The team news for Gameweek 2 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is slowly arriving as the pre-match press conferences get underway.
Mikel Arteta and Roy Hodgson faced the media on Thursday, while Paul Heckingbottom and Steve Cooper staged pressers on Wednesday.
Erik ten Hag’s press conference was also scheduled for Thursday but it has apparently been embargoed for around 24 hours or so.
The other 13 top-flight bosses whose teams are in Gameweek 2 action will take questions from reporters on Friday. We should hopefully get an update from Mauricio Pochettino on Reece James (£5.5m) then, with rumours circulating that the defender is set for months on the sidelines.
Burnley and Luton Town blank this weekend.
We’re bringing you the latest key quotes and injury updates in the article below.
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GAMEWEEK 2 TEAM NEWS: KEY UPDATES FROM THURSDAY
- Arsenal: Arteta on Timber’s injury + goalkeeper choice
- Crystal Palace: Olise still out – but stays with the Eagles
- Sheffield United: Heckingbottom on Baldock
- Nottingham Forest: Felipe still out
ARSENAL
Jurrien Timber is set for a long period on the sidelines after Arsenal confirmed the Dutchman had sustained an ACL injury in Gameweek 1.
The summer signing faces surgery before a lengthy period of rehabilitation.
“It’s a huge blow, especially for him having just joined the club to have the injury that he has is a huge disappointment for him. Obviously for the team it’s a big blow because we recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident and he’s not going to be in this season for us. We have to adapt, these things happen unfortunately, and we have to move on.
“He’s been very good, to be honest, he’s a special character, he knows, and I think he’s started to realise the extent of the injury and the amount of time that he’s going to be out, but he’s in a good place. We are all willing to him help and we are all very close to him, but it’s going to be a long journey.” – Mikel Arteta on Jurrien Timber
Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Mohamed Elneny (knee) also remain out for Monday’s trip to Palace but everyone else is injury-free.
Match fitness is the only barrier to an Oleksandr Zinchenko comeback, with the Ukraine international back in training after missing all of pre-season.
“Alex is doing very well, he’s been training with us and hopefully we’re going to have him available very, very soon.” – Mikel Arteta
Timber’s knee injury opens up a possible spot for Gabriel Magalhaes, whose run of 73 consecutive starts came to a juddering halt with a Gameweek 1 benching.
Unsurprisingly, there were no clues from Mikel Arteta about how he plans to rejig his backline.
“It’s an opportunity for everybody. We’re going to need everybody, and everybody is going to be important. The numbers that we have in the squad, especially in those positions are more limited now, so everybody has to be ready.” – Mikel Arteta on whether Jurrien Timber’s injury presents an opportunity for Kieran Tierney
Arsenal confirmed the loan signing of David Raya this week, with talk immediately turning to whether he will oust Aaron Ramsdale.
“We want two players per position that can do that, and you saw what happened to Jurrien, it can happen to our goalkeeper. It happened to [Thibaut] Courtois. You need to be prepared because the question will be ‘what is it, two goalkeepers of this size?’ And if Aaron was to sustain a cruciate injury, then what do you say? You then change everything. So, we have to be prepared, we have to be proactive, and we have two excellent goalkeepers now that fit exactly what we want in our model.
“[Is there a number one] in any position? No. Nine, seven, 11, six, goalkeeper – no, there isn’t.” – Mikel Arteta
CRYSTAL PALACE
Roy Hodgson’s press conference was headlined by talk of a new contract for Michael Olise, who had seemingly been destined for a move to Chelsea.
Olise remains sidelined for some time with a hamstring injury, however.
“It was a nasty injury. Wilfried [Zaha] had same injury and has returned to playing again. We are fortunate in that he will be lower end of scale.
“He has kept himself very fit and worked very hard on his rehabilitation, and he wants to get back on field as quickly as possible. Whatever timescale it was, I’m certain he will shave a bit off.
“It won’t be for a while yet unfortunately because of the severity of the injury.” – Roy Hodgson on Michael Olise
Will Hughes (knee) and Matheus Franca (back) are also still unavailable, while Malcolm Ebiowei and Nathan Ferguson have been training with the academy as part of their rehabilitation.
Hodgson had previously said that Marc Guehi‘s late substitution last weekend was due to cramp, with the defender again passed fit on Thursday.
“Marc is fine. That was an unfortunate cramp episode.
“We have exactly the same group that we had going to Sheffield. We still don’t have Will Hughes. We still don’t have Malcolm Ebiowei, who hasn’t been there from the start. The young Brazilian boy, Matheus, is still in rehabilitation and we don’t quite know when he’ll be there for us. And of course we don’t have Michael [Olise].
“They’re the four big names, otherwise we have the same 18 players plus goalkeepers we took with us to Sheffield United.” – Roy Hodgson
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Oli McBurnie is back in training for the Blades, having missed the latter part of pre-season with a foot injury.
John Fleck (leg), Jayden Bogle (knee) and Ismaila Coulibaly (knee) remain out, while Rhian Brewster and Rhys Norrington-Davies are being slowly reintegrated into training after long-term hamstring injuries.
Daniel Jebbison has also been absent lately with a minor groin issue.
New signings Gus Hamer and Tom Davies could feature at Nottingham Forest.
“Rhian is progressing but we are not considering him for minutes yet in terms of the first team because of the length of time he has had out. We are just taking our time with him.
“Oli is back in training and for consideration [for Forest]. However, he has missed the bulk of the football over pre-season and he is another one we need to get up to speed. [The same with] Vinny Souza.
“Obviously, Gus [Hamer] is a little bit different because he did get exposed to some minutes at Coventry so he is a bit further on than the other boys.
“Hopefully, we will have Jayden back with us soon enough, so bit by bit we’re getting stronger, whether that’s players returning or bodies through the door.” – Paul Heckingbottom
Max Lowe and £4.0m FPL defender George Baldock appeared to be struggling in the closing stages of the defeat to Crystal Palace but Paul Heckingbottom seemed to pass both players fit.
The lingering doubt is because the Sheffield United boss talked more of Lowe when quizzed about his wing-backs.
“Yeah, OK, a bit of fatigue. Lowey is carrying a little ankle injury, as well, which we knew about. He did it on a sprinkler at Derby but it was cramp what he came off with the other day, so yeah he’s fine.” – Paul Heckingbottom when asked if George Baldock and Max Lowe were fine
Just to add fuel to that fire, Baldock and Anis Slimane weren’t captured by the cameras in midweek footage from the training ground.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Wayne Hennessey (knee) and Felipe (knee) remain unavailable, while Omar Richards has had a couple of minor setbacks in his recovery from a long-term lay-off.
Taiwo Awoniyi (ankle) and Moussa Niakhate (arm) both returned to the matchday squad as substitutes last weekend.
Niakhate, Harry Toffolo and Giulian Biancone then all featured in a midweek B-team match.
“Taiwo came on at Arsenal, which was a slight risk because he hadn’t done much training. But when the game is going on and there’s an opportunity to do something like that, you take it. He and the team were better for his arrival on the pitch.
“Moussa played 45 minutes for the under-21s the other night. That was progress as well, so we’re in a much better place with them.
“Both of them were unlucky to pick up injuries as they did in pre-season, in unfortunate ways. We’re past that now and we’re looking to get them back to full fitness sooner rather than later in order to start games.
“Giulian Biancone played the other night as well. Harry Toffolo had a hernia operation in the summer; he’s back training now, but is similar to Moussa and Taiwo in being close to being available for starting games, just not quite yet. It was good Giulian and Harry got some starts for the under-21s as well” – Steve Cooper
