Our regular round-up of the Premier League press conferences r
The first part of our summary was published yesterday and recapped the headline injury news from ten pressers that were held on Thursday.
One of those press conferences was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s, which was completely devoid of any updates regarding his “flagged” Fantasy assets.
Comments from the now-permanent United manager on Friday weren’t much more helpful, either. Solskjaer told the Red Devils’ official app:
We’ve had a very good training week. Some have been away and have come back okay.
Alexis has just come back and there is only him who is out, along with Matteo and Antonio. Those three are out. We’ll have to check on one or two of the others.
Sadly those comments mean we are still none-the-wiser about whether Marcus Rashford (ankle), Romelu Lukaku (foot), Luke Shaw (unspecified), Anthony Martial (knee), Eric Bailly (head) and Nemanja Matic (unspecified) will be fit to feature in United’s first Gameweek 32 match against Watford on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s comments were more useful:
Everybody came back fit. Fernandinho, Kevin [De Bruyne], Vincent [Kompany], everybody is OK.
Except Fabian Delph, the other peopleis fit. We have 21, 22 players and that’s good, they have to compete with each other to take one place in their position.
Asked if even Benjamin Mendy (knee) was ready to feature, the City boss said:
Yep. Of course, he needs time. He trained the last three days and the reaction in his knee is really good.
Chelsea are another club to have two fixtures in Gameweek 32 but Maurizio Sarri’s press conference was thin on any bona fide injury news.
There was plenty to interest Fantasy managers, though, especially Eden Hazard owners.
Sarri said:
We have some players who are a little bit tired now. Kante, Giroud, Hazard played three matches [sic] in seven days and now we are not in October, it’s different. I had the whole squad only yesterday. Yesterday, I saw somebody was a little bit tired.
The Chelsea head coach had to fend off multiple questions about Callum Hudson-Odoi, saying:
We have to play eight matches in [the next] 28 days and so I’m sure Callum will start in two, three matches. It’s not a problem for me to put him in the starting XI in a Premier League match.
Sarri’s comments about Hudson-Odoi looking better for England – and preferring to play – on the left flank were also intriguing, as it is on that side of the pitch that Hazard usually plays.
Roy Hodgson provided an update on the condition of Wilfried Zaha (hamstring) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (
Hodgson was asked if the well-owned FPL options would be fit to feature and replied:
Hope so, yeah. They’ve both been nursing those injuries but they were out in training this morning so if nothing happens in terms of reaction, then I’m hoping they’ll be fit. It’s touch and
go .
Nuno Espirito Santo said
Santo commented:
Everybody is OK, but
like you understand, many miles, and special attention for some of those, but everybody is fit.
On the FA Cup distraction, he added:
Game by game. Only focus on the next game, don’t think about anything else. The best way to compete is to look at the next challenge.
Spurs will be without Serge Aurier (hamstring), Eric Dier (hip) and Harry Winks (groin) for their first Gameweek 32 fixture at Anfield.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will make late checks on Trent Alexander-Arnold (back) and Xherdan Shaqiri (groin) but Joe Gomez (leg) remains out despite a return to training.
Klopp said:
It was pretty much their first full session so we have to see how they react. Joe [Gomez] was back yesterday after 15 weeks and looked really good but of course, early stages.
The Liverpool boss was also asked if Mohamed Salah had benefitted from a two-week break and replied:
Oh, 100%. You gain freshness in that time. They are always training but it’s not the highest intensity, so that helps.
Cardiff City
Arsenal and Newcastle play in the Monday night match at the Emirates and the hosts will make late checks on Aaron Ramsey (thigh), Dinos Mavropanos (unspecified) and Granit Xhaka (thigh).
The Magpies welcome back Jamaal Lascelles from injury.
Adam Smith (hamstring), Dan Gosling (knee) and Junior Stanislas (thigh) have all trained in the run-up to Bournemouth’s match against Leicester but Andrew Surman‘s (calf) season could be over.
Further information on Brighton, Burnley, Everton, Fulham, Huddersfield, Leicester, Southampton, Watford and West Ham can be found here.
We have more detailed injury information and predicted line-ups in our Team News tab, while our regular podcast/video round-up can be accessed below:
