The team news for Gameweek 35 is beginning to reach us as the pre-match press conferences get underway.
Seven managers will face the media on Thursday, with the headline team news from these pressers in the article below.
For the early headlines from the other 13 clubs, check out our early injury round-up.
GAMEWEEK 35: THURSDAY’S KEY TEAM NEWS UPDATES
- Manchester City: Haaland + Rodri updates after returns to training
- Fulham: Robinson fit, Muniz could be out for the season
- Brighton and Hove Albion: van Hecke available, Mitoma, Minteh + Veltman able to start
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: “Small problems but nothing special”
- Leicester City: Hermansen out for season, Pereira, Buonanotte + De Cordova-Reid injured
- Ipswich Town: McKenna to make ‘late calls’, Johnson + Davis suspended
- Southampton: Onuachu back in training, clean bill of health
GAMEWEEK 35: THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
🚨 Thursday's FPL Press Conferences!
🕊️ 9am – Hurzeler
🦊 11.15am – van Nistelrooy
🔵 12.30pm – Pep
😇 1.30pm – Rusk
🐺 1.30pm – Pereira
⬜️ 3pm – Silva pic.twitter.com/24L8JFtNg9— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) May 1, 2025
Kieran McKenna was belatedly added to the above list at 1.30pm
MANCHESTER CITY
Erling Haaland (ankle) and Rodri (knee) have returned to training this week but it sounds like neither will feature against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.
“He’s getting better.
“I don’t think so.” – Pep Guardiola on whether Erling Haaland will feature on Friday
“We are really pleased that Erling is back and Rodri is back in the training sessions.
“It was a difficult injury. It was an injury of 7-11 months, more or less. The doctors said he feels really good. Every day he is making sessions and sessions but we have to wait. We have to wait to [avoid] making a step backwards and being injured again. That’s why you have to be careful. What’s important is one training session, then another one. Every time he feels better, better. When the doctor says Rodri is stable and can start to play, after that, he is going to come back.” – Pep Guardiola on Rodri
Nathan Ake (foot) and John Stones (adductor) remain out.
Guardiola initially said “no news” when asked about the latest injury situation, which presumably means there are no fresh concerns.
FULHAM
Antonee Robinson is back available after missing the win over Southampton.
Rodrigo Muniz (Achilles) is still out, however, along with Reiss Nelson (hamstring).
“Rodrigo, no. Not for this game, probably not for the next one, and it is going to be difficult to have him until the end of the season. Of course, we are going to try to see how he is going to react but the news, no, it is not very good regarding Rodrigo Muniz. We have to see week by week but it looks difficult for him to be ready until the end of the season.
“About Robinson, he’s going to be available for the match.” – Marco Silva
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Jan Paul van Hecke is back after missing out against West Ham United with a head injury.
“He’s ready to start. He trained yesterday and after the training, he immediately came to me and said he wants to play.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Jan Paul van Hecke
It’s positive news all round from Fabian Hurzeler, as Adam Webster (muscle) is back in training and could feature.
“Adam Webster trained yesterday, so he will also be an option maybe to be in the squad.” – Fabian Hurzeler
Another medium-term absentee, Georginio Rutter (ankle), is expected to play before the end of 2024/25.
“I’m quite positive and convinced that we will see him already in this season back.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Georginio Rutter
Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey and Igor Julio are also ready to start, having returned to training ahead of Gameweek 34. Veltman and Lamptey were on the bench against the Hammers.
Kauro Mitoma, limited to substitute duty in the last two Gameweeks, is also in starting XI contention.
“[Veltman and Lamptey] are also options to start. Of course, they had a longer phase when they weren’t able to play but in general, they are ready to start. The same for Igor, the same for Kaoru.” – Fabian Hurzeler
So far as we’re aware, it’s only James Milner (hamstring) and Ferdi Kadioglu (toe) on the injury list.
Joao Pedro is also out, of course: he serves game two of a three-match ban following his straight red card in Gameweek 33.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Vitor Pereira doesn’t seem to have too many concerns ahead of the trip to the Etihad.
“Small problems but nothing special. We have one more training and I hope that everyone will be ready to help the team.” – Vitor Pereira
Pedro Lima (ankle) was back in training last week, and it may be that there simply wasn’t enough room for him in the Gameweek 34 matchday squad rather than any lingering concerns about fitness.
Meanwhile, back-up goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has missed the last three matches with what was originally described as a “small problem”.
Wolves are also without longer-term absentees Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Yerson Mosquera (knee), Leon Chiwome (knee) and Enso Gonzalez (knee).
LEICESTER CITY
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has had surgery on a long-standing groin injury and will miss the rest of the season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy confirmed on Thursday that Jakub Stolarczyk will come into the team between the sticks.
Three casualties from last week’s loss at Molineux are also sidelined for Gameweek 35.
Ricardo Pereira (muscle), Bobby De Cordova-Reid (muscle) and Facundo Buonanotte (head) join an injury list that already contains Abdul Fatawu (knee) and Stephy Mavididi (muscle).
IPSWICH TOWN
Kieran McKenna didn’t want to name names when asked about the latest team news.
The Ipswich boss said he would make “late calls” but perhaps hinted at a similar squad when saying the situation would look better in “two games’ time”.
Ben Johnson has joined Leif Davis on the suspension list, following his dismissal for two bookable offences last weekend.
Conor Townsend (hamstring), Kalvin Phillips (Achilles) and Nathan Broadhead (thigh) were ruled out of that defeat to Newcastle United in advance. Axel Tuanzebe missed out, too, with it later confirmed that he had a hamstring issue.
Aro Muric (shoulder), Wes Burns (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles), Sammie Szmodics (ankle) and Jaden Philogene (knee) were still sidelined, as well.
“To be honest, I’m not going to go through so many individually again but, you know, last week I said we were in a really difficult spot; it’s not very dissimilar. There are going to be quite a lot of late calls, genuinely, because we have got quite a few players who are going to be close for this week. If not this week, then a really good chance for next week. I think certainly, by two games’ time, we are going to be much, much closer to where we want to be. This one is going to be really tight, we have got quite a few players who are close and who we are going to make a late judgement call on tomorrow.” – Kieran McKenna
SOUTHAMPTON
Paul Onuachu (ankle) has resumed training this week and comes back into contention.
Simon Rusk indeed says he has a clean bill of health for the clash with Leicester City. Again, it’s not absolutely certain whether that injury-free status also covers recent absentees Albert Gronbaek (Achilles) and Charlie Taylor (hip).
