Raheem Sterling gives his 27% Fantasy Premier League owners cause for concern after withdrawing from England duties. Jurgen Klopp has worries over a trio of Liverpool regulars, while Southampton and Stoke’s right-backs are also injury doubts.
Raheem Sterling
Sterling was forced to withdraw from the England squad due to a calf injury, but initial reports suggest the Man City winger should be fit to face Everton after the international break.
The news should come as a relief to Sterling’s 27.1% Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ownership, given the impressive production of the 21-year-old so far this season.
Certainly, with Kevin De Bruyne unlikely to be fit in time, Pep Guardiola will be desperate for Sterling to be in contention for the Toffees’ clash – the winger has racked up 33 points in three Etihad outings so far.
Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne
Adam Lallana was forced off with a groin injury 22 minutes into Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Swansea last weekend and was subsequently ruled out of the England squad.
Dejan Lovren, meanwhile, also suffered a groin problem during the final stages of Saturday’s match. But speaking to the club’s official website about both injuries, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke positively about the pair’s chances of being fit to start against Man United in 13 days time:
“Dejan was one of the last moments of the game. [It is a] groin [injury] for both, hopefully not that serious. Adam felt it, tried it again, and it didn’t work. In this moment they have no chance for the national teams. But hopefully, 16 days should be enough to bring them back onto the pitch for the next game.”
Both player’s situations will need to be monitored over the next week, particularly in Lallana’s case given he was transferred in by over 185,000 FPL bosses before the Gameweek 7 trip to South Wales.
As for Nathaniel Clyne, the defender was made unavailable for England’s World Cup qualifiers due to a knee problem that he has reportedly been carrying for a number of weeks.
That news will be a concern for Clyne’s 9.9% ownership in FPL, while given the lack of options in the full-back positions at Anfield, Klopp will desperately hope the problem can continue to be managed over the coming weeks. The Reds boss could be forced to field Alberto Moreno on the left, switching James Milner over to the right if Clyne fails to recover in time for the upcoming clash with the Red Devils.
Cedric Soares
Southampton defender Cedric Soares was forced off with an ankle injury 27 minutes in the 0-0 draw against Leicester City, but it’s not thought to be a serious problem for the Portuguese international.
Cuco Martina replaced Soares at right-back for the Saints on Sunday and is the obvious back-up in the event the former Sporting Lisbon defender is ruled out for the home encounter against Burnley after the international break.
Jordan Pickford, Jan Kirchhoff
Pickford was withdrawn from the England under-21 squad due to a thigh problem, although the fact he could link up with the national squad later this week suggests we shouldn’t be overly concerned about his availability for the Gameweek 8 trip to Stoke.
Recent signing Mika will be on standby should Pickford be sidelined for the clash at the Bet365 Stadium in 11 days time.
The youngster has emerged as the budget keeper of choice in recent weeks after racking up at least two save points in four of his five appearances.
The situation is not so positive for Jan Kirchhoff, though, with the midfielder ruled out for six weeks after being stretchered off during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against West Brom due to a leg injury.
Sunderland manager David Moyes rued the fact he could be without Kirchhoff, Lee Cattermole, Adnan Januzaj and Steven Pienaar for the next few weeks:
“Not to have him, Steven Pienaar and Adnan Januzaj is massive because they help us play better and we are short in that area. They are big, big misses to this club… we lose a little bit of the steel and a little bit of the boys who have been here before while we’re looking to build a new team.”
The likes of Paddy McNair and Jack Rodwell could be in line for more playing time over the upcoming period then, with Didier Ndong appearing the first choice centre midfield player for the Black Cats.
McNair is classified as a defender and priced at just 4.4, although with Pickford offering even cheaper coverage of the Black Cats, his appeal remains limited.
Harry Arter
The Bournemouth midfielder suffered a hamstring injury during the first half of Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Watford, although he was able to complete the full 90 minutes for the Cherries.
It remains to be seen whether Arter links up with the Republic of Ireland squad, though, with the 26-year-old revealing he planned to undergo a scan to assess the severity of the problem:
“It was a little bit sore. I’ll probably have a scan on it on Monday, so fingers crossed it won’t be anything too serious. It was very sore in the second half, but I was able to get through the game. I just tried to grit my teeth and get through it. We’ll assess it now.”
The fact Arter was able to play through the problem would suggest he’s not in too much doubt for Bournemouth‘s next match, at home to Hull City, in 11 days time. But were he to be ruled out, it could open the door for Josh King to earn a recall, with Jack Wilshere perhaps moving into a slightly deeper midfield role.
King emerged from the bench to score for the second time in his last four appearances, while Junior Stanislas has also caught the eye with a goal and assist in four as the Cherries prepare to face Hull, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Stoke in the next five Gameweeks.
Victor Moses
The Nigerian was forced off in the closing stages of Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Hull after pulling his hamstring, and now appears a doubt for their home clash against Leicester City after the international break.
Moses is due to undergo more tests to try to assess the severity of the injury, but should he miss the match against the Foxes; Cesar Azpilicueta would likely shift over to right wing-back, providing John Terry recovers from an ankle injury to return to a central defensive role. Branislav Ivanovic provides another option for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.
Wilfried Zaha
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha revealed he played through the pain barrier for the majority of Friday night’s 1-1 draw against Everton, after hurting his knee in a challenge with Everton defender Seamus Coleman:
“I picked it up after just five minutes into the game. I think it was Seamus Coleman that scraped up my knee, so I had to play through the whole game with it. I had to play through it. It was just a tackle but he went up my knee, and I got a cut on it. It happens.”
Zaha should be fine to face West Ham in Gameweek 8 then, coming up against a defence that has conceded 15 goals in their last five matches.
Danny Drinkwater
While Drinkwater completed the full 90 minutes in Leicester’s goalless draw against Southampton on Sunday, the midfielder was excluded from the England squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers due to a minor groin injury.
Once again, the problem for Drinkwater doesn’t appear to be a serious one, so it is expected he’ll be fit to line up against Chelsea in 11 days time.
Fernando Llorente, Jefferson Montero
Both players missed the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool with rib and ankle injuries respectively. Montero has been ruled out of Ecuador’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers though.
Little detail has been offered on the injuries, but they aren’t thought to be serious, so both players could be available for the trip to Arsenal in 11 days time.
The appointment of Bob Bradley makes the Swans’ starting XI difficult to anticipate, though Llorente may struggle to return to the starting line-up after club record signing Borja Baston was afforded his first start of the season last weekend. Montero, meanwhile, will be hoping to establish himself under the new manager after failing to start any of the first seven Gameweeks.
Isaac Success
Success suffered a knock in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, and has had to withdraw from the Nigeria squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifier, with the attacker reportedly struggling to walk.
His status will need monitoring then as we get closer to the Gameweek 8 fixture at Middlesbrough.
After emerging from the bench to score against the Cherries, Success will be pushing for a start, particularly if Walter Mazzarri continues with the 4-3-3 formation utilised last weekend.
Aaron Cresswell, Andy Carroll
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has been handed some positive news regarding Aaron Cresswell and Andy Carroll, with both players closing in on first-team returns.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Bilic revealed Cresswell was due to return to training with the first-team squad yesterday, while Carroll could re-join the group over the next week or so:
“Aaron Cresswell is starting to train with us on Monday and then during the international break we might have Carroll start to train with us.”
The return of Cresswell would be a huge boost for the Hammers, given the struggles they’ve had in the left-back position in his absence. West Ham travel to Crystal Palace in Gameweek 8, though until they demonstrate signs of improvement at the back, few will be willing to splash out 5.3 on Cresswell.
Glen Johnson
The Stoke City right-back withdrew from the England squad earlier today with a minor knee problem.
Reports in the local press indicate that Johnson is expected to be fit for the upcoming home meeting with Sunderland as the Potters look to build on their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Phil Bardsley would be in line to deputise if Johnson misses out, though Erik Pieters – at 4.4 – looks the prime budget option for those willing to invest. It’s also worth noting that Geoff Cameron is also priced at 4.4 and has started the last two in central midfield.
