Gameweek 14 isn’t finished yet but such is the frenetic rate of fixtures in December, the press conferences for Gameweek 15 are already underway!
Six Premier League managers face the media on Thursday, with all the key team news and quotes in the article below.
We should hear from the bosses of the other 14 Premier League clubs on Friday.
KEY GAMEWEEK 15 INJURY UPDATES FROM THURSDAY
- Crystal Palace: Sarr still out but Sosa could return
- Nottingham Forest: Murillo latest, Dyche on Gibbs-White, several still out
- Tottenham Hotspur: No fresh concerns, Solanke + Kulusevski still out
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: Joao Gomes ban, Munetsi suffers calf issue
- Leeds United: Calvert-Lewin + Nmecha concerns, Farke may rotate
- Burnley: Tuanzebe joins the injury list
THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
CRYSTAL PALACE
No surprise that Ismaila Sarr (ankle) remains out ahead of the trip to Fulham.
So too do Cheick Doucoure (knee) and Caleb Kporha (back), who have been absent all season.
Borna Sosa (knock) could be back for Gameweek 15, however, after a week on the sidelines.
“Borna Sosa looks like he could return for the matchday squad. That gives us one more option.” – Oliver Glasner
Oliver Glasner has no fresh concerns following the narrow win over Burnley.
He also highlighted the extra day of recovery – Palace play on Sunday – which could assist the starting prospects of his much-used regulars.
“In my experience, you can never plan too far in advance because you never know what is happening in a game. Fortunately it looks like we have no injury concerns from the Burnley game.
“Of course, the issues you always have after a Premier League game, there are a few knocks and a few players with some pain. But now it’s a little bit easier, we have three days in between, so one more day to rest and also to prepare, so everybody should be fine.” – Oliver Glasner
Glasner did discuss the fixture congestion and its effects on his squad later in his presser.
“Especially right at the moment, for us, it feels not so easy to score many goals but therefore it’s more important to keep clean sheets like we did yesterday.
“Because yes, we know, it looks like at the end of the games we’re getting a little bit fatigued physically, mentally, but staying resilient and getting the things done [is key]. We are always talking about it but, of course, when you’re twice failing [against Strasbourg and Manchester United], you need this to succeed the next time – and that’s what we did yesterday.” – Oliver Glasner
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Sean Dyche is hopeful that Murillo (hamstring/illness) “recovers quickly” as Forest prepare to take on Everton.
“Murillo was touch and go [for midweek] with his hamstring, then he has been ill since. We are just monitoring him daily, a lot of bugs about at the minute. He has just been ill since so we are just hoping that he recovers quickly.” – Sean Dyche
Everyone else who was injured looks set to remain out.
That includes Chris Wood (knee), Taiwo Awoniyi (knock), Douglas Luiz (hamstring), Angus Gunn (knee), Ola Aina (hamstring) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (muscle).
With Dilane Bakwa (hamstring), it’s more about match fitness after he featured for the reserves in midweek.
“Woody is making a bit of progress but it is still early days yet. Taiwo is on the grass, doing well. Douglas Luiz is close to getting back to training with us. Angus Gunn is a bit delayed on that but getting better.
“Dilane Bakwa had 60 minutes [with the B team] so that is good. He came through that unscathed but obviously it is gently, gently as he gets fitter and match fit.
“Zinchenko is on the grass and doing fine, so that’s good, he is on his way back. Ola is still a bit of time yet. Aaron Bott, the young guy, is recovering.” – Sean Dyche
Dyche offered a bit more on Wood later in the presser.
“We are not putting any timescale on it because it is slowly, slowly and carefully, carefully. But he is making some progress. We are just starting him back on the real pathway after a rest period, settling things down. We are hopeful it is going in the right direction, but it is very early yet.” – Sean Dyche on Chris Wood
Morgan Gibbs-White has been playing through back niggles of late and came off again last night, but Dyche isn’t unduly concerned.
“I think he’s alright. There are a few knocks at the minute; we are playing a lot of games, as you know, and a few of the guys have been playing a lot of football. Morgan is one of them. A few knocks, more than anything. I don’t think it’s anything serious, or certainly it’s not been reported today as serious. Just a recovery day today.” – Sean Dyche on Morgan Gibbs-White
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Thomas Frank has confirmed that he has no fresh concerns for the visit of old club Brentford.
”Everyone from the [midweek] game should be ready.” – Thomas Frank
Dominic Solanke (ankle), James Maddison (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee) and Yves Bissouma (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
“When they are ready to really be close to be involved in the squad, then I will give more information.” – Thomas Frank on Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski
Radu Dragusin (knee) and Kota Takai (thigh) built up their match fitness with 65-minute and 45-minute run-outs respectively for the under-21s on Tuesday.
Frank was asked what Xavi Simons has to do to get a chance, having not started the last four Spurs matches.
“Xavi has trained fantastic. The last five, six times we had where we really could train, very good attitude on the training pitch. I like that a lot. And we played different games with different line-ups. I think that Xavi was towards something better and better. And as long as he, the same like Mati [Tel], trains well, good attitude, then we’re getting closer and closer. And I think it’s also fair to say that he’s coming on in all four games we’ve played.
“No [reason he didn’t start against Fulham], it’s just different scenarios. We played with two strikers against PSG. Both of them scored. I think it’s fair to say that. And I would not say that we struggled to score because we scored 23 goals. I think that’s quite a fairly high amount. So that’s quite good. But we also played with the two [forwards], just a little bit different roles, against Man United. So it’s just different personnel and who’s been a little bit in form and stuff like that.” – Thomas Frank on Xavi Simons
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Rob Edwards has confirmed that Marshall Munetsi, who hobbled off minutes after coming on in midweek, is now likely sidelined with a calf injury.
”He’s had a scan today but I think he’s pulled his calf.
“We don’t know the full details of it yet but we’ll get that over the next few hours.” – Rob Edwards on Marshall Munetsi
Rodrigo Gomes (groin), Leon Chiwome (knee) and Dan Bentley (ankle) remain out, too.
And Edwards will have to make do without Joao Gomes, who picked up his fifth booking of the season on Wednesday.
We await further news on Fer Lopez (adductor) and Hugo Bueno (back), who missed out with minor issues in Gameweek 14.
Ladislav Krejci (knee) sat out the loss to Nottingham Forest too but was back on the grass ahead of that contest.
LEEDS UNITED
Daniel James (hamstring) and Sean Longstaff (calf) are both medium-term absentees for the Whites.
Otherwise, Daniel Farke sent out mixed messages ahead of the visit of Liverpool.
He started by stating that he had no fresh concerns but then went on to say Dominic Calvert-Lewin (calf) and Lukas Nmecha (hamstring) were doubts.
“No fresh injury concerns. We have definitely Daniel James and Sean Longstaff out, a bit longer long term. After this [last] game, we need to take some late decisions, like always when you have such a quick turnaround.
“We have a few players who are a bit more major doubts. Lukas Nmecha had hamstring problems after his last game, we will have to assess him to see if he is really available. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, some calf problems after the last game. Also a question mark behind his availability.” – Daniel Farke
Farke added that he would likely rotate for this clash, citing workload concerns around Ao Tanaka in particular.
“We have also players with lots of load, not just in this game but also over the course of last games, especially in the positions where you have to invest a lot. So, like the wing-back positions or in midfield positions. So, we have to see who will be fully recovered.
“For some players, it’s of course a bit easier once you’re used, for example, to have this load, three games within seven days. Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu, they’re a bit more used to it. But also the players who have just joined us in the summer, for example, perhaps also from a league that didn’t have the intensity like the Premier League, for them it’s perhaps even a bit more difficult.
“It’s perhaps positive that we have also shared the load so far: Anton Stach and Gabby Gudmundsson were not too much involved against Man City. I think this perhaps is a bit helpful.
“With Ao Tanaka, it’s a bit more tricky because he has played both games, many, many minutes in a position where he had to invest a lot.” – Daniel Farke
BURNLEY
Axel Tuanzebe missed out in Gameweek 14 and Scott Parker says the defender will be out for a “couple of weeks”.
”I thought he did really well. Was really pleased for Ekdal, obviously came out the side and he’s not been involved a little bit. The harshness, from starting to not even being in the squad… to come back into the frame last night, I thought he had a very strong performance, so I was really pleased for him.” – Scott Parker on Hjalmar Ekdal, who came in for Axel Tuanzebe in midweek
Long-term absentees Jordan Beyer (hamstring), Connor Roberts (Achilles) and Zeki Amdouni (knee) are still out, too.
Parker otherwise reported some “tired” bodies after the loss to Crystal Palace but said that his group were “physically okay”.
Tuanzebe, Lyle Foster and Hannibal Mejbri will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations soon but, as has been widely reported elsewhere, that will be after Gameweek 16 and not before it.
“I think it’s come up now that they can they leave after the Fulham game. So, we’ve got a couple of extra games with those boys.” – Scott Parker on his African contingent
