Our latest tour of the Premier League treatment tables brings news of Olivier Giroud’s injury and Diego Costa return to the Chelsea fold ahead of plum weekend fixtures.
Elsewhere, Jan Vertonghen looks set for a spell on the sidelines, potentially unlocking a bargain in the Spurs defence while we also tangle ourselves in red tape to assess the situation surrounding the availability of both Joel Matip and Allan Nyom.
Olivier Giroud
The Arsenal striker limped off during Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Swansea City with what appeared to be an ankle injury, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:
“He has an ankle problem. I don’t know how bad it is. It’s being assessed by our doctor. I hope it’s not bad, but he is limping.”
But after further assessment, Giroud is now believed to have suffered a toe problem, with a decision to be made on his availability for Sunday’s home encounter against Burnley to be made later in the week.
Giroud has started each of the last four Gameweeks as the Gunners lone striker, scoring on each occasion, with Alexis Sanchez consigned to a role on the left. With Watford and Hull also set to visit the Emirates in the next four fixtures, his injury situation will be eagerly monitored, with a potential absence allowing Sanchez the chance to move back into a central role again.
There is good news regarding Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin and Kieran Gibbs, though, with all three expected to be in contention this weekend, having resumed full training at the start of this week.
Bellerin’s likely return bodes well his 15% FPL owners, given that Wenger’s side have chalked up three clean sheets in the last four league outings ahead of those aforementioned fixtures.
On the downside, his availability spells bad news for those eying up Gabriel – priced at 4.8, the Brazilian has offered a cheap route into the Arsenal defence, starting seven of the last eight Gameweeks.
Diego Costa
Speaking after Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Leicester City, Blues boss Antonio Conte reiterated it was a back injury that ruled Costa out of the match at the King Power Stadium:
“On Tuesday during the training session Diego stopped because he felt a pain in his back. From that moment he didn’t train during the week. For this reason today he wasn’t available.”
There has, of course, been plenty of speculation surrounding the striker’s future at Stamford Bridge, with the Spanish international believed the subject of interest from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjin.
But Costa returned to first-team training on Tuesday, and is reportedly back in contention to return against Hull City this weekend, although Conte will assess his fitness, attitude and state of mind before making a final decision.
Willian, Eden Hazard and Pedro have formed the front three in two matches over the past four Gameweeks, with Chelsea winning each match 3-0, so the decision on whether to recall Costa, who’s still owned by 32.2% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, may not be a straightforward one for Conte.
Over 207,000 managers have already parted company with the Blues frontman this week as a result of the ongoing uncertainty.
Jan Vertonghen
The Tottenham Hotspur defender suffered ankle ligament damage during Saturday’s 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, and looks set to be sidelined for at least six weeks, with some reports suggesting the Belgian could be out for around 10 weeks.
The news will come as a blow to Vertonghen’s 6.1% ownership in FPL then, although the injury could hand us a cheap route into the Spurs backline in the form of 4.7-rated Ben Davies.
The former Swansea City defender has played the vast majority of his international football for Wales over the last couple of years on the left of a three-man defence, and could allow Mauricio Pochettino to continue with the 3-4-2-1 formation that has been so successful in recent weeks.
It remains to be seen whether the Tottenham boss trusts Davies in that position, though, with the option to return to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 system also open to the Argentine.
Heurelho Gomes
The Watford goalkeeper was forced off with a back injury during Saturday’s goalless draw against Middlesbrough.
There’s yet to be any confirmation over the severity of the injury, so hopefully, Walter Mazzarri will provide an update on Gomes’ fitness ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
Costel Pantilimon replaced Gomes in goal last weekend, and will be on standby should the former Tottenham keeper be ruled out.
Ryan Bertrand and Virgil van Dijk
Both Bertrand and Van Dijk are doubts for tonight’s FA Cup third round replay against Norwich City due to “slight issues,” although with Saints hosting Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday, the pair may have enough time to recover in time to face the champions.
Claude Puel’s side are already stretched in central defence, given that Jose Fonte remains out of favour having handed in a transfer request, so it would be a surprise if Van Dijk isn’t just being held back for Sunday’s match. The Dutchman is the only Saints player with an FPL ownership above 5% and currently sits in 11.9% of squads, having chalked up 74 points so far – 16 more than any defensive team-mate.
Puel does have Sam McQueen available as an alternative to Bertrand at left-back should the England man miss out.
David Meyler and Shaun Maloney
Both players were ruled out of Saturday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth, with Meyler suffering from a knock picked up in training, while Maloney was unavailable due to a ear infection.
This report suggests both players could remain sidelined for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, but hopefully, Tigers head coach Marco Silva will provide an update on both players in his pre-match press conference.
Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip and Lucas Leiva
Speaking about the fitness of Clyne ahead of tonight’s FA Cup third round replay against Plymouth Argyle, Jurgen Klopp revealedthe defender has a “big chance” of featuring against Swansea City on Saturday:
“It’s getting better. With Nathaniel, it was a muscle between the ribs… “It’s really painful, but now we know after a scan that there is nothing else and each day helps him to settle and get back on the pitch, if you want. So we give him for sure, we have to, two or three more days and then hopefully he can start running and all that stuff… He has a big chance, I think, for Swansea.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold may drop back to the bench on Saturday, then, after the youngster made his first Premier League start in the 1-1 draw against Man United.
The news is also positive on Lucas, who missed out at Old Trafford due to a knee problem:
“His knee was swollen and that’s never a good sign, but in this case, it was on the better side of the bad news. He’s very positive, so maybe he can be on the pitch today [Tuesday], I’m not sure, we will see. If [he is], we will try to push it as hard as we can.”
Klopp will hope Lucas can start against Plymouth tonight, then, where the German is expected to rest several first-team regulars, with the Brazilian unlikely to push for a start against Swansea at the weekend.
The situation surrounding Matip remains unclear, though, with Liverpool still awaiting international clearance from FIFA.
Matip has been left out of the squad for tonight’s FA Cup third round replay against Plymouth Argyle, with FIFA expected to decide on Friday whether Matip has a case to answer.
Klopp admitted it could be “another seven or 10 days before we get a decision,” so at this stage, the defender appears unlikely to be available to face Swansea City on Saturday.
This should see Ragnar Klavan slot in alongside Dejan Lovren at centre-half against the Welsh outfit.
James McArthur, Jordon Mutch, Fraizer Campbell
All three players missed last night’s FA Cup third round replay against Bolton Wanderers, with McArthur having been sent for a scan on a calf injury, while Mutch and Campbell were ruled out with knocks.
They’re all now doubtful for Saturday’s home clash against Everton, but Scott Dann, who was rested against Bolton, having only returned from a hamstring injury against West Ham United last weekend, is expected to come straight back into the starting XI.
Allan Nyom
The West Brom defender is still waiting for international clearance from FIFA, with club officials said to have “major doubts” in getting the thumbs up ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Sunderland.
The Baggies officially said on Monday they “cannot be sure Allan Nyom will be available.”
This could see Chris Brunt fielded at left-back once again, then, with James Morrison and Nacer Chadli stationed alongside the in-demand Matt Phillips in the roles behind Salomon Rondon.
Jack Rodwell, Victor Anichebe, Steve Pienaar, Jordan Pickford
Rodwell picked up a knee injury during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Stoke City, although a scan has shown the issue isn’t a serious one, according to Black Cats boss David Moyes:
“Jack got a medial ligament injury in the game at the weekend. He was scanned yesterday [on Monday], but it didn’t come up with a great deal and hopefully it shouldn’t keep him out for too long. He might just have to stay off it for a week or so, and then we’ll see how he is.”
Rodwell joins a lengthy list of absentees then, with Moyes only having 11 senior players available to him.
There was some better news on Victor Anichebe (hamstring) and Steven Pienaar (calf) though, with the pair possibly being able to return to training later this week:
“Victor has done some running, and there’s a chance he could join back in with training this week, but he hasn’t been training with the team to this point. Steven is the same, and I’m hoping he will join in before the end of the week, too.”
The Black Cats manager also confirmed that Jordan Pickford’s rehabilitation from an ankle complaint is picking up pace:
“We think Jordan might be back quicker than we first expected, he says he feels good and he could be back in three to four weeks which is really good news”.
Pickford emerged as one of the cheapest keepers on offer in FPL. The youngster had started every match from Gameweek 3 onwards prior to sustaining his injury against Man United in Gameweek 18.
His absence has allowed Vito Mannone to start the last three and although they’ve conceded nine times over that period, the Italian has been similarly defiant between the posts, making 18 saves, including 13 stops in a 2-2 home clash with Liverpool in Gameweek 20.
