As always, Carlo Ancelotti was the Fantasy Managers best friend this afternoon, as the Chelsea boss unexpectedly confirmed Alex is to start tomorrow at St Andrews, with the player delaying surgery on his knee, a great boost not just to Chelsea fans but those with any Blues defenders in their Fantasy Squads. He also announced Florent Malouda will play in midfield, which will surely be detrimental to his chance of a decent points haul, even though the winger has returned minimal amounts over the past few Gameweeks.
With the right-back slot the only area of uncertainty, Ancelotti confirmed the following ten players as starters:
Cech, Alex, Ivanovic, Cole, Mikel, Ramires, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba, Kalou.
Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson hinted at a place on the bench for Wayne Rooney at home to Wigan. There’s a slight doubt over Nani, though the winger is expected to start.
Harry Redknapp welcomes back Jermain Defoe to the Tottenham fold ahead of tomorrow’s lunchtime North London derby with Arsenal. Jack Wilshere was passed fit, after missing the midweek England friendly with France, though Arsene Wenger was unsure whether Robin van Persie would make the Gunners starting XI
As per every Friday, all the very latest team news has been collected as words have fallen from the mouths of Premier League managers around the country in our Team News section. Keep popping back and monitor the Twitter feed for the fresh new arrivals.
