An earlier-than-usual Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline means earlier-than-usual Gameweek 9 team news – at least from some managers.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Steve Cooper both faced reporters on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s clash at the King Power Stadium.
On Thursday, a further five Premier League managers fulfilled their media commitments.
We’ve got the headline updates from all seven pressers in the article below – and we’ll gradually add more quotes as and when the press conferences become available to watch in full.
We expect the other 13 top-flight managers to hold pressers on Friday.
GAMEWEEK 9 TEAM NEWS: INJURY UPDATES FROM WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
- Brighton and Hove Albion: Welbeck + Minteh to be assessed, Pedro still out
- Everton: Branthwaite + Lindstrom to return to the squad, four remain sidelined
- Fulham: Andersen banned, Silva on pens, two still out but two could return
- Nottingham Forest: Gibbs-White checked “day by day”, Ward-Prowse returns
- Ipswich Town: Trio of budget FPL defenders remain sidelined
- Southampton: Late call on Sugawara, Smallbone set for a spell out
- Leicester City: No fresh concerns, Vestergaard setback
GAMEWEEK 9 TEAM NEWS: THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Less than a week after being stretchered off on Tyneside, Danny Welbeck (back) could make a very swift return to action.
“It’s still too early to say if he can play or not but he will train today and then we will see afterwards how this training session went, then we will make a decision.
“I think he got hit on a nerve and then when you get a hit on the nerve, then you don’t feel the leg for an amount of time and I think that’s exactly what happened. It was very painful, it’s still painful. But again, we have to make a check today in the training session and then we have to make a lot of treatment for him.
“Our medical [staff] and our physios, they’re working every hour with him together to make him fit for the game. This will be the challenge for us but hopefully everything will be good.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Danny Welbeck
Yankuba Minteh, who missed the rematch with his former employers, remains a doubt.
“With Minteh, we have to go day by day. He has a small issue with his muscle after his international games with Gambia.
“But one thing is clear, we won’t take any risk with the players because it’s still early in the season. The hard period of the Premier League is still in front of us.” – Fabian Hurzeler
Adam Webster (hamstring), James Milner (hamstring), Joao Pedro (ankle) and Matt O’Riley (ankle) are also on the Albion injury list.
Solly March (knee) is someone who is injury-free but the Seagulls are taking their time with him. The winger has, at least, had game-time with the under-21s as he bids to build fitness after a very long lay-off.
“With Joao we have to be a little bit more patient but I think there will be a comeback soon. I can’t say the exact date of the comeback.
“Solly is back in training.
“With Adam, we still have to be patient. I think it takes two, three more weeks till he’s back on the pitch but he’s very positive and I think the injury is not [as] bad as we expected it to be.” – Fabian Hurzeler
EVERTON
Tim Iroegbunam (foot), Youssef Chermiti (foot) and Armando Broja (foot) remain out, while James Garner continues to be assessed for a niggling back injury.
“Jimmy Garner, we’re waiting on more news, just a specialist view on a back injury, so we’re waiting on that.
“Broja is getting on the edge of coming into training. He’s doing loads of work with the sports science team but not yet. Soft start for him and see where that goes but hopeful that will continue because he’s making good progress.
“Chermiti is making progress but, obviously, it’s a very strange injury with the tendon coming off the big toe – a very odd injury. He’s beginning to make progress but he’s still a number of weeks away, that’s for sure.
“We’re looking at weeks [for Iroegbunam], certainly weeks, because of the type of injury it is – a bone injury. We’ve just got to wait for it to settle. He’s still in a boot at the moment – they don’t tend to use casts now, it’s a sort of boot that protects it. We’re just waiting on that to heal then get him back to training but it is going to be a number of weeks still yet.” – Sean Dyche
Jarrad Branthwaite (quad) and Jesper Lindstrom (illness) look set to return for the clash with Fulham, however.
“He has trained all week. I made a call on it last week, decided not to go with him in the squad because I think it was important for him to have a week’s training – a clear week’s training – which he has done, so, yes, he will certainly be part of the squad.” – Sean Dyche on Jarrad Branthwaite
FULHAM
Joachim Andersen will serve a one-match ban at Craven Cottage following his sending off last weekend.
Sasa Lukic (shoulder) and Timothy Castagne (hamstring) also remain out, the former for another “3-4 weeks”.
Carlos Vinicius (calf) and Jorge Cuenca (ankle) have been back in training, however, with a late call to be made on their involvement this weekend.
Aside from team news, Marco Silva said he would choose from “3-4 players who can take penalties” after Andreas Pereira‘s miss from the spot last Saturday.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse are now free from suspension – but the former still has to prove his fitness after suffering an ankle injury in Gameweek 7.
Nuno Espirito Santo, as ever, was keeping his cards close to his chest.
“It is a day-by-day process so let’s see how he is. He is better today, let’s hope he is even better tomorrow and keeps progressing like all the players.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Morgan Gibbs-White
“We’re still assessing everyone because it was a tough game (on Monday). We’re still assessing, one day to go. But players are recovering.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Morgan Gibbs-White
Those “recovering players” may include Callum Hudson-Odoi, who reportedly took a knock before being replaced on Monday night.
Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahima Sangare (hamstring) are out long term.
IPSWICH TOWN
Budget FPL defenders Axel Tuanzebe (thumb), Ben Johnson (thigh) and Jacob Greaves (hamstring) are all still sidelined ahead of this weekend.
So too is Massimo Luongo (ankle) but fellow midfielder Jens Cajuste (knee) could potentially return to face Brentford.
Boss Kieran McKenna meanwhile hinted at some fresh concerns for the Tractor Boys.
“We’ve had a couple of big injuries to key defenders and have some more challenges going into this weekend.
“None of the players who weren’t involved against Everton will come back into the picture this weekend and we’ve got a few other issues that we have to assess over the next 48 hours.
“Ben Johnson is still out with a small thigh injury. There was a possibility he could have made it for this weekend, but he’s not been able to make it. We’ll have to see how he is next week.
“The timeframe for Axel is still rough, to be honest. He won’t be back before the next international break. We’re still looking at what type of cast can be fitted and when it would be suitable. It won’t be before Tottenham.
“Jens has trained in the last two days, so we’ll have to make a judgement tomorrow as to whether he can be involved in the game and for how long.” – Kieran McKenna, as quoted in the East Anglian Daily Times
SOUTHAMPTON
Ross Stewart (hamstring) and Gavin Bazunu (Achilles) remain on the injury list, which once again now includes Will Smallbone (hamstring).
The midfielder returned from a lay-off last weekend, only to subsequently reinjure himself.
Sugawara Yukinari is a doubt following the last-gasp defeat to Leicester City, too.
“Yuki had to come off, so we’ve managed him a little bit this week, or having to manage him. I think another 24 hours will depend on if he’s ready to start or not.
“We’ll have to make a decision on that and Will Smallbone is out now for a little bit of time, which is really frustrating and disappointing for us.” – Russell Martin, as quoted in the Daily Echo
Jack Stephens is back, however: he has served successive three-match and two-match bans and is now available.
LEICESTER CITY
There’s nothing much new on the team news front from Leicester City.
Patson Daka (ankle), Jakub Stolarczyk (ankle) and Hamza Choudhury (shoulder) remain on the sidelines for the Foxes.
Jannik Vestergaard does, too. He had returned from an ankle injury in time to represent Denmark in the October internationals but suffered a recurrence of the issue ahead of Gameweek 8.
“Jannik had a recurrence with his ankle on [matchday] minus one, ruled him out of selection for Southampton. So that was a bit of a setback for him, it shouldn’t rule him out for too long. That was a bit of a pity because, as I said last week, he got some good minutes with the national team and it was good to get him back involved but he’s had a bit of setback from when he returned.
“Hopefully, it’s a bit less [than a few weeks out]. It’s something that he has had before.
“Apart from that, we are as we were. The guys who have been out for a longer period, they are getting closer. Pato [Daka] has been on the grass and is being a bit more progressive with his rehab. So, he seems to be getting closer but we’re as we’re were.” – Steve Cooper
