The Gameweek 32 press conferences are off to a low-key start, with only four taking place on Thursday.
Among them, though, was Nuno Espirito Santo’s presser. The Nottingham Forest boss had updates to bring us on Chris Wood (£7.0m) and Anthony Elanga (£5.5m), not that they’re of much use…
The headline team news from Nuno’s media gathering and the other three are in the article below.
For the early injury situation at the other 16 Premier League clubs, read this summary here.
GAMEWEEK 32 TEAM NEWS: THURSDAY’S INJURY UPDATES
- Nottingham Forest: Nuno assessing Wood, Elanga + Awoniyi, Aina out, Moreno available
- Brentford: Hickey, Nunes + Thiago “going in the right direction”
- Southampton: Rusk reports “fairly clean bill of health”, Downes banned
- Leicester City: Faes a doubt, Buonanotte ineligible, Pereira could start
GAMEWEEK 32 TEAM NEWS: THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
🚨 Thursday's FPL Press Conferences!
🦊 1.30pm – van Nistelrooy
🌳 1.30pm – Nuno
😇 1.30pm – Rusk
🐝 3pm – Frank pic.twitter.com/KMTujUSyMb— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) April 10, 2025
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
No prizes for guessing Nuno’s response to a reporter’s question about Chris Wood (hip), Taiwo Awoniyi (hamstring) or Anthony Elanga (unknown).
“We are still assessing all of them. They are struggling with problems – some small, some not so small – but we have to assess them. We have one more day and then we’ll see if they can be available for the game.
“On all of them [I am hopeful]. It can be all of them, it can be none. We don’t know. It depends on how they recover and how they feel. It’s about that.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Messrs Wood, Elanga and Awoniyi
Nuno seemed to be talking about Wood and Awoniyi’s absence in the present tense in a follow-up quote but we’re clutching at straws for clues.
“We miss when the players are not available, we missed all of them. Of course, Chris has been giving us so many things. Unfortunately, at the same time happened the situation with T [Awoniyi]. If that hadn’t happened, I think we would have been more balanced. Now we have the absence of two strikers, it is more of a difficulty to prepare it.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
Ola Aina (calf) remains out – but he could be back for Gameweek 33, according to a quote from the Nottingham Post.
Alex Moreno is available again, having been ineligible to face his parent club last weekend.
BRENTFORD
Thomas Frank says Gustavo Nunes (back), Igor Thiago (knee) and Aaron Hickey (hamstring) are “going in the right direction” as they work their way back from long-term absences.
Nunes and Hickey started for the under-21s over a week ago, with the former the closest to a return. Thiago is behind those two.
Josh Dasilva (knee) and Fabio Carvalho (shoulder) remain out but the Bees have no fresh worries.
“There is no new injury news. Everyone who was available for Chelsea is available again, so that’s positive.
“The three guys who are getting closer – Hickey, Thiago and Gustavo – are progressing and going in the right direction. Gustavo is the closest of the three. Let’s see.” – Thomas Frank
SOUTHAMPTON
Interim Southampton boss Simon Rusk says that his side have “a fairly clean bill of health” going into Gameweek 32.
Charlie Taylor (hip) is on the injury list, while Flynn Downes serves the final match of a two-match ban.
Albert Gronbaek has been absent for the last two matches with tendon issues, so it’s not known whether Rusk’s positive update includes him.
“We’ve got a fairly clean bill of health at the minute. There’s one or two – Charlie Taylor’s knocking about with one or two issues – but other than that we’ve got a fairly clean bill of health going into this game.” – Simon Rusk
Paul Onuachu (ankle) was reduced to substitute duty in Gameweek 31 but did feature in the closing stages.
“Paul’s trained and is in and around it, there’s still one or two we’re assessing and ongoing and Paul is one of them, but we’re hoping there that the signs are good.” – Simon Rusk
LEICESTER CITY
Wout Faes is a doubt with a “small injury” that has kept him out of training.
“We have Wout Faes who has picked up a small injury. He couldn’t train today so we’ll have a look tomorrow. Of course, it’s short towards the game, but that’s the only one.” – Ruud van Nistelrooy
Abdul Fatawu (knee), who is out for the season, is the only other known injury-related absentee for the Foxes.
Loanee Facundo Buonanotte can’t be involved against his parent club this weekend, however, while Harry Winks has been omitted from the matchday squad in recent weeks amid reports of a disagreement with Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The Leicester boss says Ricardo Pereira could be ready to start after a couple of recent substitute appearances.
“He has been out a lot, but he always looks after himself very well, but we want to do the right thing with him and build him up the right way but it’s definitely possible that he can start.
“It’s a great option of course. That’s the big advantage that you can play with two wingers on the side and that is great. You see when he came on in the second half [against Newcastle] and we started with Stephy [Mavididi] and Facundo [Buonanotte] on the sides that’s definitely something to build on.
“The game was over, but we showed some positives. Jeremy [Monga] also came on as a winger and Ricky can fulfil that role really well. He got us playing out from the back and he is such a positive influence in getting us out of this run.” – Ruud van Nistelrooy on Ricardo Pereira
