Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho set to return to action against Tottenham

Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho is set to be fit for his side's trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (5 November) after making good progress in his recovery from a calf problem that kept him out of the 2-2 draw against West Ham United last weekend.

Sakho had to sit out of the hard-fought draw against the Hammers on Saturday but returned to first-team training earlier this week and stands a strong chance of starting at the heart of the Eagles' defence at Wembley, according to the Evening Standard.

The 27-year-old, signed by Palace from Liverpool for £27m on transfer deadline day, recently returned to action after recovering from a knee injury he suffered against Tottenham at the back-end of last season and will now hope his fitness issues are laid to rest for the foreseeable future as he aims to help Roy Hodgson's side out of the relegation zone.

The French defender is not the only Palace star who could return from injury against Tottenham this weekend; Scotland midfielder James McCarthur may feature after suffering an ankle problem that forced him to miss the clash with West Ham.

Palace boss Hodgson will be without left-back Patrick van Aanholt for his side trip to his former place of work, while striking duo Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham remain out.

The Eagles may be buoyed by the return of Sakho ahead of Sunday's clash, but Tottenham may be without a couple of key defensive stars in Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld. France captain Lloris suffered a knock during Spurs' memorable 3-1 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid on Wednesday, while Alderweireld had to be withdrawn during the first half after suffering a hamstring problem against Los Blancos.

Both players will be assessed ahead of the weekend, but Alderweireld is likely to have a spell on the sidelines along with Victor Wanyama, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, and Erik Lamela, who has been out for over a year with hip problems.