FPL Gameweek 11 injury and team news: Updates on TAA, Kane, Aguero and more

With the Fantasy Premier League deadline shifted back to Saturday morning and two fewer press conferences to dissect as a result of Aston Villa v Newcastle United being called off, Friday hasn’t been as busy as we originally expected.

There is still plenty to round up from the 18 pre-match press conferences that have taken place, however, and we’ll bring you up to speed in our regular team news summary below.

Our YouTube and podcast injury recap is available towards the bottom of this piece, while our Team News tab provides even more detail on what we offer here.

LIVERPOOL v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injury-hit Liverpool may have two bodies back for the visit of Wolves, with Trent Alexander-Arnold (calf) and Naby Keita (hamstring) possibilities to return.

Jurgen Klopp told reporters:

I don’t know [if any players will return] yet, we will see. Trent and Naby will do their first steps in team training today, whatever we can do with that, it depends how it looks.

Apart from Naby and Trent, nobody is coming back. There is a chance that Naby and Trent can be in the squad. But if they can start or play 90 minutes, I don’t know.

There was no specific mention of Andy Robertson or Jordan Henderson, both of whom picked up knocks against Ajax in midweek but who nevertheless finished the game.

Klopp did say, however:

We had some niggles after the game against Ajax, we will have to see how they respond.

Wolves will not be able to count on Raul Jimenez for the first time since they were promoted back to the Premier League in 2018, with the Mexican set for an extended spell on the sidelines after fracturing his skull in the win over Arsenal last weekend.

Nuno Espirito Santo said that the club are “positive” about Jimenez’s recovery but added that it is “too early” to put a timeframe on his return.

Romain Saiss is back in contention, meanwhile, after recovering from coronavirus.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V ARSENAL

Erik Lamela (unspecified) is unlikely to recover in time for the north London derby but Jose Mourinho said either side of Spurs’ 3-3 draw with LASK on Thursday that Toby Alderweireld (groin), Harry Kane (unspecified), Vinicius (unspecified) and Sergio Reguilon (unspecified) all “have a chance” of featuring against Arsenal this weekend.

Speaking after the six-goal thriller in Austria, Mourinho said of Kane:

I believe he’s going to be fit. I’m not sure, he’s on treatment. But I could be now doing some bluff or trying to pretend that he’s in big trouble. He’s not in big trouble. I believe that he’s going to play.

A day earlier, the Spurs boss had said:

Lamela is an injury that comes already three weeks, a month, something like that. I don’t believe that he has a chance for the weekend. Harry, Vinicius and Sergio, there is a chance for the weekend.

I’m not going to tell you the nature of [Kane’s] injury. I think he has a good chance. I don’t want to lie, I don’t want to hide anything. I think he’s going to play.

There is a chance that [Alderweireld] plays [in GW11]. We have our options. If Toby cannot play, we will not cry, like we didn’t against Chelsea.

Arsenal have yet to issue an updated medical bulletin ahead of the north London derby, although their fitness situation continues to improve with Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac all making their competitive comebacks from injury or illness in the win over Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

That leaves Gabriel Martinelli (knee) and Nicolas Pepe (suspended) as the only confirmed absentees for the visit of Spurs, with Thomas Partey (thigh) set to be assessed after a return to full training on Friday.

Mikel Arteta told reporters after the Europa League clash:

Well, he is putting a lot of pressure on us! He is training tomorrow with us, and let’s see how it goes in the next couple of days.

The Arsenal boss also expects David Luiz to be available despite suffering a cut to the head in Gameweek 10.

MANCHESTER CITY V FULHAM

Sergio Aguero (knee) is improving and back in training but won’t feature against Fulham this weekend, with his manager telling reporters:

No [he won’t play]. He’s getting better, today part of the training. That is the good news that he’s already on the pitch with us. We’ll see [if he’s back soon].

Asked about Raheem Sterling‘s recent benchings, Pep Guardiola said:

He’s an incredibly important player for us and the season is long. His contribution this season was huge – it was in the past and will be in the future.

Kenny Tete (calf) and Terence Kongolo (foot) remain sidelined for Fulham but Scott Parker confirmed on Thursday that the Cottagers have “no fresh injuries” ahead of the trip to the Etihad. 

CHELSEA V LEEDS UNITED

Frank Lampard has a clean bill of health ahead of Saturday’s game, with not a single injury reported.

Asked if Olivier Giroud could come into the reckoning after his four-goal heroics in Spain in midweek, Lampard said:

I don’t think it’s a case of giving any player assurances over game-time because with a competitive squad like we have, that’s very difficult to do.

All you want is for players, when they’re out of the team, to train well, get themselves in the team and perform like Oli did the other day. That gives me nice problems.

In that forward area, I have competition for places. Tammy Abraham has been playing very well for us this season, scoring goals and making assists. It’s great competition for me.

I never see anything negative from Oli and I have got huge respect for him. Playing like he did for us the other night, clearly he is going to get opportunities to play for us because that was just a top-class performance all round.

Adam Forshaw (hip), Jamie Shackleton (hamstring) and Pablo Hernandez (muscle) are all still sidelined and while Diego Llorente (hamstring) is back in training after a two-month absence, Marcelo Bielsa said on Thursday that the centre-half would ideally play for the under-23s first in order to build up match-fitness.

WEST HAM UNITED V MANCHESTER UNITED

Michail Antonio has been ruled out of the visit of Manchester United with yet another hamstring injury, with no timeframe put on his return just yet.

Ryan Fredericks is also a doubt with a groin problem but Andriy Yarmolenko is back in training after a spell in self-isolation.

Luke Shaw (hamstring) is the Red Devils’ only confirmed absentee, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying of Marcus Rashford:

Marcus has been training this morning, not fully, but he’s joined in with the group. His shoulder stopped him finishing the game [against PSG]. He’s getting treatment and hopefully, he’ll be part of the squad that travels. He’s having treatment now after training.

BURNLEY V EVERTON

Sean Dyche said on Thursday that Nick Pope (head) is “clear now from the after-effects of concussion”, so the England international will very likely return between the posts at Turf Moor.

Jack Cork (ankle) remains out and Phil Bardsley (ribs) is “touch and go” but Dyche could welcome back three members of his first-team squad for the visit of Everton, with Dale Stephens (hamstring), Robbie Brady (hamstring) and Josh Brownhill (back) all returning to training this week.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Achilles), Seamus Coleman (hamstring) and Lucas Digne (ankle) remain out for the Toffees, with Carlo Ancelotti telling reporters:

Apart from Coleman and Digne, all the players are available. [Coleman] doesn’t play. He is training individually.

Explaining the omission of Niels Nkounkou last week, Ancelotti said:

Nkounkou was not in the squad because I have 11 players, I decided to put Iwobi on the left. He’s still young, he needs more experience, he needs to work more but I am satisfied for what he’s doing. He will have time in the next game because we have a lot of games.

Playing with two midfielders (at wing-back), we have good cover because usually, the two midfielders have the help from one of the centre-backs.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION V SOUTHAMPTON

Danny Ings (knee) could be back in contention for the Monday night game, with Ralph Hasenhuttl telling the media:

We must have a look. Yesterday, first time training with the team, looks good. We must look how his body reacts to the training, then we can say more.

Nathan Redmond (hamstring) has also been back in training this week and may feature.

Graham Potter confirmed that Adam Lallana (groin) will miss the visit of Southampton and is ruled out for “a couple of weeks”, adding that Davy Propper (match fitness) “probably” won’t feature despite returning to training following injury and illness.

There is also a question mark over Neal Maupay (hamstring), who limped from the field of play against Liverpool last weekend.

Potter said on Thursday:

Neal Maupay has been with the physios this week, [he has] a chance to train on Saturday. We’ll take a decision later on in the week for him. It seems like it wasn’t too bad.

SHEFFIELD UNITED V LEICESTER CITY

Leicester’s Europa League tie against Zorya Luhansk came at a cost, with Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira – both making their comebacks after long spells out – succumbing to groin injuries.

The news looks relatively positive on both fronts, at least, with Brendan Rodgers saying:

[Söyüncü] is not as bad as first feared. He had a little fright on the pitch because, obviously, the pitch was very, very slippy, with the conditions and everything else.

He felt a slight pull up when he was sprinting but he’s had a scan, so we’ll just look at that this afternoon.

He feels fine in himself, he’s done some tests and feels okay, but we’ll just need to gauge that over the next 24 hours.

Ricky just had a slight issue. He was due to play about 75 [minutes]. We brought him off at half-time. Very early on in the game, he went to push off and he may have just had a slight strain in his groin area because the pitch was very slippy. We just need to assess that.

We’re awaiting on a scan for that, but it’s nothing too serious because he played on for the remainder of the half.

Wes Morgan aggravated an ongoing back complaint in that game but Wilfred Ndidi came through unscathed.

Timothy Castagne (hamstring) remains out.

Chris Wilder said that Enda Stevens (knee) and Ethan Ampadu (knock) will be given every chance to prove their fitness for Sheffield United ahead of Sunday’s match, meanwhile.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION V CRYSTAL PALACE

Roy Hodgson confirmed that Wilfried Zaha and Luka Milivojevic are back in contention after their recent spells in self-isolation, with Milivojevic also newly available following a three-match ban.

Slaven Bilic has ruled Conor Townsend out for four to six weeks with the knee injury picked up in Gameweek 10.

The West Brom boss added that his squad are now COVID-free, with Kieran Gibbs and Jake Livermore back in training.

More detailed information and predicted line-ups can be found in the Team News tab.

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed, too, for any late-breaking updates.

A video round-up with Andy and Neale can be found below, with the podcast version available via this link.