Crystal Palace players need to keep faith, says Roy Hodgson

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson says his players have to "keep faith" as they go into their final seven games of the season.

Palace are just two points above the relegation zone ahead of their Premier League match at home to Liverpool on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, and Hodgson believes the team's state of mind will be vital as they approach the run-in.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I can't deny the fact that these are going to be unbelievably nervous and worrying times we have ahead.

Live Premier League

"But I have just got to hope and believe that the players will keep faith in themselves and keep believing in themselves.

"That, half the time, is the problem because they don't necessarily lose faith with you or your coaching staff... they know the work we do out there is the sort of work they need to do.

"So they are not going to turn on you, but the problem is that when things start to go badly, are they going to keep faith in themselves?

"Are they going to keep running for each other? Are they going to keep making up for each other's mistakes, or is the time going to come when they start looking at each and being upset?"

Hodgson is keen to point to Palace's injury problems as one of the key reasons why they have struggled.

Wilfried Zaha has been the most notable absentee and Palace have lost all 10 league games this season without him in their starting line-up.

He added: "I honestly believe that had we not had the incredible injury list and the problems with injuries we've had, that we would probably have got ourselves into a safer position much earlier than we are at the moment, there's no question of that."