Winston Reid and Victor Moses add to West Ham’s injury woes. Bastian Schweinsteiger is slapped with a three-match ban. Micah Richards remains sidelined for Villa, whilst Sunderland have concerns over Steven Fletcher as Watford roll up to the Stadium of Light.
Winston Reid has been ruled out for the Hammers after suffering a hamstring injury in training during the week. Reid joins Victor Moses on the sidelines, with the latter also set to miss the next four-to-six weeks after injuring his hamstring in the stalemate with United. Slaven Bilic issued an update on Manuel Lanzini’s injury, suggesting the attacker could be back to face Swansea next week. Elsewhere, Enner Valencia and Dimitri Payet are both making good progress from their respective injuries, with the former now available for selection after time out with an ankle injury. On the subject of Payet, Bilic went on to say, “His ankle is very, very stable and who knows what will happen in two or three weeks”.
Bournemouth stopper Adam Federici has returned to training less than two weeks after Eddie Howe suggested he was set for an extended period on the sidelines. Marc Pugh and Lee Tomlin are also back in training, as is Christian Atsu, though the latter is likely to return to first-team contention in around three weeks after a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Manchester United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger has been handed a retrospective three-match suspension by the FA. The German international has been banned for violent conduct following an incident with West Ham’s Winston Reid last weekend and will now miss the league clashes against Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke.
James McCarthy will face a late fitness test for Everton this weekend, having missed the stalemate with Crystal Palace due to a groin injury. Leighton Baines “is getting very close to start”, though Roberto Martinez has again stressed the need to manage his workload carefully. Phil Jagielka is progressing well with his recovery from a knee injury and could be back earlier than expected, according to the Toffees boss.
Remi Garde has confirmed that Leandro Bacuna and Rudy Gestede are fit for the weekend, with the pair having recovered from the knocks that forced them off against Southampton last time out. Micah Richards remains sidelined as he struggles to overcome a knee injury.
Steven Fletcher is a doubt for the Black Cats’ meeting with Watford after sustaining a foot injury in training. Lee Cattermole and Seb Larsson remain sidelined, though Sam Allardyce has received a boost, with Jermain Defoe and Wes Brown back in the squad having returned to training this week.
Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama will be available to face Crystal Palace after shaking off the ankle injury picked up during the draw with Aston Villa last weekend. Ronald Koeman also issued an update on Jay Rodriguez, with the forward expected back in training in “three to four” weeks.
Claudio Ranieri has revealed that Matty James and Ritchie de Laet remain the only absentees for Leicester as they square up against Chelsea on Monday evening. Meanwhile the FA have confirmed that no action will be taken over Riyad Mahrez’ tunnel altercation with Swansea’s Ashley Williams during the Foxes 3-0 win at the Liberty last time out.
Valon Behrami remains absent for Watford’s trip to Sunderland due to an ongoing calf complaint. Sebastian Prodl has returned to training but is unlikely to be available for selection as he builds up his match fitness.
Peter Crouch, Peter Odemwingie and Shay Given remain on the sidelines as Stoke pay visit to West Ham.
Steve McClaren has confirmed his squad remains the same as Newcastle travel to White Hart Lane. Injured pair Cheick Tiote and Rolando Aarons are “close” to returning from injury after stepping up their recoveries over the last few days.
Wes Hoolahan has recovered from a knee problem and returns to the Norwich squad for tomorrow lunchtime’s clash with Everton.
Stephane Sessegnon has been ruled out of West Brom’s clash with Liverpool due to the hamstring injury sustained in last week’s encounter with Spurs.
All this and more has now been updated in the Team News section ahead of tomorrow’s 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.
