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 (£12.2m).
We’re expecting 14 Premier League managers to face the media today, while the Gameweek 16 sections of Erik ten Hag and Unai Emery’s post-EFL Cup pressers will also be released from embargo.
Four managers held their press conferences on Thursday and the headline updates from that quartet are also covered below.
KEY UPDATES
- Manchester City: Pep: “We’ll see” if Haaland starts
- Tottenham Hotspur: Sessegnon out, late calls on Richarlison/Kulusevski
- Newcastle United: Late call on Wilson
- Fulham: Mitrovic out
- Arsenal: No fresh injuries
- Liverpool: No new concerns, Diaz back running
- Chelsea: Jorginho trains
- Manchester United: Antony and Ronaldo to be assessed, Dalot banned
- Leicester City: Justin could be out for the season
- Everton: Calvert-Lewin out
- Leeds United: Bamford injured, Harrison should be fit
- Brentford: Toney back from a ban
- West Ham United: Emerson “touch and go”
- Crystal Palace: Late check on Edouard
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: Jonny a doubt, Nunes returns
- Brighton and Hove Albion: No fresh concerns
- Aston Villa: Coutinho out
- Nottingham Forest: McKenna and Kouyate to be assessed
- Bournemouth: No new injury worries, Mepham banned
- Southampton: Jones takes charge
VIDEO ROUND-UP
MANCHESTER CITY
Another press conference and another non-committal quote from Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland, who has been fit enough to make the matchday squad in league and cup over the last week but who has yet to make a start since recovering from his foot ligament problem.
Asked if Haaland was ready to start on Saturday, Guardiola said:
“We’ll see, we’ll see, we have training this afternoon, we’ll see.”
“[He is] a little bit [better].” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland
Kyle Walker (groin) remains out despite being named in the England squad on Thursday.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Antonio Conte confirmed that Ryan Sessegnon picked up an injury in the midweek loss to Nottingham Forest so after not training with the side on Friday, he’ll miss the Gameweek 16 clash with Leeds United.
The Spurs boss said that the newly fit-again Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski would be assessed in the club’s final training session before a decision is made on whether they make the starting XI this weekend.
“About Sessegnon, today he didn’t train with us. He has a little problem and is not available for tomorrow’s game. About Richy and Deki, they had a training session and I have one day to make the best decision (on whether to) to pick them in the starting XI.” – Antonio Conte
Questions over fatigue were again raised, particularly concerning Harry Kane.
“It’s normal that the players that played many, many games, that played every game, are a bit tired, but I don’t think they’re physically tired. I think more mentally you can be a bit tired, because to play every three days, to prepare every game is difficult for me and the staff to know. To prepare every game, every three days, in a so short period, it’s normal that some players are tired but at the same time we have to finish in the best possible way. In the last game, Harry was rested for the last half an hour against Nottingham Forest. It was the same for Perisic.
“I tried to alternate and split the fatigue with Pierre and Rodrigo. And Ben Davies was on the bench. I tried to find a good balance because the effort was a really, really big effort. But tomorrow we have an important game and three points for us are vital, especially because I repeat if we are able to finish the first part of the season with important qualification for the Champions League and then to finish in the top four, despite a lot of problems that we had in these 43 days, I think it could be really good. It means that the job we did is a good job.” – Antonio Conte
NEWCASTLE UNITED
The inclusion of Callum Wilson against Chelsea will be a late call for Eddie Howe after the striker trained away from the squad this week due to an ongoing illness.
“We’ll wait and see, I think. He’s been training separately from the group this week. He had an illness, so he’s been away from the group. He’s been working well but I need to make a decision whether he’s fit enough to play.” – Eddie Howe on Callum Wilson
Joelinton is back from suspension but Paul Dummett (calf), Alexander Isak (ankle), Emil Krafth (knee) and Matt Ritchie (calf) remain on the sidelines.
Ryan Fraser is a doubt with a calf problem, meanwhile.
FULHAM
Aleksandar Mitrovic (foot) will miss the visit of Manchester United this weekend despite being named in Serbia’s squad for the World Cup.
Marco Silva was initially vague on the striker, saying only that there was “not much different” from the last game, but reporters at the presser later confirmed that Mitrovic would sit out Gameweek 16.
“Mitrovic will not play on Sunday.” – Marco Silva
Away from the forward, there are only Neeskens Kebano (Achilles) and Manor Solomon (knee) on the confirmed injury list.
Harrison Reed and Kenny Tete serve one-match bans, while Bobby DeCordova-Reid is available after his own suspension in Gameweek 15.
ARSENAL
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal have no fresh concerns going into Gameweek 16.
Emile Smith Rowe (groin) remains out while Takehiro Tomiyasu (muscle) is still a doubt.
LIVERPOOL
James Milner will be available again after serving the concussion protocol following his recent head injury but there is no-one else either newly injured or newly available for selection following Gameweek 15.
Diogo Jota (calf), Luis Diaz (knee), Joel Matip (calf), Arthur Melo (muscle) and Naby Keita (muscle) all remain out but three of them are all back in various parts of training and nearing a return.
“So nobody is out from the players we had available for midweek or for the last [league] game.
Millie is back in training today. Naby is out and running, Lucho [Diaz] is back on the pitch and running. Joel [Matip] trained with us, Joel was in three-quarters of the whole session, the last bit he didn’t do. He would be available but has only trained once with the team.” – Jurgen Klopp
CHELSEA
N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (knee), Kepa Arrizabalaga (foot) and Ben Chilwell (hamstring) remain out but Jorginho (foot) is back in training and should return.
“Jorgi trained today so providing there’s no reaction, he should be in the squad. Nothing else to report in terms of no returnees.” – Graham Potter
MANCHESTER UNITED
Diogo Dalot will miss the trip to Fulham through suspension, while Raphael Varane (hamstring) remains on the sidelines through injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo (illness) and Antony (unspecified) will be assessed in training ahead of Sunday’s game but Jadon Sancho (illness) wasn’t namechecked by his manager in the pre-match presser.
“I can’t guarantee that [Cristiano will be available] now, but today he was ill. He can recover from that, it’s not really a serious illness that takes days or weeks, so I think it’s possible that he is available for Sunday and he will be in the squad.”
“In one hour we have training, so we will do normal stuff but we have to see. I think no big issues from yesterday’s game, but we have to see how players recover from illness, like Cristiano, [and] from injury, like Antony.
“Yesterday, Anthony Martial plays his first minutes from the start after Everton, so we have to see how he recovers. So we have some issues and some questions [to see] how we line up and what plan we take.” – Erik ten Hag
EVERTON
The injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss Everton’s final match before the World Cup break, with not one, not two, but three injuries of varying severity.
“No he won’t be involved tomorrow. He’s got an injury.
“We hope that the break comes at a good time for him and we expect him back for Wolves on Boxing Day.
“The hamstring is a small injury, it’s probably a 10-day injury, which is slightly irrelevant now.
“The shoulder was a whack he took against Newcastle – he dislocated it, then it went back in – and he then had a recurrence against Fulham. It’s been strapped up a lot. That’s something that was looked at by a specialist yesterday and doesn’t need any surgery or anything like that.
“Then he still has the knee [problem], so he’s been getting through with some issues. The knee is probably the most prominent injury that we want to get right. It’s a similar injury to what he had before – it’s been aggravated, so this period gives us time to get it right.” – Frank Lampard on Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Amadou Onana (ankle) and Idrissa Gana Gueye (quadriceps) are fit but Ben Godfrey (match fitness) and Andros Townsend (ACL) remain sidelined.
LEICESTER CITY
Having missed the bulk of 2021/22 through injury, James Justin was dealt a devastating blow in midweek.
The full-back ruptured his Achilles in the EFL Cup win over Newport County and now looks set to miss the majority of the season, potentially all of it.
“Sadly, he’ll have an operation tonight. He’s ruptured his Achilles. It’s a huge disappointment to us all after coming back from another injury. He probably would have been close to Gareth [Southgate’s] plans [for England]. We were all hugely disappointed for him after the game.
“It’s two players we’ve lost to that. He’ll have his operation this evening and that will probably put him out for most of the season. We’ll see how he recovers and hopefully he can get back fitter and stronger.” – Brendan Rodgers on James Justin
Ryan Bertrand (knee) and Ricardo Pereira (Achilles) remain out, while there was no update on the hamstring injury that kept Caglar Soyuncu out last weekend.
LEEDS UNITED
Patrick Bamford (hip) and Mateusz Klich (knock) have joined Luis Sinisterra (foot), Stuart Dallas (knee), Adam Forshaw (ankle) and Archie Gray (ankle) on the sidelines for the Spurs game.
Jack Harrison (muscle) was described as “questionable” for this game but Jesse Marsch was optimistic about his winger making a recovery.
“Patrick is out for this match. He still hasn’t recovered. Klichy took a knee-to-knee knock in the match against Wolves and he’ll be out. And then Jack Harrison is a little bit questionable with a muscle strain but we’re hopeful that in the next 24 hours he can recover and be available for tomorrow as well.
“Archie Gray has turned into a little bit of an ankle injury and so we’re in a situation, with his age and he’s still growing, that we have to shut him down for about six to eight weeks. It’s a little defect that he has in his ankle that kind of got highlighted when his toe got broke. It’s unfortunate. I spoke to Archie a little bit today he’s obviously down about it but we think given his age and his maturity, physical maturity, this is the best thing for him.
“Adam Forshaw has been training hard back out on the pitch and if the Tottenham match was maybe three days later, we would consider him probably eligible for the match but it at least means that he should be ready, when we get back after the World Cup, to get into training and get himself back to 100%.
“Stuart’s making great progress as well and we’ll see how that goes. But maybe we can get him on the pitch at some point towards the end of December, early January.” – Jesse Marsch
BRENTFORD
Ivan Toney is available after a one-match ban kept him out of Gameweek 15, while Vitaly Janelt has been passed fit after a minor muscle problem kept him out of the midweek cup tie with Gillingham.
Christian Norgaard came through unscathed in that game on his comeback from a two-month lay-off.
Aaron Hickey (ankle), Thomas Strakosha (ankle), Pontus Jansson (hamstring) and Shandon Baptiste (muscle) are all unavailable.
WEST HAM UNITED
Emerson Palmieri is “touch and go” after breaking his nose in midweek, while Maxwel Cornet (calf) is definitely out.
David Moyes otherwise reported his usual “knocks and niggles” in Friday’s presser.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Chris Richards (hamstring), James McArthur (groin) and Nathan Ferguson (match fitness) won’t feature this weekend, while Odsonne Edouard will travel with the Palace squad to Nottingham Forest and will be assessed before the game.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Jonny is a fresh doubt from midweek with a hamstring injury but Matheus Nunes is available again after recovering from a shoulder problem.
Diego Costa (suspended), Pedro Neto (ankle), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Chiquinho (knee) and Raul Jimenez (groin) remain out.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Roberto De Zerbi reported no new concerns in his pre-match presser, so long-term absentee Jakub Moder (knee) is the only Albion player on the sidelines for the visit of Aston Villa.
ASTON VILLA
Unai Emery didn’t give us much on team news in the aftermath of Thursday’s EFL Cup defeat to Manchester United but we do know that Diego Carlos (Achilles) and Philippe Coutinho (muscle) will be unavailable this weekend.
Emi Martinez looks set to feature despite Argentina’s pleas to take their goalkeeper early for World Cup duty.
“Yes I think [our World Cup players] are going to be available on Sunday to play. We need them and we are happy because the players playing in the World Cup is amazing for them and you have to respect the national team and the individual performance of them but, Sunday, we are playing a very important match and those three points, for us, are important to get behind us.” – Unai Emery
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Omar Richards (leg), Moussa Niakhate (muscle), Harry Toffolo (hamstring) and Giulian Biancone (ACL) are all on the injury list, while Orel Mangala is banned after being sent off in midweek.
Steve Cooper will run a late check on Cheikhou Kouyate and Scott McKenna (both knocks) after they missed the cup win over Spurs on Wednesday.
“A couple of boys missed out [in midweek] through knocks – Scott McKenna and Cheikhou. We will see how they are going into the weekend.
“We also picked up a suspension with Orel, so he won’t be available for the weekend.
“I haven’t really had chance to assess the boys from last night, with it being such a quick turnaround. But I don’t see any major concerns from the game, it’s just the knocks we picked up from last weekend.” – Steve Cooper
BOURNEMOUTH
The Bournemouth team news is straightforward, with Gary O’Neil reporting no fresh injury concerns.
Murara Neto (leg), Lloyd Kelly (ankle) and David Brooks (hamstring) remain sidelined, while Chris Mepham misses out due to suspension.
SOUTHAMPTON
Nathan Jones faced the media for the first time since his appointment and, as is often the case when we get a new manager’s inaugural presser, team news was thin on the ground.
We do have an embargoed section to come later tonight, so we may get the injury latest then.
Kyle Walker-Peters (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (knee) are definitely out, while Juan Larios is a fresh concern from Gameweek 15.
