Ebere Eze among players Patrick Vieira should rely on for Arsenal, Chelsea, Southampton games

Crystal Palace came through March unbeaten, winning three of their four games and earning a point against Premier League leaders Manchester City at Selhurst Park. They now face a busy April packed with six games that will define how Patrick Vieira’s first season in south London is remembered.

Although there is little chance that the Eagles will disturb the European qualification places in the league table, they still harbour ambitions of breaking into the top ten. Doing so this year would signal to Steve Parish and co that they made the right choice in appointing Vieira last summer to oversee the next step of the club’s long-term vision. They also remain in the FA Cup and face a London derby at Wembley when they take on Chelsea next month. If they progress to the final they’ll come up against either Manchester City or Liverpool.

So with five league games and a semi-final to pack into April, which players will Vieira need to step up and help get Palace into a position where they could realise their ambitions in the Premier League as well as eye up some long-awaited silverware.

Having started the season on the sidelines courtesy of his Achilles injury suffered during training last May, Eze’s return to match action has been slow and steady, with Vieria asserting every step of the way that the midfielder would not be rushed back at risk of further injury. That has limited him to just six Premier League appearances this season, with five of those coming off the bench as a substitute.

It’s in the FA Cup where Eze has had most of his minutes though, starting in the wins over Millwall, Hartlepool United and Everton. In the latter he put in his best showing of the campaign so far, playing a vital role in Jean-Philippe Mateta’s