Vicente Guaita injury leaves Crystal Palace without a senior goalkeeper for

Crystal Palace will be without a senior goalkeeper for their Premier League match against arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening.

Vicente Guaita, Palace’s first-choice keeper, picked up a late hamstring injury, while back-up Sam Johnstone has yet to recover from a calf problem which has kept him out since February.

That means a debut for academy goalkeeper Joe Whitworth, with fellow 19-year-old Owen Goodman on the bench. With Whitworth making his first-team bow against Brighton, he becomes the first keeper to come through the Palace academy to make a professional debut in over 40 years, since David Fry made his first appearance in April 1978.

Jack Butland was allowed to join Manchester United on loan in January, while fourth-choice Remi Matthews moved to Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone on a season-long loan in July.

It is an unfortunate situation for Palace, who are on a run of 10 games without a win and with manager Patrick Vieira’s position coming under mounting scrutiny as the south London side travel to the Amex stadium.

Both Whitworth and Goodman have featured regularly for the Under-21 side this season, with the former featuring on the first-team bench for fixtures against Aston Villa, Manchester City and West Ham United. Whitworth, who has been capped by England up to Under-18 level and has been with the club since Under-14, signed a long-term contract extension in January.

Goodman has similarly received international recognition at Under-18 level with England, and is eligible for Canada and Nigeria. The imposing 6’4″ (195cm) keeper has also featured in first-team squads this season, earning a place on the bench for the 2-1 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in October, and was in goal for Palace’s Under-15 Super Floodlit Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic in May 2019.

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