We’ll be covering all the big Fantasy Premier League (FPL) injury news from Friday’s pre-match press conferences in this ‘live’ article, with the latest awaited on Erling Haaland (£12.1m).
We’re expecting 12 Premier League managers to face the media today, while the Gameweek 15 sections of Erik ten Hag and Mikel Arteta’s post-Europa League pressers will also be released from embargo.
You can read what the six other top-flight bosses had to say in our round-up of Thursday’s press conferences here.
KEY UPDATES
- Manchester City: Haaland “better”
- Newcastle United: Wilson expected to be fit after illness
- Tottenham Hotspur: Son out, Kulusevski could be back
- Chelsea: Chilwell scan, Kepa out until after World Cup
- Liverpool: Henderson back, Milner out
- Brighton and Hove Albion: Welbeck returns, Veltman a possibility
- Crystal Palace: Edouard and Doucoure to be assessed
- West Ham United: Paqueta “probably” in squad
- Everton: Patterson “ready to start”
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: Costa banned, Nunes 50/50
- Southampton: Bella-Kotchap and Lavia in contention
- Aston Villa: No team news from Emery
FRIDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCES TIMES
MANCHESTER CITY
It always looked unlikely that we would get a clear-cut update on Erling Haaland (knock) in Pep Guardiola’s pre-match presser on Friday and so the inevitable transpired.
The City boss did say that Haaland was “much better” and that Thursday’s return to team training was a “good step”, but stopped short of passing him 100% fit and said that more assessment would be needed.
“He is much better, we will decide today. It’s a good step, start to train, now we have training this afternoon and we will see.
“[We have to take into account] his opinion, the doctor’s opinion, if he’s good [for] 90 minutes or just less minutes… we will see after training.” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland
Manuel Akanji, absent from training earlier this week and a no-show in the Sevilla game, is fit but Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) and Kyle Walker (groin) again miss out.
Guardiola was asked about Phil Foden‘s back-to-back benchings in the Premier League, meanwhile, and again offered a straight bat in response.
“Riyad had been on the bench as well, Jack Grealish on the bench, Bernardo Silva had been on the bench, Gundogan had been on the bench, Kevin De Bruyne had been on the bench, everyone. If you say particularly, it’s no absolute issue. I have many players, I have to use them and I demand the best of them. And this is going to happen in the future. Always has been like that.
“In Dortmund, for example, we play to qualify first, we know how important it is, Kevin De Bruyne didn’t play one minute. So, it happens.” – Pep Guardiola on Phil Foden’s recent league benchings
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Callum Wilson should be fit for Newcastle’s trip to Southampton this weekend, having caused a scare for new and existing FPL owners when revealing on a podcast that he had been suffering from a cold this week.
“I think he’s OK. He’s had a little cold. It’s funny how everything gets around, doesn’t it, especially when you’re doing a podcast, I suppose! But yeah, fingers crossed he’ll be OK.” – Eddie Howe on Callum Wilson
Eddie Howe also confirmed that Fabian Schar (hamstring tightness) is fit to feature on the south coast.
Paul Dummett (calf), Alexander Isak (ankle), Emil Krafth (knee) and Matt Ritchie (calf) remain out and Joelinton is suspended for yellow card accumulation but Karl Darlow (ankle) has returned to full training this week after two months out.
“New problems? No. We’ve had, as we always do, a few bumps and bruises but nothing too bad. We’ve come through with Allan [Saint-Maximin] OK after his little cameo, Jonjo [Shelvey] OK after his little cameo. The strength of the group is slowly returning. We have Emil, Alex and Matt Ritchie still out, apart from that I think we’re in a good place” – Eddie Howe
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Richarlison (calf), Son Heung-min (facial injury) and Cristiano Romero (muscle) are all out of the Liverpool game but Dejan Kulusevski (hamstring) has returned to training and Rodrigo Bentancur (muscle) is “much better” after experiencing discomfort in midweek.
With so many attacking options out, Lucas Moura may have to play through the pain barrier on Sunday.
“We have these injuries, I can confirm that Richarlison is not available for the game, same for Romero.
“Bentancur is much better and today is a part of the training session. The same for Kulusevski today, he had a half-training session with us.
“The problem with Lucas Moura is having different faces for his pain in his tendons. Today it was really bad and they said he was really worried for this but I asked him to try to be available because we need him.
“Also Sonny now is having surgery.” – Antonio Conte
CHELSEA
N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee) and Reece James (knee) are medium-term absentees, while Kepa Arrizabalaga (foot) looks set to join them on the sidelines for the remaining two Gameweeks before the World Cup.
Mateo Kovacic (calf) is fit but Ben Chilwell (hamstring) and Carney Chukwuemeka (hamstring) are both out of the Arsenal game.
“He’s going to go for a scan later on this afternoon, so we’ll find out how he is then. Update tomorrow. He feels OK but obviously aware of the injury. We need to let the swelling settle down, hence the delay with the scan, but we’ll know more after that.
“We all saw the nature of the injury, I can’t say it looks positive but again until we get the scan, it’s difficult to say.” – Graham Potter on Ben Chilwell
“Kepa… it’s his plantar fascia, which is the bottom of his foot. I don’t think he’ll play before the World Cup. Kovacic trained today, so he’ll be in contention. Carney, no, he still has a slight issue with his hamstring that we’re getting to the bottom of.” – Graham Potter on injuries
LIVERPOOL
James Milner will miss the Spurs game because of the concussion protocol, having taken a blow to the head in midweek.
Jordan Henderson, who wasn’t risked for the Champions League victory over Napoli after recent knee issues, is fine, however.
“So, Hendo, yes, he’s available. He trained yesterday completely normal so should be fine. He had a little thing but serious enough to not be involved in the last game.
“When you go through a concussion protocol you are not available for the next game because you have to go through different stages. [Milner] is fine but still, that’s how it is [and] rightly so. You have to go to different stages and that means he is available for non-contact training on Monday and full contact training on Tuesday if everything goes well.” – Jurgen Klopp
Diogo Jota (calf), Luis Diaz (knee), Joel Matip (calf) and Arthur Melo (muscle) all remain injured, while Naby Keita (muscle) is short of match fitness despite a return to training.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Joel Veltman (calf) could be back in Brighton’s squad this weekend after he missed out against Chelsea, while Danny Welbeck has been passed fit after recovering from illness.
Levi Colwill is also newly available after his loanee status prevented him from featuring in Gameweek 14.
Jakub Moder (knee) is out long term.
“I think the best first XI I can choose. Welbeck is good, I don’t know if he starts in the first XI or not because against Chelsea, all the players played well, no?
“I think [Veltman] can be ready to play but today in the last training session before the game we have to decide for tomorrow.” – Roberto De Zerbi
CRYSTAL PALACE
Cheikhou Doucoure (unspecified) and Odsonne Edouard (knock) will both be assessed in training tomorrow after picking up injuries either before or during last week’s win over Southampton.
Chris Richards (hamstring), James McArthur (groin), Jack Butland (hand) and Nathan Ferguson (match fitness) were all on the sidelines for that victory but Ferguson has since gained minutes with the academy team.
WEST HAM UNITED
David Moyes said that Lucas Paqueta (shoulder) will “probably” be in the squad this weekend after returning to training but there was no word on Maxwel Cornet (calf) or Lukasz Fabianski (knee): the former recently had a setback in his recovery, while the latter was substituted as a precaution in Gameweek 14 after jarring his knee.
“[Paqueta] has been training so he’s probably ready to be included in the squad. Whether he’s ready to play or not I don’t know, but certainly, we think, he could be involved.
“We’re beginning to get some injured players back. Nayef Aguerd played his first 90 minutes last night as well.” – David Moyes
EVERTON
Frank Lampard confirmed that Yerry Mina (calf) and Ben Godfrey (leg) are both back in full training, leaving just Andros Townsend (ACL) in the physio room at present.
This weekend’s game against Leicester City will very likely come too soon for Mina but Godfrey could be involved in the matchday squad.
Lampard meanwhile said that Nathan Patterson, who returned from injury as a substitute last weekend, was “ready to start”.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Diego Costa begins a three-match ban and Pedro Neto (ankle), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Chiquinho (knee) and Raul Jimenez (groin) remain on the injury list, while Steve Davis said on Friday that Matheus Nunes is “50/50” after suffering a shoulder injury in the draw with Brentford last weekend.
SOUTHAMPTON
Armel Bella-Kotchap and Roméo Lavia are both back in contention ahead of Southampton’s clash with Newcastle on Sunday, although Lavia did pick up a minor knee issue on his recent return to training after recovering a muscle issue.
Kyle Walker-Peters (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (knee) remain out, while Stuart Armstrong (knock) is “struggling a little bit” but should be fine.
“[Lavia is] in contention, yes. But we had, this week, also a little problem with his knee. This happens often when you are long out, some other issues and you have to be careful. Yesterday he was not training but I think he will be part of the squad on the weekend for us. I think this is quite likely.
“[Bella-Kotchap] is also an option for the weekend. He is back in training and has trained everything and shows no fear.”
“It has gone from low to no [possibility of Walker-Peters being fit before the World Cup]. We have one week left and he is not training with us so I don’t think so.” – Ralph Hasenhuttl
ASTON VILLA
As is often the way when a newly appointed manager faces the media for the very first time, the broadcast section of Unai Emery’s inaugural pre-match press conference as Aston Villa boss didn’t feature any team news.
Diego Carlos (Achilles) is the only player definitely out of the Manchester United clash but the match will very likely come too soon for Boubacar Kamara (knee), who was only involved in non-contact training drills this week.
There has been no recent update on Ludwig Augustinsson (hamstring) despite his three-week recovery timeline passing but Emi Martinez (head) should be fine as any concussion protocol would have been served by the time we get to Sunday’s game.
