USMNT's Chris Richards ruled out of Crystal Palace match vs. Southampton due to calf issue

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has ruled out U.S. international Chris Richards from their midweek Premier League match against Southampton due to a "minor calf issue."

The 24-year-old central defender played all 90 minutes for the Eagles in their FA Cup victory over Fulham at the weekend, with Richards putting in a stout defensive performance. However, despite not being available for selection on Wednesday against the Saints, Richards is expected to return at the weekend against Brighton.

"We will miss Chris Richards," Glasner said. “He is struggling a bit with his calf. It doesn’t look very serious, so we expect him to be back for Brighton at the weekend but tomorrow is too early. At the end of the game, he felt like (he had) a cramp in his calf. We thought it was cramp and this (can happen) very often after traveling, he played in LA with a nine-hour time difference and a 12-13-hour flight.

“It’s not a heavy injury but we know we can’t take any risks. If the muscle ruptures then he’s out for four to six weeks. That wouldn’t have been a big problem in March where we had two games but now we have seven in April and we want (all) the players available.”

Glasner hinted that the club recently experimented with both Tyrick Mitchell and Ben Chilwell in a back-three formation in an internal friendly match, but noted that Nathaniel Clyne and Jefferson Lerma are both more likely candidates to replace Richards for Wednesday's match.

“This is one solution," he said. "Clyne is another solution. The third solution you will be surprised by but that is why sometimes we play (matches) internally. In this game, I tried Tyrick Mitchell inside for one half and Ben Chilwell for the second half. Jeff Lerma played in the back three so we used it to get information on what could work and how they can fit together. We got some responses, and all the responses you will see tomorrow.”

Richards has started 15 of 17 matches he has played in for Palace during the Premier League this season, while logging four starts in the FA Cup - where he's recorded one assist.

The Eagles play Southampton Wednesday as they look to move into the top-half of the Premier League table. Heading into the Matchday, they sit 12th in the standings on 39 points - nine points out of fifth-place Manchester City and a chance at European Football.