Christian Benteke made a brief 15-minute appearance as a second half substitute in Crystal Palace's 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend, but the Belgian striker could be unleashed from the first whistle in Saturday's Premier League match with Stoke City, as Roy Hodgson's side look to notch up only their second league win of the season.
Injured in the Eagles' 5-0 defeat to Manchester City at the end of September, Benteke has had to watch from the stands as his teammates have misfired in attack, with them only netting six goals in their twelve Premier League games to date, which has seen them only record five points, but could the return of the bustling Belgian international turn Palace's torrid league form around?
Benteke had failed to hit the back of the net before his injury, and it's sure to take him a couple of weeks to get his match sharpness, but Mark Hughes' Stoke side have been another side that have blown more cold than hot, and with only three wins to their name in the Premier League this season, Hodgson will fancy his Palace side can notch up their second win of the league campaign, and with Benteke likely to join Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend as an attacking trio then it could be the former Aston Villa and Liverpool striker that can galvanise a toothless Eagles side.
The 26-year-old scored 15 Premier League goals in 36 appearances in the top-flight last season for Palace, and so if can recapture a ratio nearing one-in-two then he could possibly be the man to ignite Palace's season, which has seen them struggle to gain any positive momentum.
With Hodgson having limited options in attack, as Connor Wickham still sits on the injury list, then Benteke is a player that will need to find his top form if Palace are to turn around a shoddy start to their campaign, but as he showed during his time at Villa, he can prove to be a major handful when fully fit, and on form, and if he can get a positive relationship in the final third with the abovementioned Zaha and Townsend then he could be the driving force behind a turn of fortunes at Palace, and a home game against the Potters on Saturday is an ideal match for Palace, as Stoke have the second worst defensive record in the league, and are struggling for any consistency.
With 66 goals in 161 Premier League appearances, Benteke will be hoping that he can fly out of the traps on his return from injury, as not only will he have his eyes set on turning Palace's form around, but with a World Cup around the corner the Belgian international will be eager to book his spot on the plane to Russia, so it's a huge few months for the frontman, who could just be the man to save Palace from Premier League relegation.
