Crystal Palace will be without four first-team players for up to a month in January due to the rescheduled Africa Cup of Nations.
Jeffrey Schlupp and Jordan Ayew are set to play for Ghana, while Wilfried Zaha and Cheikhou Kouyate will represent Ivory Coast and Senegal, respectively.
The 24-team competition, which was postponed last year because of the pandemic, is set to begin on January 9 in Cameroon and run through February 6.
It means the four players will be unable to play in the Eagles' derby against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on January 15, as well as the visit of Liverpool on January 22.
They are also set to miss Palace's FA Cup third-round match, which is scheduled for the weekend of January 8. They may also be missing from the Premier League game against Norwich, which is presently set for February 8, if their countries advance further in the competition.
Given the club's inability to replace Andros Townsend during the summer, it's likely that Vieira's attack will be significantly weakened, but the answer might be very easy.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, a young winger, was brought into the first-team mix at the closing end of last season by former Palace boss Roy Hodgson, earning a spot on the bench three times as 2020/21 came to a conclusion.
And Rak-Sakyi showed how dangerous he can be last season, scoring eight goals and giving eight assists in 16 games for Palace's U18s before being promoted to the U23s.
The 19-year-old was rewarded for his outstanding performances last season when Vieira gave him his Premier League debut off the bench against Chelsea in the club's season opener at Stamford Bridge. That may be the first of many top-tier appearances for the teenager this season.
Rak-Sakyi has five goals and two assists in six appearances for the young team this season, indicating that he will be ready to make the move up when needed in January, allowing Vieira to continue to grow in south London despite the loss of numerous important players.