There are four Gameweek 36 press conferences to bring you today, with the managers of Chelsea, Manchester United, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur facing the media.
You’ll find all the team news in this article, which we will update throughout the afternoon.
KEY GAMEWEEK 36 TEAM NEWS FROM THURSDAY
- Chelsea: Sanchez out, Neto + Garnacho unlikely to feature, Derry’s season over
- Manchester United: Martinez available, nothing on Sesko, Carrick on rotation
- Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario not ready to return, Solanke improving, RDZ on Maddison
- Sunderland: Ballard begins three-match ban, Mundle the only other absentee
THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
Thursday’s FPL Press Conferences! 🚨
🧿 1.30pm – McFarlane
🐈⬛ 1.30pm – Le Bris
👹 2pm – Carrick
🐓 3pm – De Zerbi pic.twitter.com/3xJs0peFUT— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) May 7, 2026
CHELSEA
Robert Sanchez will miss Gameweek 36 after suffering a head injury in the defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday.
And Jesse Derry‘s campaign is over after he suffered a head injury of his own in the same game.
Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho, absent from that 1-3 reverse, are still “carrying knocks”. They’re unlikely to feature.
“I spoke to Jesse’s dad the night it happened. I spoke to the family yesterday, as well. It’s positive, it’s really positive. I don’t have the knowledge or the insights to go into massive details but all the early signs are really positive.
“As long as he’s healthy, and that’s the way it’s looking now, that’s all that really matters.
“He’s not going to be available for us from now till the end of the season.” – Calum McFarlane on Jesse Derry
“Neto and Garnacho are carrying knocks, so it’s looking unlikely that they are going to be available.
“Rob [Sanchez] is also not going to be available after the injury that he sustained in the Nottingham Forest game.” – Calum McFarlane
Levi Colwill and Reece James, who returned to the bench in Gameweek 35, have trained all week. They could even start against Liverpool.
“We’ve got a few lads returning. Levi has trained another full week again. Reece, as well. So, yeah, looking promising.
“We’ve still got another session, they both trained fully today. We’re hopeful [they might be ready to start].” – Calum McFarlane
McFarlane has problems in the wide areas with five players out, and he hinted at a tactical tweak to circumvent the shortage of wingers.
“Yeah, we’ve still got a lot of good players, still got a lot of players available that can impact football games. So, we’re going to have to make up some of the players we’re missing in different ways, in the way that we shape the team up, but I probably don’t want to go into too much detail on that right now.” – Calum McFarlane on his lack of wide options
MANCHESTER UNITED
Michael Carrick didn’t address the fitness of Benjamin Sesko (shin) in the first part of his press conference on Friday.
The Slovenian was taken off at the break in Sunday’s win over Liverpool.
Carrick does, however, sometimes give a separate team news update to in-house media, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for that.
Elsewhere, Lisandro Martinez is available again after his three-match ban.
Fellow defender Matthijs de Ligt (back) remains out, however.
Carrick was asked about whether he’ll hand some minutes to peripheral players in the run-in, now that UEFA Champions League qualification is assured.
“I think every player in the squad has been absolutely fantastic, I have to say. Yes, some have played a lot more than others. I understand from a professional and playing point of view, it can been difficult, but the togetherness and the support that the players have shown, certainly each other, is great to see. It’s what we need within the group.
“That’s part of the challenge of doing a lot of training and not having as many games as we would have liked. It’s the balance that we’ve had to make the most of, really. Coming into these games, it’s something we’re aware of and… we’re really keen on playing well and still trying to get good results, as well. Yeah, it’s definitely something to be aware of.” – Michael Carrick on potentially giving his squad players a chance in the run-in
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Guglielmo Vicario (hernia) is not yet ready to return.
“No, Vicario is not ready yet. I don’t know what will be the plan. He’s suffering because he would like to help the team, to help his teammates, but he’s not available yet.” – Roberto De Zerbi
Dominic Solanke (hamstring) isn’t completely ruled out, although it sounds more like Gameweek 37 for him.
“About Solanke, he is improving very quickly. I don’t know, for this game, I don’t know if he can be available. We hope for the next game at Stamford Bridge.” – Roberto De Zerbi
Xavi Simons (knee), Cristian Romero (knee), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Wilson Odobert (knee), Ben Davies (ankle) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Roberto De Zerbi said there were no new injuries, so we’re assuming Richarlison is fine despite his reported absence from training on Wednesday.
“No. I am happy because we are working well with the players. Another very important week. We have no problems.” – Roberto De Zerbi, when asked if Spurs had any new concerns
James Maddison has been a non-playing substitute in each of the last three Gameweeks, and De Zerbi was asked if we may see the former Leicester City midfielder actually on the pitch this week.
“I am thinking about James Maddison because I am watching a top, top player. Maybe he is not ready yet to play. [In terms of] physical condition, not [ready] for the rhythm or intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm.
“But as a player, he is great. As a coach, watching one player like this… especially for me because I was a number 10 and I am sensitive to number 10 players like Xavi Simons, Maddison, Kulusevski, Kudus. We have a lot of number 10s.” – Roberto De Zerbi
SUNDERLAND
Dan Ballard‘s season is over after Sunderland failed with their appeal against his Gameweek 35 red card.
The centre-back was sent off for violent conduct after tugging the hair of Tolu Arokodare in last week’s draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He now begins a three-match ban.
“We are [disappointed] because the situation, I think, was a bit unclear. The Premier League is built around physicality, duels, intensity, and I do think that Ballard tried to grab the shirt and in the duel, unfortunately, long hair got caught.
“It wasn’t intentional and the law is the law, so I understand the referee at one point, but at the same time, I think for the rule, it’s a bit unclear.” – Regis Le Bris on Dan Ballard
Regis Le Bris hinted that Lutsharel Geertruida might come into the side in Ballard’s absence.
“[His versatility] is a big advantage on one side and probably sometimes a bit difficult to manage because you don’t play every game, but he’s so useful for the squad. So, we might have an option.” – Regis Le Bris on Lutsharel Geertruida
Other than Ballard and Romaine Mundle (hamstring), Le Bris says Sunderland have a fully-fit squad.
“They are okay. The only one [out], except Dan, is Romaine, and all the others are available.” – Regis Le Bris
Nilson Angulo (unknown) and Bertrand Traore (knee) look set to return, then, after the best part of two months out.
“They have trained, but of course, it’s always different in a 20-minute training session to playing 11-versus-11 in a full game against Manchester United. The gap is so big.
“Sometimes, players have started [this season] because we had an emergency and they had an opportunity because the position was empty. Now, it’s a bit different. We have the possibility to manage the group differently now because the group is full and we don’t need to rush a player with a start.
“I think it’s fair to say, now, you have to show more during the training sessions. Maybe then you’ll get some minutes and those opportunities will give you credit for the next one. That’s more or less how we are working now. “- Regis Le Bris on Nilson Angulo and Bertrand Traore, quoted in the Northern Echo
