Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears destined for a spell on the sidelines, while Andy Carroll has been ruled out of West Ham’s home clash with Everton. Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen could return to face former club Swansea City, but Joel Matip, Lucas Leiva and Ragnar Klavan are all injury concerns ahead of Liverpool’s home encounter with Crystal Palace.
The headline team news undoubtedly surrounds Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who suffered a knee injury during last night’s 2-1 win over Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa League.
The striker had been the top attraction in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) transfer market ahead of United’s double Gameweek fixtures at Burnley and Manchester City, with more than 82,000 managers swooping early for the Swede.
But post-match, United boss Jose Mourinho was far from hopeful regarding the injury, or the one suffered by Marcos Rojo, who was also forced off with a knee problem. While there is no confirmation of a Mourinho press conference, we would still expect some further information on both injuries from the United camp later today ahead of Sunday’s Turf Moor trip.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe will make a late call on Dan Gosling, who has missed the last three matches due to a calf complaint. Howe revealed the midfielder hasn’t done a lot of training, so Lewis Cook may earn a rare start in place of Jack Wilshere, who will miss the rest of the season following a hairline fracture to his leg suffered in the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Middlesbrough head coach Steve Agnew revealed the knee injury suffered by Fabio in Monday night’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal isn’t as bad as first feared. The defender will be assessed this morning to see if he is available for tomorrow’s trip to Bournemouth.
Rudy Gestede did suffer a kick to his heel against the Gunners, but he trained well on Thursday, and should for available for selection. Victor Valdes (rib) and Grant Leadbitter (hamstring) are both ruled out.
Jack Cork (ankle) and Wayne Routledge (hernia) will both miss Swansea City’s home clash against Stoke City. Head coach Paul Clement is hopeful Cork could return for the Gameweek 35 trip to Old Trafford, however.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes is hopeful Joe Allen (hamstring) and Glenn Whelan (illness) will be available for the trip to south Wales. Both players came through training yesterday, and look set to be available. Jonathan Walters has yet to train this week as the Potters continue to manage his knee problem. The Republic of Ireland international was due to train today though, and may be able to feature. Hughes has also hinted at a first-team return for the fit-again Jack Butland between the posts.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic will be without Andy Carroll for the home encounter against Everton, with the forward sidelined due to a knock. Sam Byram and Mark Noble are also unavailable due to suspension, but there is some good news, with Winston Reid back following a groin problem, although Bilic has yet to decide if he will start against the Toffees. Diafra Sakho was due to return to training yesterday, with the forward’s fitness levels to be assessed to see whether he can feature in the matchday squad.
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has no fresh injury concerns for the trip to the London Stadium, although on-loan forward Enner Valencia is ineligible to face his parent club.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp revealed Joel Matip, Lucas Leiva (both knocks) and Ragnar Klavan (knee) are all injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s home meeting with Crystal Palace. The trio had all failed to train prior to Thursday, although Matip is hopeful he’ll be able to overcome a minor muscle issue to face the Eagles.
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce has been boosted by the return to training of James Tomkins and Loic Remy. Tomkins’ return looks particularly well-timed given on-loan defender Mamadou Sakho is ineligible to face his parent club.
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.
