go. ‘But the doctor, when he came, he saw the injury. Me, I didn’t see it and was like, “Just take the blood off and keep going”, and the doctor was like, “Listen to me, you have to go out”. ‘I was arguing for maybe like 30 seconds, “No I want to play, I want to play!”, and he said I had to go.’ Palace, meanwhile, are looking to reach the FA Cup last four for just the sixth time in the club’s history. The south London side last reached the semi-finals in 2022 before losing out to eventual runners-up Chelsea 2-0. Glasner’s side have enjoyed an impressive run of form since the turn of the year and have lost two of their last twelve games in all competitions in 2025. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Jean-Phillipe Mateta looks set to make his return for Crystal Palace this weekend in the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham.
Mateta was carried off the pitch in a neck brace just 15 minutes into Palace’s previous FA Cup encounter with Millwall after a sickening challenge with goalkeeper Liam Roberts.
Roberts rushed outside the 18-yard box and leaped to clear a long ball but his high left-footed follow-through struck Mateta in the side of the face.
The striker was later taken to hospital where he required 25 stitches in his left ear, while Roberts was slapped with a six-game suspension for the challenge.
Mateta missed Palace’s 1-0 win over Ipswich prior to the international break, but the Frenchman has now returned to first-team training with Oliver Glasner’s side.
And the 27-year-old appeared to suggest he is ready to make a return to competitive action after posting a short video on Instagram with the caption: ‘It’s time.’
Recalling the incident in an interview with Sky Sports last week, Mateta said: ‘I remember everything, the kick, when I was on the floor. Yeah, I remember everything, it was not like a concussion.
‘When he kicked me I was on the floor waiting for him to get a red card and I was good to go.
‘But the doctor, when he came, he saw the injury. Me, I didn’t see it and was like, “Just take the blood off and keep going”, and the doctor was like, “Listen to me, you have to go out”.
‘I was arguing for maybe like 30 seconds, “No I want to play, I want to play!”, and he said I had to go.’
Palace, meanwhile, are looking to reach the FA Cup last four for just the sixth time in the club’s history.
The south London side last reached the semi-finals in 2022 before losing out to eventual runners-up Chelsea 2-0.
Glasner’s side have enjoyed an impressive run of form since the turn of the year and have lost two of their last twelve games in all competitions in 2025.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
