Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio are expected to be fit for West Ham United’s home clash against Swansea City, but Yohan Cabaye looks likely to miss Crystal Palace’s home meeting with Arsenal. Meanwhile, Watford will be without defenders Miguel Britos, Sebastian Prodl and Younes Kaboul for their trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce expects to be without Yohan Cabaye for the home clash against Arsenal, after the midfielder was forced off at half-time of Wednesday night’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton due to a calf complaint. There was better news on James McArthur though, who could be available to return from a back injury, while Joe Ledley will be back after his wife gave birth to a baby boy earlier this week.
Arsenal will again be missing the injured Petr Cech and David Ospina for the trip to Selhurst Park, so Emiliano Martinez will keep his place in goal. Francis Coquelin will also be back in the squad after missing the 3-0 win over West Ham United for personal reasons.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic expects both Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio to be fit for the home encounter against Swansea City. Carroll was forced off with a groin problem during Wednesday night’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, but Bilic stated the forward “has a good chance of playing.” Antonio, meanwhile, only lasted 45 minutes against the Gunners due to illness. But the midfielder was said to be feeling “a lot better” yesterday, and is likely to be fit.
Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri has a number of fitness concerns ahead of the trip to Tottenham Hotspur. He will definitely be without the suspended Miguel Britos, along with fellow defenders Sebastian Prodl and Younes Kaboul, who miss out with rib and hamstring injuries respectively. Valon Behrami is unlikely to return after missing the last two matches due to a thigh complaint, while Heurelho Gomes and Etienne Capoue have emerged as fresh doubts after picking up knocks in the 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion. They will undergo late fitness tests, while Troy Deeney, Tom Cleverley and Abdoulaye Doucoure will be monitored as all three are suffering with fatigue. There is some good news, though, with Christian Kabasele returning to training yesterday following a calf issue.
Steven Defour is a doubt for Burnley’s trip to Middlesbrough after sitting out training yesterday due to a thigh injury. The Belgian returned to the starting XI for Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Stoke City, so if he is ruled out, either Robbie Brady or Scott Arfield could earn a recall.
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes revealed Xherdan Shaqiri (calf) has been able to train, and is an “option,” while he’s hopeful Marc Muniesa and Mame Biram Diouf will be able to shake off bangs to the knee they suffered during Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley. The Potters boss is also hopeful that Jon Walters (concussion) will be available for the home clash against Liverpool.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe has rated Dan Gosling (knock) as “50/50” for tomorrow’s home clash against leaders Chelsea, but Andrew Surman (knee) remains out.
West Bromwich Albion head coach Tony Pulis was typically coy when discussing the team news ahead of the home fixture with Southampton. He revealed there are one or two players who “picked up knocks” during the 2-0 defeat to Watford, but didn’t mention any names. He was hopeful that Matt Phillips will be ready to return to the starting XI though, after playing 45 minutes as a substitute against the Hornets following a hamstring injury.
Southampton manager Claude Puel will be without the suspended Oriol Romeu for the trip to West Bromwich Albion, while Steven Davis picked up an ankle injury in the 3-1 win over Crystal palace, and is a doubt. Ryan Bertrand, Sofiane Boufal and Manolo Gabbiadini will be checked ahead of the clash at the Hawthorns, with Bertrand and Boufal pictured in training yesterday.
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.
