While the Gameweek 36 press conferences are yet to begin, the managers of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest all faced the media on Wednesday.
Unai Emery, Oliver Glasner and Vitor Pereira were holding pressers in advance of their clubs’ European fixtures on Thursday.
Here are the headline injury updates.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Vitor Pereira will give Morgan Gibbs-White more time to declare himself available after the midfielder suffered a facial injury in Monday’s win over Chelsea.
You couldn’t accuse the journalists present in Pereira’s presser of not trying to help out Fantasy managers, with several questions asked about Gibbs-White’s fitness.
“[He’s] with pain, for sure. We’ll see, until tomorrow whether he feels able or not. We’ll see. It’s a big question mark.
“It’s not a question for me. It’s a decision between the player, the medical department and myself but we didn’t have the last meeting to decide.
“I really don’t know about Morgan. The doubts that you have are the same doubts that we have.
“I honestly hope that he can play and he can help us tomorrow. But if it’s not possible, we’ll play with another one, and this one, for sure, will try to be the best player on the pitch.
“We’re waiting his arrival [to training] and after we’ll decide [whether he trains]. It’s not a day to risk nothing. Tomorrow, one more day can make the difference. We will see.
“I think yesterday he went to [have a mask made].” – Vitor Pereira on Morgan Gibbs-White
Zach Abbott, who suffered his own head injury in Gameweek 35, is expected to be fit.
“I think he is okay. We spoke yesterday and I think he is in a good condition. He is available for the game, I think.” – Vitor Pereira on Zach Abbott
Murillo (muscle), Ola Aina (unspecified), Dan Ndoye (unspecified) and Ibrahim Sangaré (unspecified) all missed out in Gameweek 35. Pereira doesn’t know, or wouldn’t let on, whether any of them will be fit for Thursday.
Murillo suggested two days ago that his rehab had been “successfully completed”, albeit he was posting from Doha.
“A lot of doubts! We can have doubts about the players but we cannot have doubts about the spirit, about what we want and our belief, about everything, about the resilience, about what we should do tactically. This is something that we cannot have doubts [about] but about the players, I have a lot!” – Vitor Pereira
Callum Hudson-Odoi (muscle), John Victor (knee), Willy Boly (knee) and Nicola Savona (knee) are long-term absentees.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Evann Guessand (knee) is back in training but won’t play any part in the Conference League semi-final second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Eddie Nketiah (hamstring) and Cheick Doucoure (knee/muscle/match fitness) are still out, while Gameweek 35 absentee Borna Sosa hasn’t recovered from a “minor” issue, either.
Will Hughes (illness), another Palace player to miss the defeat to Bournemouth, is at least available.
“Good news: Will Hughes is back.
“Evann trained today, but just partly. It’s too early, so he doesn’t make the squad tomorrow. Then, we have to decide on a daily basis.
“It’s now the last part of rehab, getting integrated into team training. We don’t have a lot of training [between matches], so that’s why really we use every training we have.
“Borna Sosa is still out. He was not available for Bournemouth and is also still out. And, of course Eddie Nketiah and Cheick Doucouré [are unavailable].
“All other players are fit and available.” – Oliver Glasner
With the focus only on Thursday, there was no discussion from Glasner about what sort of team he’ll send out in Gameweek 36. He’ll face the media again later in the week.
ASTON VILLA
John McGinn is expected to be available for Aston Villa’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
Amadou Onana, however, will miss out again.
McGinn was unavailable for Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur but is now back in training.
“He trained normally and if he is not changing something, he is going to be available for tomorrow.” – Unai Emery on John McGinn
Onana limped off against Forest last Thursday and sat out Gameweek 35. He won’t recover for the rematch with the Tricky Trees.
“Obviously not.” – Unai Emery, when asked if Amadou Onana was available, having not been seen in training earlier in the day
Ross Barkley and Alysson are ineligible for European action, while Boubacar Kamara (knee) is a long-term absentee.
