Having all but ruled Michu out for the season last week, Michael Laudrup has now revealed he’ll “wait and see” whether his top scorer is fit to take part against United on Sunday. While a return to action would be a huge boost for the Welsh outfit, the 160,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers who sold on the Spaniard this week may regret their decision, with a home clash against Fulham next weekend also on his agenda. Chico could return in the heart of the back-four after missing out against Wigan in midweek, though Angel Rangel is out for the Swans due to a calf complaint.
Moussa Sissoko and Shola Ameobi are ruled out for Newcastle’s last couple of fixtures against QPR and Liverpool. The former missed out against West Ham last weekend and his continued absence could afford Hatem Ben Arfa the role in “the hole” behind Papiss Cisse once again. Alan Pardew was boosted by the news that Davide Santon and Sylvain Marveaux are both available for the vital trip to Loftus Road after recent injuries.
Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Jonjo Shelvey will be handed the chance to step in for the injured Steven Gerrard over Liverpool’s final pair of fixtures. In this afternoon’s press conference, the Reds boss also hinted at handing some fringe players a chance to impress over the games against Fulham and QPR:
“Jonjo is a talented player. He is a young player that came here with big expectations and it’s sometimes difficult, but I think he has played quite a lot this year. He’ll come into contention to play, as will some of the other players who have been outstanding in training and trying to demonstrate they want to be in the team.”
Paul Lambert has concerns over the fitness of Matthew Lowton ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with Chelsea. The right-back remains a doubt with the thigh problem that forced him off at Norwich last time out – Eric Lichaj is on standby to deputise should Lowton fail a late fitness test.
Chris Brunt is back in training for West Brom following a knee problem. James Morrison failed to train earlier today due to a minor toe problem but Steve Clarke has revealed:
” I would be disappointed if he’s not alright for Sunday. We have one or two other little bumps and bruises. But I don’t envisage having any big injury problems at the weekend.”
Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed Mousa Dembele is back for Spurs’ trip to Stoke, while Morgan Schneiderlin and Maya Yoshida will be assessed prior to Southampton’s crucial away clash at Sunderland.
As always, this has all been collected for you in our team news section, where you’ll find our current predicted lineups for the weekend matches.
Rate My Team has been updated earlier this afternoon and keep an eye on our Twitter stream as always, for any late breaking news.
