While Gameweek 9 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is still some time away, there’s important team news from a handful of top-flight clubs to bring you today.
A total of 13 Premier League clubs are in action in midweek, with several of their respective managers facing the media on Tuesday. Other head coaches held EFL Cup pressers in the aftermath of their Gameweek 8 fixtures.
Whatever the format of each press conference, we’ll bring you the headline quotes from each one.
The only two bosses we’re yet to hear from are Everton’s David Moyes and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery. The former is expected to face the media on Wednesday.
KEY INJURY UPDATES
- Chelsea: Pedro out for a “few weeks”, Palmer suspended but available in Gameweek 9
- Manchester City: Haaland + Gvardiol among five given midweek off, Nunes still injured
- Liverpool: Wirtz could be available, Iraola less confident about Szoboszlai + Munoz
- Arsenal: No standalone presser from Arteta – so nothing new on Calafiori
- Brighton and Hove Albion: Minteh + Wieffer could return, Mitoma out until after break, Kadioglu + Andres have hip pain
- Bournemouth: Kroupi not yet ready to start, Rose set to rotate
- Newcastle United: Miley + Fernandez-Pardo still doubtful
- Brentford: Janelt back from ban, Yarmolyuk still suspended, Henry out, Milambo + Dasilva train
- Crystal Palace: Henderson set to return, Strand Larsen to be assessed, Sarr struggling with groin issues
- Sunderland: Meunier + Isidor could return, Danso back from a ban
- Fulham: No injuries, Sessegnon remains out
CHELSEA
Joao Pedro will be out for a “few weeks” with the thigh injury that caused him to miss Gameweek 8.
“He has an injury on his thigh and he is going to be a few weeks out. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that but not ready for the next games.” – Xabi Alonso on Joao Pedro
Emmanuel Emegha (hamstring), one of the possible deputies for Pedro, is now available, at least.
“Emegha is in the squad.
“For sure, it’s important that we have him available because he has special qualities. He’s fully fit, he has been training for the last couple of weeks, 10 days in a good way to allow him to build a strong base for his fitness. Gradually, we want to see him, and maybe tomorrow he has the chance to play.” – Xabi Alonso
We’re assuming Pep Chavarria (muscle) is still out, however, as Alonso was asked about the defender and Emegha but only gave an update on the latter.
Emiliano Martinez (jaw), Reece James (knee) and Jamie Gittens (ankle) remain on the sidelines, too.
Cole Palmer is suspended for this one but will be available in Gameweek 9.
“We spoke, and for sure he knows the mistake he made. Things that you can avoid. I hope that this is not going to be repeated. He’s aware of that, he’s mature and it was a mistake.” – Xabi Alonso on Cole Palmer
MANCHESTER CITY
Enzo Maresca will rest Erling Haaland, Elliot Anderson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias for Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie against Brighton and Hove Albion.
“After the Villa game, we gave five players three days off to recover energy: Erling, Ruben, Elliot, Gio and Josko. They are all on holiday and they can go away wherever, and then come back wit full energy.” – Enzo Maresca
Among the many changes Maresca is set to make for the League Cup is a start for back-up goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.
“In terms of how we plan, [the two games against Brighton] are so close, so we need to make some changes. But again, we have one more session this afternoon and then we decide for tomorrow.” – Enzo Maresca on the midweek rotation
Antoine Semenyo (knee) will be sidelined till mid-December, while Matheus Nunes looks set to miss out again based on the below quote.
“In this moment, we have also Matheus Nunes that is injured. So, I think he was he was good second half against Villa. But again, I think he can play full-back, he can play midfielder. Depends where do we need him.” – Enzo Maresca on Rico Lewis
LIVERPOOL
Florian Wirtz should make a very quick return from an ankle issue he picked up in Gameweek 8 and could even be available for Liverpool’s EFL Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea.
Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) and Victor Munoz (knock) are less likely to feature, however.
Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee), Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) and Giovanni Leoni (knee) remain out, too.
“I don’t think I can help you a lot. We still have to wait; we train later. We want to [use] this last day.
“He was quite fine, I think, Florian – I’m quite optimistic that he will be available.
“And with Dom and Victor, I’m not so sure. I don’t want to say no, but I think it’s going to be more difficult than Florian.” – Andoni Iraola on the Liverpool team news
We can expect rotation from the Liverpool boss, meanwhile.
“I think there will definitely be changes. But we want to win the game; we want to be competitive.
“We need to see how the legs are. We are kind of, not just in the Carabao Cup, also in the Champions League. We are trying to make some changes from game to game, because I think it’s almost mandatory.
“We need to rotate. Every top team that plays every three days needs to rotate. Sometimes there are forced rotations because you don’t have players available.” – Andoni Iraola
ARSENAL
Mikel Arteta didn’t host a standalone presser ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Fleetwood Town, so we haven’t got any fresh team news updates from the Arsenal boss.
So, nothing on Riccardo Calafiori, who had an issue late on in Gameweek 8, nor the injured trio of Bukayo Saka (quad), William Saliba (back) and Christos Tzolis (hamstring).
Instead, Arteta tagged an EFL Cup section onto the end of Saturday’s post-match press conference. It was less than three minutes in length, too, so there’s not a great deal to report.
The Gunners’ head coach did seem to be laying the groundwork for the expected wholesale rotation:
“Well, let’s see tomorrow where everybody is because individually, as well, we have put so much demand on so many players. We’ll see how we can plan the next week.” – Mikel Arteta when asked if the Fleetwood game was a good chance for fringe players to impress
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Mats Wieffer (knee) and Yankuba Minteh (knee) are both back in contention for the midweek cup clash with Man City.
“We try to take them tomorrow to Manchester.
“That’s a positive one, that Minteh and Wieffer will be back.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Mats Wieffer and Yankuba Minteh
And we also had an update on Kaoru Mitoma (hamstring); Maxim De Cuyper‘s owners can rest easy for the time being.
“Kaoru, we need to be a little bit more patient [with]. Like I said a few weeks ago, I don’t expect him to be back before the international break but definitely after the international break.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Kaoru Mitoma
Ferdi Kadioglu and Chema Andres will be assessed after picking up hip injuries on Sunday. Neither player is seriously hurt.
“It’s just a hit on the hips. Of course, it’s very painful. So, it’s something that both players have to deal with, the pain. I think pain, for every player, feels differently. We have to see how they train today, if it’s possible if they can train. If yes, then, of course, they will be an option for tomorrow” – Fabian Hurzeler on Ferdi Kadioglu and Chema Andres
Pascal Struijk (hamstring), Femi Azeez (hamstring), Zadok Yohanna (unspecified), Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Stefan Tzimas (knee) remain out.
BOURNEMOUTH
Marco Rose was another manager to opt for EFL Cup presser duties in the aftermath of Gameweek 8.
A midweek League Cup tie might seem like an opportune time to hand the newly fit-again Eli Junior Kroupi some more significant minutes but Rose said the talented attacker was not yet ready to start a match, even a cup match such as this.
“No, because as you could see, Junior needs some more training and to respond better on the load.
“But he was out for several months. We are going to train hard and we are going to improve his match time, and everyone in the club, our fans and the players and the technical staff, is really happy to have this guy back.” – Marco Rose on whether Eli Junior Kroupi could start in midweek
Some other fringe players will get their chances on Wednesday, however.
“Now, we have another game on Wednesday, so two days in between, and then we have another game on Saturday, two days in between. So, we have to be aware, and we have to be ready. And I feel the squad right now [is] in a really, really good spot because I have players on the bench, they deserve to play. Julio [Soler] as a left-back, Bafo [Bafodé Diakité], he came in. Álvaro [Rodríguez] improved a lot the last couple of weeks. Brooksy [David Brooks] is waiting for his match time. So, of course, we’re gonna see another team on Wednesday, home against Villa, but we’re gonna have a competitive team, that’s for sure.” – Marco Rose
Alex Toth (hamstring), Alex Scott (tendon) and Julian Araujo (thigh) remain on the injury list but Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), who has been getting game-time with the under-21s, may feature.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Having missed out in Gameweek 8, Mathias Fernandez-Pardo (illness) and Lewis Miley (glute) are still doubtful for Thursday’s cup clash with Everton.
“These two players are still doubtful. There are question marks if they can make it [for Thursday night], so we need to see step-by-step. There are still two days to decide if they’re able to be in the squad or not.
“With both of them, we don’t want to take any additional risk. Hopefully, they are getting back soon.” – Matthias Jaissle on Mathias Fernandez-Pardo and Lewis Miley
Ewen Jaouen (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (knee) remain unavailable.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, first of all, but also now on the medical department. This is usually my approach when it comes to injuries.
“I can just assure you that I see him everyday with a great professionalism in the rehab, hard-working, so hopefully we have him back soon and… that he is stable in his approach when he is joining us.” – Matthias Jaissle on Tino Livramento
Unlike several other Premier League managers who plan to rotate in midweek, Matthias Jaissle says he will go strong.
“Due to the history of the club in that competition, I have the same approach: to play with the best possible line-up. This is clear.
“I heard now that we are getting huge support again in an away match. Really special, during the week, having 8,000 fans with us, taking the journey to support us. That’s something that shows the importance of that competition, and we will, for sure, also be aligned with that and go all in.” – Matthias Jaissle
BRENTFORD
Yehor Yarmolyuk serves game two of a three-match ban on Wednesday but Vitaly Janelt is available again after his one-match suspension.
Rico Henry (hip) and Kaye Furo (knee) remain out but Antoni Milambo (knee) and Josh Dasilva (hamstring) are closing in on returns.
“He picked up an injury a few weeks ago – hip quad injury in training. Unfortunately, he’s going to be out for a period of weeks, probably until after the international break. That’s the reason he hasn’t been involved. So really unfortunate for him. But he’s working hard to get back up to speed.” – Keith Andrews on Rico Henry, via the Hounslow Herald
“Antoni trained with the group a couple of days ago. He’s involved today, so he’s in and around it.”
“Kaye is doing really well. He’s out of his boot in a week, ten days, maybe something like that. He’s not on grass yet, but making really good progress, so that’s good. He’s in good spirits.
“Josh, similarly to Antoni, was involved in sessions. He’s building. He was involved in a bigger session midweek last week as well. Again, making really good strides.” – Keith Andrews, via the Hounslow Herald
CRYSTAL PALACE
Dean Henderson (ankle) could be back in action on Wednesday, having recently returned to training.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (ankle), an absentee against Newcastle on Sunday, needs further assessing, however.
Ismaila Sarr is also struggling with ongoing groin issues.
“I think [Henderson] will play on Wednesday.
“We will see on Wednesday for Strand Larsen, because he received, as you saw, a tackle [against Beșiktaș], and his ankle twisted.
“For Ismaïla Sarr, it’s difficult, because his groin is really making him struggle.
“He was able to play 15-30 minutes [against Besiktas]. We tried to push more in Lyon. He played 60, but it’s really difficult for him. And I think you saw in his performance, he ran less, especially with high-speed runs. We spoke together yesterday, and we took the decision to leave him out [against Newcastle], because he needs treatment to come and help the team with 100 percent of his capacity.” – Pierre Sage, via the Crystal Palace website
Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Chadi Riad (knee) remain out, while there were no further updates on Quinten Timber (hamstring). Again, though, this was a presser held just after Gameweek 8, with the quotes embargoed until today.
SUNDERLAND
Another EFL Cup press conference delivered just as the dust on Gameweek 8 was settling, and embargoed till today.
Speaking on Sunday, Regis Le Bris was hopeful that Thomas Meunier (hamstring) will be able to make his return from injury against Brentford on Wednesday.
“Probably Thomas will be available coming off the bench, we’ll decide based on training on Monday and Tuesday.” – Regis Le Bris, quoted by the Sunderland Echo
Le Bris added that a late call will also be made on Wilson Isidor (knock).
“For Wilson, we are just on the edge, [so we’ll see].” – Regis Le Bris, quoted by the Sunderland Echo
Kevin Danso also returns after serving a one-match ban in the goalless draw with Leeds United.
Dan Ballard (hamstring) and Romaine Mundle (knee) are out longer term.
FULHAM
Ryan Sessegnon remains suspended but Fulham have no injury concerns, with Alvaro Arbeloa saying “everyone is available”.
Sander Berge was limited to substitute duty at the weekend due to illness but is “feeling better”.
