Fantasy managers are eagerly awaiting the afternoon press conferences with Pep Guardiola expected to provide an update on the status of Sergio Aguero, who has returned to full training following a rib injury.
This follows Aguero’s post on social media yesterday, where he declared himself “ready” to return for the visit of Stoke City.
With Aguero possibly in contention, Guardiola’s attacking options and configurations look far more difficult to predict. Today’s conference will hopefully offer more clarity on his likely squad and line-up.
For Stoke, Joe Allen is unavailable for the Etihad trip having suffered concussion that forced him off during Wales’ midweek clash with Republic of Ireland. The midfielder has missed training this week as part of the protocol surrounding the nature of the injury, with manager Mark Hughes ruling him out this morning. Defender Bruno Martins-Indi may also miss out, while skipper Ryan Shawcross continues to progress with an ongoing back muscle injury and remains sidelined. However, Jese Rodriguez is back in contention after missing the previous Gameweek for personal reasons.
Elsewhere, Liverpool will need to restructure their three-man frontline after Sadio Mane was ruled out of tomorrow’s home meeting with Manchester United due to a hamstring injury.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, is set to be without Marouane Fellaini, who picked up a knee injury while on international duty.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the home clash against West Ham United, but Jonathan Walters remains sidelined with a knee injury.
Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes look set to be available for that trip to Turf Moor, while Manuel Lanzini could be poised for a first start of the season.
N’Golo Kante is expected to miss Chelsea’s trip to Crystal Palace due to a hamstring injury, while Antonio Conte’s press conference this afternoon will hopefully shed some light on Alvaro Morata’s similar problem.
And the Eagles are
sweating over their first-choice stopper Wayne Hennessey, who is set for scans after sustaining an injury on international duty for Wales.
Swansea City head coach Paul Clement revealed that Wilfried Bony is “50/50 to start” against Huddersfield Town due to a hamstring injury, but Renato Sanches is unlikely to be available.
Midfielder Danny Williams is available for the trip to south Wales following a foot injury, while Steve Mounie has a chance of being named in the matchday squad.
Younes Kaboul remains sidelined ahead of Watford’s home meeting with Arsenal, while Sebastian Prodl is still doubtful to face the Gunners. Isaac Success has been ruled out for between six and eight weeks with a knee injury.
Arsene Wenger has a number of concerns at the back for the Vicarage Road encounter. Shkodran Mustafi will miss the trip, while Sead Kolasinac (hip) and Laurent Koscielny (achilles) will undergo fitness tests today. Mesut Ozil (knee) and Danny Welbeck (groin) are back in full training and in contention to face the Hornets.
Josh King and Ryan Fraser face late assessments on hamstring complaints as Bournemouth make their way to face Spurs at Wembley Stadium. Eddie Howe has conceded that Brad Smith is set for a stint on the sidelines after picking up “a nasty injury” on duty for Australia over the break.
For Spurs, Mauricio Pochettino looks set to be boosted by the return of both Erik Lamela and Danny Rose. Both joined full training this week although the Cherries visit will likely come too soon for the duo.
Davy Propper is expected to be fit for Brighton & Hove Albion’s home encounter against Everton, with the midfielder recovering from a hip problem suffered while on international duty.
Midfielders Matt Ritchie (thigh), Christian Atsu (knee) and Jonjo Shelvey (hand) are all minor injury concerns ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to Southampton, with Rafa Benitez set to provide an update on the trio in his press conference later today.
Wilfred Ndidi is available for the home fixture against West Bromwich Albion, while Jamie Vardy has fully recovered from a hip problem.
James Morrison, Hal Robson-Kanu and Nacer Chadli are all slight injury concerns ahead of Monday’s visit to the King Power Stadium.
All this and more has now been updated in the Team News section ahead of this tomorrow’s 11.30am deadline. Keep an eye on our official Twitter Stream for breaking news – as the day unfolds, we will issue updates from Friday’s press conferences and refresh our Team News tab accordingly to keep you informed.
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