Harry Kane hopes to recover from illness in time for Spurs’ clash with Swansea on Tuesday night. Wayne Rooney is available for Everton’s trip to Bournemouth, while Andreas Christensen could return for Chelsea’s home meeting with Stoke City, who face a defensive crisis for the trip to west London.
Here’s our summary of the key team news so far as we await this afternoon’s press conferences.
Fantasy managers were thrown an unexpected curveball earlier today as Mauricio Pochettino conceded that Harry Kane has been struck down by illness ahead of the first match of Spurs’ double Gameweek 22.
The Spurs boss had this to say on the matter:
“He’s ill. He’s cold, like me! The doctor was there at his house, like with all the players when they don’t feel good. We’ll see tomorrow if he can train and be here. But it’s not a big issue. Today I don’t know if he’ll be available or not.”
The striker is apparently optimistic of recovering in time for the Wembley clash, with his fitness now a major factor to consider, with many looking to wield Triple Caaptain chips in light of his back-to-back hat-tricks against Burnley and Southampton.
Fernando Llorente is the likely candidate to deputise against his former club, though Pochettino could even opt for the in-form Son Heung-min to lead the line should Kane miss out.
Over 134,000 FPL managers have brought in the Spurs striker despite the lack of a Gameweek 21 fixture, making him the second most popular acquisition up front. He is also the most sold striker in the Gameweek, with over 158,000 parting company.
Those still holding may now think twice over playing their Triple Captain, while non-owners now face a dilemma – do they bring Kane in and run the risk of him not being available for both matches?
Given that Spurs don’t play until Tuesday now, it’s very unlikely that we will get any further official update ahead of Monday’s 11.30am deadline.
Now on to the Gameweek 21 news….
Eddie Howe has revealed that he will make late calls on a number of players ahead of the home clash against Everton, with Charlie Daniels, Andrew Surman and Harry Arter all doubts. Junior Stanislas is sidelined with a groin problem.
Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce has confirmed that Wayne Rooney has recovered from illness, and is available for the trip to the Vitality Stadium. James McCarthy “should be available”, but Idrissa Gueye (hamstring) is more likely to return against Manchester United in Gameweek 22.
Andreas Christensen missed the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion due to illness, but could return for Chelsea’s home clash against Stoke City after reportedly returning to training yesterday. This could see either Gary Cahill or Antonio Rudiger drop to the bench.
Mark Hughes will be without the injured Ryan Shawcross for the trip to Stamford Bridge, while Kurt Zouma is ineligible to face his parent club. According to the Potters boss, Erik Pieters “has an outside chance” of being able to return, but Bruno Martins Indi and Glen Johnson miss out, leaving Stoke desperately short of defensive options.
David Wagner looks set to hand a recall to Laurent Depoitre for the home meeting with Burnley after the Belgian was limited to a second-half substitute appearance in the 1-1 draw against Stoke.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche revealed that Stephen Ward remains doubtful ahead of the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium due to a knee problem, while Chris Wood is rated as “touch and go.” James Tarkowski continues to serve his suspension.
Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is out for around a month with a hamstring injury, while Jurgen Klopp could consider handing a recall to Sadio Mane for the home encounter against Leicester City.
The Foxes will be without Danny Simpson for the trip to Anfield, with the defender sidelined for four to five weeks with a hamstring injury. Daniel Amartey is available again after serving a one-match ban, and may deputise at right-back.
Florian Lejeune and Isaac Hayden remain doubts for Newcastle United’s home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion. Mikel Merino, Matt Ritchie, Christian Atsu and Dwight Gayle are all set to push for starts having featured on the bench against Manchester City.
Pascal Gross and Anthony Knockaert are expected to be handed recalls for the trip to St James’ Park, while on-loan midfielder Izzy Brown returns to the squad after being ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea.
Roberto Pereyra was withdrawn with a knock in Watford’s 2-1 win over Leicester but is expected to be in contention for Swansea City’s visit to Vicarage Road. Will Hughes (hamstring) remains doubtful, while Troy Deeney continues to serve his four-match ban.
New Swans head coach Carlos Carvalhal is expected to hand a recall to Tammy Abraham for his first match in charge. Ki Sung-yeung (calf) is a major doubt, but Leroy Fer (back) should be available.
Chris Smalling (groin) remains a major doubt for the home fixture against Southampton, while Matteo Darmian (knock) and Anthony Martial (knee) will be assessed after sitting out the 2-2 draw with Burnley. The latter was pictured in training yesterday, though Antonio Valencia is not expected to be available as he continues to nurse a hamstring problem.
As for Saints, they’ll again be without injured duo Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand, while Charlie Austin is both suspended and laid low by a hamstring injury. Steven Davis, Dusan Tadic and Manolo Gabbiadini could push for recalls at Old Trafford.
Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward is not expected to be available for the home clash against Manchester City after missing the last five matches due to a calf injury. Elsewhere, Eagles boss Roy Hodgson could freshen up his midfield by handing a recall to James McArthur.
Vincent Kompany limped off with a calf problem in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United and looks set to miss the trip to Selhurst Park. Fabian Delph (knock) will be assessed having missed Wednesday’s victory, while Leroy Sane is expected to be handed a recall in attack. We’ll be hoping for an update on David Silva later today, with City yet to comment on his Tyneside absence.
West Bromwich Albion head coach Alan Pardew is likely to be without Salomon Rondon for the home meeting with Arsenal; the forward picked up a hamstring injury in the goalless draw against Everton. Hal Robson-Kanu may replace the Venezuelan up front.
The Gunners are set to be without Nacho Monreal once again, with the Spaniard struggling to overcome an ankle injury. Arsene Wenger could continue with a 3-4-2-1 set-up, allowing Sead Kolasinac to retain his role at wing-back.
All this and more has now been updated in the Team News section ahead of tomorrow’s 2.00pm deadline. Keep an eye on our official Twitter account 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.
