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Jean-Philippe Mateta injury update with Crystal Palace star to miss FA Cup clash
Jan 09 2026 15:16 · By Callum McAvoy · 23 Reads
Jean-Philippe Mateta will play no part in Crystal Palace’s FA Cup game against Macclesfield (Photo: Getty)
Oliver Glasner has revealed that Jean-Philippe Mateta will miss Crystal Palace ’s FA Cup third-round match against Macclesfield.
The France striker has been dealing with a knee issue for the past month and will not travel to the non-league side on Saturday as Palace begin their defence of the FA Cup.
Mateta has appeared in all but one of Palace’s 33 matches across all competitions so far this season, recording 10 goals and two assists.
Only four players – Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin – have scored more in the Premier League this campaign, form that has once again attracted transfer interest from Manchester United .
Mateta has been dealing with a minor knee issue for the past month and Glasner has decided to rest his talisman this weekend and not risk him on Macclesfield’s astroturf pitch.
‘No one is coming back [from injury],’ the Austrian manager said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
‘Chris [Richards] is back, but he was in the squad against Aston Villa.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored 10 goals so far this season (Photo: Getty)
‘JP will not travel with us. We’ll give him a rest, not playing on astro. We’ve talked about some issues with his knee.
‘Everything’s under control but we don’t want to risk that he plays on astro and it gets worse, that’s why he stays in London. All others [from the Villa game] are fine.
Asked if this issue could prevent Mateta from playing in Palace’s next Premier League game against Sunderland on January 17, Glasner replied: ‘No, I don’t think so.’
Mateta helped Palace win the FA Cup in 2025 (Photo: Getty)
The 28-year-old played a key role in the South London club’s historic victory over Manchester City in last year’s FA Cup final as Palace clinched the first major trophy in their history.
With Eddie Nketiah also sidelined, Palace will take on Macclesfield, who play in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, without a senior striker.
More to follow…