Sage hopeful Crystal Palace star could return against Brighton after missing Europa League loss

Jean-Philippe Mateta could return for Crystal Palace this weekend after missing their 3-2 Europa League defeat to Lyon, Pierre Sage has revealed.

The striker did not travel to France but is progressing well in his recovery and could be available for Palace’s next game against rivals Brighton.

“There might be some chance of seeing him this weekend,” Sage said.

“He’s on track with his rehabilitation.”

Sage was left frustrated by his side’s first-half performance against Lyon with his side falling two goals behind by the break.

“We play the game to win,” he said.

“But when you miss the first-half performance, I have to be frustrated with that.

“We cannot accept this. We have to take the lesson from here today.

“We didn’t fight enough, we didn’t manage some of the tactical problems and we were not proactive with the ball,” he said.

“If we want to be competitive, we need to be better in these areas.”