Jean-Philippe Mateta’s injury inflicted by an extremely dangerous challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts last weekend has been the talk of English football this week.
Crystal Palace reacted angrily to the incident, which left Mateta needing ten minutes of treatment on the pitch before he was taken to hospital and was given 25 stitches to repair a severe laceration to his ear.
Roberts has been on the wrong end of abuse in the aftermath and the FA is calling for an extended ban after his red card. Millwall fans held a perhaps ill-advised minute’s applause in support of their goalkeeper during their Championship game on Tuesday.
Mateta will miss Crystal Palace’s Premier League game against Ipswich
Mateta thankfully avoided a serious head injury but “will now rest and recuperate over the following days where his progress will be monitored by our club doctor,” according to a Crystal Palace statement.
Mateta will be unable to play against Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday due to the healing time required by the wound and stitches.
The Eagles striker is injured at the worst possible time, with Palace on a run of five wins in seven games after a slow start to the season under Oliver Glasner, ranked at no. 47 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world right now.
Mateta’s terrific form in front of goal has been instrumental in that run. Having scored just four times before the turn of the year, the Frenchman has been unstoppable so far in 2025 and has scored eight goals in eight Premier League games.
Palace eventually beat ten-man Millwall 3-1 at Selhurst Park to set up an all-London FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham.
“I think he will definitely miss the Ipswich game, but I still hope that he’s available for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the end of March, so four weeks’ time,” said Glasner.
The silver lining for Mateta and the Eagles is that those are the only two fixtures remaining in March. With FA Cup rounds book-ending the month either side of an international break, there are just two Premier League game weeks. Mateta is expected to miss them both.
Palace take on Ipswich on the back of three consecutive wins in all competitions on Saturday when Premier League action returns.
Wins at Fulham and over Aston Villa took them into the Millwall game with their tales up and Glasner will expect three more points at home against the struggling Tractor Boys.
