Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has warned his players about the threat posed by Southampton striker Danny Ings ahead of facing the Saints.
Palace face Southampton at St Mary’s in their final Premier League fixture of 2019, with both sides coming into the game off the back of victories on Boxing Day.
The Eagles defeated West Ham United 2-1 at home, while Southampton stunned Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Michael Obafemi and Nathan Redmond.
It was a result that surprised many people, while the fact that Southampton’s top scorer Danny Ings was not in the starting line-up also surprised many, with the former Liverpool man coming off the bench instead in west London.
But Hodgson is expecting Ings to start against the Eagles, with the former England boss aware of the dangers posed by Ings, who has scored 11 goals in the top flight so far this season.
Speaking ahead of the game, Hodgson said: "I’ve always admired Danny Ings as a player. He is what you’d call a natural goalscorer. His movement in and around the penalty area is very good. When a chance comes his way, he’s got the technique to take the chance and, added to that, he’s a hard worker.
"So what got him selected for England and the game he played in Lithuania, those qualities we admired and very, very unluckily of course he picked up that nasty injury very soon after the Lithuania game and that ruled him out for a number of months to come."
