There’s plenty of team news to come on Thursday as nine Premier League managers face the media ahead of Gameweek 3.
Andoni Iraola is among those taking questions from reporters, and we’ll bring you the key quotes and injury updates from all nine press conferences in the article below.
KEY GAMEWEEK 3 TEAM NEWS FROM THURSDAY
- Liverpool: Iraola on Barcola’s fitness, wingers + Szoboszlai at right-back, five still sidelined
- Leeds United: Rodon out for 8-10 weeks, Gudmundsson closer to full fitness
- Newcastle United: Jaissle discusses Fernandez-Pardo but coy on team news
- Crystal Palace: Sarr, Riad + Mateta still injured, Sage on Sarr’s future
- Nottingham Forest: Glasner on fitness of Munoz + Delap. Sangare seen in training
- Sunderland: Diarra out for 6-8 weeks, Le Bris on his new arrivals
- Bournemouth: No injury concerns bar the longer-term absentees
- Hull City: Mendy fine, Gelhardt + Crooks train, Jakirovic hints at other injuries
- Ipswich Town: Emersonn + Florentino fit, Philogene close, two still out
THURSDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
🚨 Thursday’s FPL Press Conferences!
🔴 10am – Iraola
🦅 1pm – Sage
🐯 1pm – Jakirovic
🍒 1.30pm – Rose
🚜 1.30pm – O’Neil
⚪️ 1.30pm – Farke
🐈⬛ 1.30pm – Le Bris
🌳 2pm – Glasner
⚫️ 2.30pm – Jaissle pic.twitter.com/l6xuyhrRO1— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) September 3, 2026
LIVERPOOL
New signing Bradley Barcola looks set to make his Liverpool debut this weekend – but Andoni Iraola hinted that bench duty may beckon at first.
“He trained well with us. If everything goes well in today’s training, he will definitely be available for tomorrow.
“I see him in a good place. He has trained with us, I think, three [times]. It’s true that he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season but he has been training normal with the group [at PSG]. Then it’s a decision that we have to make. I think he is in a good place but we also have to consider that he hasn’t had minutes in the pre-season games. – Andoni Iraola on Bradley Barcola
Iraola also mentioned Barcola’s ability to play on the right flank, with the Reds understaffed on that side of the pitch and oversubscribed on the left.
“I think we preferred, in the end, to have the best players, than a player that maybe is specific only for that position. I think I’m very used, from my previous teams, to demanding all the wingers play on both sides.
“I know they normally have their preferred position, but we’ve been playing with Víctor [Munoz], with Cody [Gakpo], with Rio [Ngumoha] in pre-season, in competition now, on the right side. I think probably all of them have played more on the left, but I would say, I’ve seen them in a good place on the right. Probably Rio is more specific for the left side, but I think he has also shown the willingness to improve and play on the right.
“Even Bradley [Barcola], I think he’s very open and I think he can play right and left. He started actually more on the right side when he started with Olympique Lyonnais.
“Obviously, it will depend on the match-ups, on what we consider for every game, but I’m happy with the four wingers we have and I’m sure we are going to be able to cover those two positions.” – Andoni Iraola on Liverpool’s inability to sign a right winger
- READ MORE: FPL reveal Barcola’s price + two others
Injury-wise, Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee), Joe Gomez (muscle) and Federico Chiesa (muscle) remain out for the Reds.
Gomez is the only one due back before the September international break.
“The closest one is Joe. Joe will probably start training with us next week. It has gone normally, the recovery from a muscle injury, more or less we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.
“I think the next one probably should be Giovanni Leoni. I think the plan is also to start training during the break, with the group. I think even Fede should be around those dates. Probably Conor, and especially Hugo, will go later, yes.” – Andoni Iraola
With the ongoing injuries at right-back, Iraola was asked about the conversations he’s had with Dominik Szoboszlai about moving him into the back four, as happened in Gameweek 2, and whether he sees the Hungarian as an ongoing option at full-back.
“I think since I started here, I’ve talked to a lot of players about the position where they prefer to play. But I haven’t found any situations where any player has told me, “No, I don’t want to play here.” I think everyone has shown the right attitude. I more or less know the preferred position of everyone. Sometimes it’s the same, I think, from them. Sometimes I say, “Okay, I see you maybe more here,” and we have discussions. But everyone is ready to help.
“If we have to play him as a right winger, as a right-back, as a left-back, I think he’s ready to do it. I think he wants to help the team first. And I think it’s good also to have players who can cover different positions, especially now, probably, that we have some injuries and we need this versatility from the players. Having players like Dom, for me, is very valuable because even in the game, they allow me to change their positions.
“Definitely, we look thin [at right-back], yes. But if you take two players from every position injured, you will always look thin. And now we are in that situation. That’s why I value Dom Szoboszlai, who can play right-back, [and] Ronald Araújo, who can also play right-back.” – Andoni Iraola on Dominik Szoboszlai and the versatility of his players
Cody Gakpo is staying with the Reds after touted moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City failed to materialise, and Iraola is happy to have him still aboard.
“Cody is a very smart player. I think also my relationship with him has been very honest since the beginning. He has performed with us, I would say, very well in all the pre-season games, in all the games. He scored the first day, assisted the next one.
“He was always aware of the situations in the market. We were constantly talking with each other. He’s trained very well and I hope we keep him at the same level. I’m sure it’s going to be like this. I think he’s in a good place physically, mentally, and I’m very happy to keep Cody because, for me, he’s a very valuable player.” – Andoni Iraola on Cody Gakpo
LEEDS UNITED
Joe Rodon will be out for 8-10 weeks with the hamstring injury he sustained in Gameweek 2.
“Bad news with him. Serious hamstring injury. He will be out for, at the moment, 8-10 weeks. He will definitely not play before the next international break, also probably not the first games after the international break.” – Daniel Farke on Joe Rodon
“This [injury] put even more pressure on us to bring another wing-back option in with Melvin Bard because it could right now also be we need James Justin a bit more like in central defence.” – Daniel Farke
Gabriel Gudmundsson and Ilia Gruev have had absences of contrasting lengths but both are back in training now, and indeed the former was among the substitutes last weekend.
“I think especially with Gabby, this week was important for him. For all our injured players, out of a long-term injury like with Ilia, each and every day on the training pitch is important, but especially for Gabby because he was also injured before he went to the World Cup. Also during pre-season, this injury was not ideal.
“To have a full training week, also with us, I think it was very beneficial for him, and he’s moving closer. We’ll take some late decisions but, of course, he’s, in this position, a key player for us. Once he’s fully fit, then he will be very beneficial also for us. It’s just up to me to decide, okay, when is the right time to unleash him. You could see him growing during this training week.” – Daniel Farke
NEWCASTLE UNITED
A bit like Iraola with Barcola above, Matthias Jaissle hinted that big-money singing Matias Fernadez-Pardo would be eased in as a substitute at first.
“For a young age, he’s already showing a lot of strength on the pitch. He has a physical level which fits really, really strong to our idea of how we want to play football. With his speed up front, he can cause many opponents problems.
“He’s versatile in his approach, he can play multiple positions up in front, which gives us the freedom to adjust from match to match.
“He’s fit, he’s training with us, but it’s been a while since he played the last time over 90 minutes. It’s also for a young lad important to adapt to our intensity in training but also the intensity of the Premier League. We will have a close eye on him and we are smart also with the load management. We want to enjoy him for a longer period and not just for one game.
“I think we have bunch of players up in front who can play multiple positions and that will be not easy to to handle. So, also not for Marco Rose on the weekend!” – Matthias Jaissle on Matias Fernadez-Pardo
Jaissle was no help on the team news front regarding Joelinton (unspecified), Dan Burn (ankle) and Will Osula (foot).
“Due to the fact that we have a top medical department, everyone is progressing well, but everyone also differently, due to their injuries. Again, I mentioned last time, and I will keep the same messages for all the press conferences here, we’re working on a top level in that department and from the morning till the evening everything to [help them] come back as soon as possible – and that will be also with these guys.” – Matthias Jaissle when asked about the latest team news
Pressed on Osula, amid reports from Denmark that his issue might be more serious than first thought, Jaissle doubled down.
“I keep it with my answer already. I don’t know if the Danish journalists have more information than I have. I doubt that, so I will not be a participant in these rumours or information from the Danish journalist.” – Matthias Jaissle
Tino Livramento (calf) was already back in training last week, so he may be closer to involvement in a matchday squad – although Jaissle’s comment below suggests maybe not Gameweek 3.
“Yes [I’m happy with the Amar Dedic-Anthony Elanga link-up] but I’m also pleased with the link on the left side with Harvey [Barnes] and [Lewis] Hally, at the moment. But also when you see the substitutions, if [Jacob] Murph comes in or Bazou [Toure], they’re straight away there, the link as well is great with the full-backs. Tino [Livramento] hopefully comes soon back.” – Matthias Jaissle
CRYSTAL PALACE
Ismaïla Sarr (groin), Chadi Riad (knee) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (hamstring) remain out for the Eagles.
Everyone else is available.
Sarr didn’t get his wish of a move away from Selhurst Park in the transfer window, and Pierre Sage says the Senegalese winger will need time to not just get fit but to process the developments – or lack thereof – of recent weeks.
“Like every bad situation, time does the job – and we need time for that. He needs time, too.
“First of all, he needs to recover because like I told you, he was and is injured.
“Now, and before, because it doesn’t change it, he’s still our player, and we are happy with that.
“He has to digest [the events of the last few weeks], for sure. It’s a dream for a lot of players to play with these kinds of clubs and he had a good opportunity [to do so], but in the end, it didn’t work.” – Pierre Sage on Ismaila Sarr
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Oliver Glasner reunited with Daniel Munoz this week as the Colombian right wing-back joined Forest.
But, after not benching him in any of the 80 Premier League games that he could call upon Munoz at Crystal Palace, it sounds like he may break with the habit in Gameweek 3.
“We wanted to add quality and and mentality, and I think Daniel Munoz has proven both in the Premier League and also at the World Cup when he played for Colombia, and he’s very reliable. His mentality is incredible but also it’s now [a time] for him to settle in, getting everybody known, and he didn’t play many minutes for Palace in pre-season. He arrived late there. So, it’s getting him back on his top fitness level because that’s what he needs. He needs his fitness level because then he can play with his full strength.
“He’s available, but he arrived late after the World Cup. He had a short pre-season and then, you could see, he played with a mask in the first game at Everton. So, he had nose surgery because it was about breathing and that’s why he didn’t have many minutes in pre-season, many pre-season friendly games, and then just, I don’t know, 55 minutes at Everton. He was not playing in their second game against City because the negotiations were quite far. And that’s why I said he needs to get back onto his top fitness level.” – Oliver Glasner on Daniel Munoz
Liam Delap also sounds short of match fitness.
“He has show during the entire week that he can score goals with his right, with his left, with his head, and yeah, that was very positive, but also we could see that he’s not in a match rhythm.” – Oliver Glasner on Liam Delap
There wasn’t much on team news but Glasner did discuss Nicolo Savona (knee) when asked about his centre-half options, now that Zach Abbott and Morato have moved on.
“We think that Nicola Savona can play this. He has the physicality. He’s a right back, can also play centre-back, so probably when you play a back three, this is a top position for him. He had a setback and I think today he was the first time back on grass. We really built him up, step by step now, and hopefully he can fully train with us maybe during the international break or afterwards. So, then he should be back soon.” – Oliver Glasner
There was no update on Ibrahim Sangare (calf) but the midfielder was seen in a training image earlier today.
SUNDERLAND
Habib Diarra (hamstring) came off last weekend and, while we didn’t get an update in the broadcast section of Regis Le Bris’ press conference, bad news on the midfielder came in the written section.
“He will wait, I think, six to eight weeks with his new injury, so it’s a shame, but it is what it is, and we’ll take care of him until early October.” – Regis Le Bris on Habib Diarra, via the Northern Echo
Diarra’s absence is, of course, good news for Enzo Le Fee‘s penalty-taking prospects.
With Simon Adingra (ankle) departing for Ajax yesterday, the Black Cats’ only other red-flagged player is now off the books.
“We’ll see! We have now probably three or four more options, which is really positive. We didn’t change much after the defeat [to Ipswich, so] I think we will stay consistent as well after the win.
“Against Fulham, it was obvious that the starters built the foundations, and the finishers made the difference.” – Regis Le Bris when asked about the Sunderland team news
Le Bris wouldn’t confirm whether deadline-day buys Malick Fofana and Juan Riquelme Angulo would feature this weekend.
“We’ll see” – Regis Le Bris on whether his deadline-day arrivals will make the squad to face Brentford
Forward Angulo is just £4.5m in FPL but he looks set to be well down the pecking order.
“He will fill this third striker position and I think it’s important to match the demand of this position. You have to be an underdog, be patient, but also with the potential to play, because it’s important across the different competitions we will have.” – Regis Le Bris on Juan Riquelme Angulo
BOURNEMOUTH
Marco Rose confirms that the Cherries have no fresh concerns for the trip to Newcastle United.
Amine Adli (calf), Eli Kroupi (foot), Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) and Julian Araujo (thigh) are on the medium-term injury list.
“No issues, no injuries. Our longtime injuries, we know they are not coming back, but the other guys are in a good spot.” – Marco Rose
There was not a great deal else to report from Rose’s presser, although his comment that new right-back Juanlu Sanchez is “still adapting [to] things” perhaps suggests that Adam Smith will continue in the back four.
HULL CITY
The broadcast section of Sergej Jakirovic’s presser was brief and short on team news, but the subsequent written section did offer up some injury updates.
Firstly, some good news on Joe Gelhardt (ankle) and Matt Crooks (quad).
“Since Monday, [Gelhardt] has been in full training with the group so we will see with him and our tactical plan. He is available.
“Matt Crooks is in training so we will see tomorrow.” – Sergej Jakirovic, via Hull Live
Jack Butland (shoulder), Elliot Matazo (knee), Charlie Hughes (groin), Darko Gyabi (thigh) and Oscar Zambrano (hamstring) remain out.
And it sounds like there are some other undisclosed problems, based on this quote.
“We have some problems also from the Coventry game so we will see tomorrow who will be available.” – Sergej Jakirovic, via Hull Live
Lewis Coyle, who came off in Gameweek 2 with a dead leg, might be one issue, but Nobel Mendy has been given the all-clear.
“It’s because he missed pre-season. This is for the new arrivals. If you didn’t train with the team or in group training or if you’ve had some problems there. If you miss pre-season you will struggle until the international break because we have space to train more and harder. We will also try to increase minutes through the Carabao Cup, but there is no issue with Mendy.” – Sergej Jakirovic, via Hull Live
Jakirovic meanwhile said that we should see more of his new signings, a further five of whom arrived on deadline day, against Aston Villa.
“We will see tomorrow. Mostly they will be in the team of 20 players.” – Sergej Jakirovic, via Hull Live
IPSWICH TOWN
Emersonn is fine and available for Ipswich’s clash with Liverpool, despite coming off with a knee issue last weekend.
Luis Florentino (calf) is also fit, while Jaden Philogene is close to being back from an ankle injury.
Azor Matusiwa (muscle) and Jack Taylor (knee) remain out.
“Azor obviously still to come back, Jack Taylor still to come back. Jaden is close. Everyone else is fit, I think.” – Gary O’Neil
“[Florentino] has trained this week. He’s back. Yeah, Emmy back. Azor back in training, but won’t be in the matchday squad. Tomorrow is a bit too early. Jack Taylor still out. Jaden too early this weekend. So, but yeah, in a pretty good place.” – Gary O’Neil
