We’ve pored over all 20 pre-match press conferences ahead of Gameweek 30, with our updated Team News tab containing detailed injury news from each club and predicted line-ups for this weekend’s fixtures.
Our video round-up of the Premier League pressers held on Thursday and Friday, meanwhile, can be viewed at the bottom of this article.
Arsenal v Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be able to call upon three of his injured contingent when Manchester United head to Arsenal this weekend.
Anthony Martial (groin) is available for selection, while Nemanja Matic (muscle) and Ander Herrera (hamstring) will be assessed after returning to training.
Solskjaer said:
Anthony [Martial] will be available and, hopefully, we’ll have Nemanja [Matic] and/or Ander [Herrera] ready as well. They just need to have another couple of days’ training with the team. They’ve done well in their recovery work.
Eric Bailly has also recovered from the injury that forced him off in midweek but there was no update provided in Solskjaer’s presser on Jesse Lingard (hamstring), Juan Mata (hamstring), Phil Jones (illness), Antonio Valencia (knock) and Matteo Darmian (knock).
That gruelling win over PSG in the Champions League may prompt changes in the United line-up, with Solskjaer saying:
The fitness issue plays in more than ever. We’ve got players coming in, players who put a proper shift in – one of the hardest nights we’ve had, physically. It was great to have fresh legs, Scott [McTominay], Fred. That must be something we consider this time.
Solskjaer also had plenty to say on Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford:
[Lukaku] has been asked to play wide a few times earlier on and provide more chances but now he’s more in the box. We played with two up with him and Rashy against PSG and they might form a very nice partnership. We need Rom facing the goal.
I keep battering [Marcus] with it that he also should score as many goals as Rom after the training session is finished! He should also get simple tap-ins like Rom has scored the last few games.
Apart from long-term absentees Hector Bellerín (knee), Danny Welbeck (ankle) and Rob Holding (knee), Arsenal reported no injury concerns ahead of the visit of Manchester United. Lucas Torreira begins a three-match ban, however.
Unai Emery, who started Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil against Rennes on Thursday, suggested he would freshen things up on Sunday:
Sunday we need fresh players, players with energy, we need quality, we need good combinations and we need the players who start on the bench, after they can help us on the pitch and deliver a big performance.
Liverpool v Burnley
Dejan Lovren (match fitness) and James Milner (muscle) will be assessed ahead of Liverpool’s match against Burnley on Sunday, though Joe Gomez (leg) again misses out.
Jurgen Klopp said on Friday:
Dejan [Lovren] trained yesterday first time, full, completely normal. Joe [Gomez] is now running with 100% of his weight. [Gomez] will be probably after the international break. Dejan was out for a while, so we have to see how his fitness is.
Dejan is not injured anymore, he’s fit – but how fit, we’ll have to see. Millie [Milner] we will have to see. Everything heals quicker! He was outside yesterday. He had a little muscle issue. If you ask Millie, he will be ready. But we will see.
Steven Defour (calf) will likely be out for the rest of the season after surgery but Sean Dyche reported no fresh injury concerns in his presser on Friday.
Manchester City v Watford
Aymeric Laporte (muscle) has made an earlier-than-anticipated return to training and will be assessed ahead of City’s match against Watford.
Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) and Fernandinho (muscle) are out and John Stones (knock) also appears to be unavailable, however.
Pep Guardiola said on Friday:
All of them, they are getting better. Aymeric [Laporte] is back, training the last two, three days, I don’t know if he’s available for tomorrow. Kevin [De Bruyne] is not fit.
Guardiola’s injury update can be viewed here on YouTube.
Javi Gracia had positive news in his own press conference, meanwhile:
Today is a good day for me because I can say, today, all my players are available for the next game.
Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers
All quiet on the injury front ahead of Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, with not a single injury-related flag between the two clubs in FPL – though Ryan Bennett begins a two-match ban for the visitors.
Our interpretation of Chelsea’s Europa League minutes can be viewed in the Team News tab, with Maurizio Sarri’s press conference offering little insight into Gameweek 30.
Nuno Espirito Santo was his usual reticent self, though seemed to imply – without explicitly saying – that Rui Patricio will return in goal this weekend.
Regarding the rotation against Cardiff, the Wolves boss repeated his comments about the third match in a tough cycle of games being the one that “requires attention”.
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
Dele Alli (hamstring) has trained with the Spurs squad all week and is in contention ahead of the trip to Southampton, though Harry Winks (groin) will require assessment and Kieran Trippier (muscle) is a major doubt.
Mauricio Pochettino said:
It is very good news that Alli is going to be available. We need to wait till tomorrow, the last training session. I hope that he’s going to be available and maybe he can play Saturday.
I think Trips, no. He suffered a small problem but I think Trips is going to be out. Tomorrow we need to assess Harry Winks again. It’s a similar situation to what it was before Dortmund.
Ralph Hasenhuttl provided an update on Danny Ings (hamstring), meanwhile:
He is not in the group at the moment. We didn’t take any risks, we want to give him the time to come back in this three-week break after Tottenham. We have one friendly against a Championship team, maybe he can get 45 minutes in that.
Leicester City v Fulham
Jamie Vardy (head) is fit to feature for Leicester City this weekend.
Brendan Rodgers said on Thursday:
He is fine. He took a bad knock and had a couple of stitches in his tongue from the collision he had. He’s trained very well and he’ll be fine for the weekend.
Andre Schurrle (virus), Alfie Mawson (knee) and Marcus Bettinelli (knee) remain out for the Cottagers.
Cardiff City v West Ham United
Aaron Cresswell (toe/head) and Fabian Balbuena (knee) are available for West Ham’s trip to Fulham.
Manuel Pellegrini said on Thursday:
Cresswell worked with the team the last two days so he won’t have any problems. Balbuena played 45 minutes for the under-23 team on Monday, also without any problems. I think they are both available for selection.
The Hammers’ boss also commented on Manuel Lanzini‘s recent return:
It wasn’t my original idea as I wanted him to play 65-70 minutes maximum [v Newcastle] but he said he was OK and he worked without any problems and played the whole game. He is ready and recovered.
On Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, Pellegrini added:
I am pleased with Javier. He is in a good moment and is making good movements in the attacking areas. Every striker wants to score more goals but he is contributing well. We also have Marko coming back, so I think we have options.
Maybe one of them for different reasons must wait in this moment or they can play both together, but in having good options for a manager, it’s a solution, not a problem.
Sol Bamba (knee) has been ruled out for the season but is Neil Warnock’s only confirmed absentee so far.
The Cardiff boss said:
The back four takes care of itself tomorrow.
I left Josh [Murphy] out [against Wolves] altogether because he’s been very, very poor for a couple of weeks, in training. It’s lack of confidence. And yet he’s one player who can just spark us off.
Victor Camarasa, I know he wasn’t 100 per cent but he had to play last week to get a game under his belt. He’ll be a lot better this week.
[Paterson is] a great asset to have. I’ve not written him off anywhere. It’s just, would you pick him in front of Niasse or Ken? Would you put him at right wing-back, at right-wing, in midfield behind the striker ahead of Camarasa?
Huddersfield Town v Bournemouth
Eddie Howe provided an update on Callum Wilson (knee) on Friday morning.
The Bournemouth boss said:
He’s done some light training this week, he’s been back on the grass for the first time and has looked pretty good. I’ll have to consult with Callum and the physios and see how he feels.
Steve Cook (groin) has been ruled out for “five to six weeks”, meanwhile.
Jan Siewert has a multitude of injury problems ahead of Gameweek 30.
The Huddersfield boss said:
I think we are short on numbers! Hoggy still has problems with his ribs, isn’t good at all. Demeaco with his hip, he’s not able to play. Depoitre has a problem with his foot, I’m not quite sure if it’s possible for him at the weekend.
Siewert confirmed that Jason Puncheon and Jon Stankovic are available for selection but Adama Diakhaby (hamstring) and Isaac Mbenza (calf) remain out.
Newcastle United v Everton
Rob Elliot (back) and Ciaran Clark (knock) have been joined on the sidelines by Sean Longstaff, who looks set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Marco Silva only has worries over two veteran defenders ahead of the trip to Tyneside, meanwhile:
Leighton [Baines], not ready. Started to work with the team but not fully. Jags [Jagielka] is out of the last two sessions, also. All the others are okay.
Crystal Palace v Brighton and Hove Albion
Roy Hodgson’s presser was thin on team news but it is expected that
Mamadou Sakho (knee) and Pape Souare (shoulder) remain out.
Chris Hughton, meanwhile, provided the following update:
At this moment, only Pascal Gross is unavailable this weekend. We’ll see how it goes this week, he’s not training but has been doing some good work. He has a chance for [the FA Cup tie versus] Millwall. Leon Balogun is now back in training.
5 years, 2 months agoWho to bring in Ogbobna or Balbuena?