Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed Mamadou Sakho will start against Manchester City on Saturday.
Sakho, who signed in a £26m deal from Liverpool on transfer deadline day, suffered a serious knee injury in April.
But he made his first appearance of the season in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield.
And Hodgson was impressed with the France defender’s performance.
He said: “The centre of defence has been reasonably strong. Sakho is fit to start and will do on Saturday.
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“His performance the other night was very assured and composed, considering it was his first game for a long time.
“We hope with his leadership qualities he will help us move away from the relegation zone.
“I'd heard some good things about him and I can understand why he's a favourite at Selhurst.”
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