BIG BEN IS WAITING FOR TIME TO STRIKE

CHRISTIAN BENTEKE faces a battle to break up Crystal Palace’s new-look striking partners.

The Belgium star is fit again after seven weeks out with a knee injury and pressing for a starting spot when Stoke visit Selhurst Park today.

But Palace boss Roy Hodgson is impressed by the way Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend stepped up while £32million Benteke (above) was out.

He picked up his injury in the 5-0 defeat at Manchester City when Palace were without a point or a goal from their opening six league games.

The Eagles remain in desperate trouble and even a win today would leave them rooted at the foot of the table.

But they have finally found the target and six goals and five points in their last five games has strengthened Hodgson’s belief they are moving in the right direction.

Benteke came off the bench in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton and his boss insists there is no guarantee he will return to the starting line-up.

Hodgson said: “I didn’t play him from the start even though he was technically and physically fit to play.

“But I decided that because Zaha and Townsend had been playing well there, including at Tottenham, I would stick with them and they did well against Everton too.

“There’s no doubt that a player like Christian will be trying to force his way back into the team.

“And I have that nice headache which I have not had in these last couple of months – of deciding do I bring him back and revamp the team around him or do I stick with what has been going OK in my opinion.”

Benteke has a good record of scoring crucial goals in relegation scraps, first at Aston Villa and then during last season’s run-in at Palace.

But Hodgson insists past achievements only count for so much, adding: “Anyone who can score for teams in relegation situations is worth their weight in gold, but we can’t get hung up on past records. It has to be what happens in the future.”