Petr Cech is sidelined for up to four weeks with a calf complaint ahead of the north London derby. Dele Alli could be in line to return to the Spurs XI, with Mousa Dembele set to be assessed. Southampton have concerns up front for the visit of Sunderland, whilst West Brom’s Chris Brunt is ruled out for six months with knee ligament damage.
Petr Cech has been ruled out for “three-to-four weeks” with a calf complaint sustained in midweek, Arsene Wenger confirmed earlier this morning. The Gunners boss admitted that Laurent Koscielny will miss the upcoming matches against Spurs and Hull with “a small injury”.
Mauricio Pochettino revealed that both Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele will be assessed ahead of the north London derby. The Spurs boss is hopeful that the Belgian will be involved after missing out against West Ham in midweek, whilst he also reckons that Alli stands a good chance of starting after the youngster was utilised as a sub on Wednesday night due to an ankle problem.
Lee Cattermole has been ruled out of Sunderland’s trip to St Mary’s with the concussion that forced him off against Palace on Tuesday. Jeremain Lens remains sidelined with a hernia problem, though Big Sam is hopeful that John O’Shea could recover from a calf complaint in time. The Black Cats boss admitted that he’s managing Jan Kirchhoff’s fitness after replacing the new boy in midweek due to fatigue, though the former Bayern man is expected to be available for tomorrow.
Norwich midfielder Alex Tettey is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. Gary O’Neil and Robbie Brady are both available after recovering from a midweek collision that left the latter with a cut head and Brady needing a visit to the dentist after losing two teeth. Steven Naismith is back after overcoming a knock, whilst Andre Wisdom will return to training next week.
Bryan Oviedo is a doubt for Everton’s clash with West Ham after being forced off with a knock in midweek. Roberto Martinez has also revealed that Leighton Baines is set to see a specialist as he is still being hampered by the ankle problem that saw him miss much of the season – the left-back is expected to be available for the weekend, though. Mo Besic and Darron Gibson are likely to be available, whilst Tom Cleverley will continue to be monitored after missing out against Villa due to illness.
Charlie Austin is set to be sidelined for three-to-four weeks with the hamstring injury sustained at Bournemouth. The Saints are also without Shane Long for the visit of Sunderland, though the striker is expected to be available for the following weekend’s clash against Stoke. Victor Wanyama serves the fourth of a five-match suspension this weekend.
Ryan Shawcross is again expected to miss out for Stoke this weekend. Mark Hughes revealed that his skipper is seeing a specialist in Germany and, should he skip the trip to Chelsea, is optimistic that the defender could be back for Gameweek 30. Phil Bardsley has been ruled out with a calf complaint, whilst Geoff Cameron is “really sore” after returning to action from an ankle problem over the last week.
Harry Arter and Josh King are both “very doubtful” for Bournemouth’s trip to Newcastle, according to Eddie Howe. The duo were forced off with injuries in midweek and will be subject to late assessments.
West Brom were dealt a blow yesterday after Chris Brunt was ruled out of action for up to six months with knee ligament damage.
All this and more has now been updated in the Team News section ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. Keep an eye on our official Twitter Stream for breaking news – as the day unfolds, we will issue updates from Friday’s press conferences and refresh our Team News tab accordingly to keep you informed.
