FPL Team News and Injury Round-up – Gameweek 38

Friday was a busy day on the team news front as 19 Premier League managers delivered their pre-match press conferences.

Maurizio Sarri held a brief presser after Chelsea’s penalty shootout victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, so we have now heard from all top-flight managers as we finalise our preparations for Gameweek 38.

Our match-by-match summary below details the headline injury updates and manager quotes but there is more information to be found in our Team News tab.

Our YouTube round-up of the Premier League pressers can be viewed via this link or in the embedded video at the bottom of the page.

Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Jurgen Klopp said on Friday that Andrew Robertson (calf) and Jordan Henderson (knee) “should be fine” after they picked up knocks in midweek, while Mohamed Salah (head) is expected to recover after training in the run-up to Sunday’s game.

Klopp said:

The famous three words of this week in the dressing room: ‘It’s only pain.’

Very important for all the young lads to learn, I’ve said that already to the boys. Hendo said, ‘It’s only pain’, Robbo said, ‘It’s only pain’ – but it was real pain, wow!

Unfortunately, Robbo could deal with the pain but only the rest of his body couldn’t because he couldn’t really activate the muscle anymore, some nerve hit or whatever.

They should be fine [for Sunday].

Mo looked good around the celebrations after the game, to be honest! The day before yesterday and yesterday he was running outside and will be part of training today.

There isn’t such good news on Roberto Firmino (muscle), however.

Klopp added:

Bobby not [available] for the weekend, but we have time [before the Champions League final] and that should be enough.

Nuno Espirito Santo didn’t report any fresh injury concerns in his pre-match presser.

Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester City

Fernandinho (knee) won’t recover in time to face Brighton but Kevin De Bruyne (muscle) has returned to training in the last few days and could be involved at the Amex on Sunday.

On De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola said:

He trained the last two days with us, part of the training session. Tomorrow we are going to last train. He could [be involved].

About Fernandinho, the City boss added:

He’s not able. Maybe [for the FA Cup final], we’ll see.

Davy Propper (hamstring) and Jose Izquierdo (knee) will miss the visit of City but Chris Hughton said he otherwise had a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Manchester United v Cardiff City

Eric Bailly (knee) remains on the sidelines and Romelu Lukaku (hamstring) is expected to remain out, while Alexis Sanchez (ankle) is a fresh injury concern after picking up a knock in the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield.

Sergio Romero (knee), Mason Greenwood (unspecified) and Jesse Lingard (knee) have been pictured back in training and could all return to the matchday squad, with Greenwood potentially in line for a start given his manager’s comments today:

We’ve had some young players knocking on the door all season and we’ll start with one or two of the kids.

Antonio Valencia leaves United in the summer and could be involved for the final time on Sunday.

Solskjaer said:

He’s not been fit the five months I’ve been here, unfortunately. He’s really struggled but he feels that he could play a part, yes, and I would hope that he gets through today and tomorrow and we could give him a nice send-off.

Asked about Ander Herrera‘s availability given the speculation surrounding the midfielder’s future, the United boss added:

He might play. I don’t know yet, we haven’t picked the team. He’ll probably announce himself later on where he’s going to continue his football.

Anthony Martial was also listed as a doubt by the United website after missing out last weekend.

Harry Arter (calf) and Victor Camarasa (dead leg) remain major doubts for the trip to Old Trafford.

Neil Warnock said:

Victor [Camarasa], I’m desperately trying to get him fit. It’s a nasty dead leg. I was gutted when he went off last week. He just looked back to himself in that first ten minutes. We thank Harry [Arter] for all of his efforts this season.

Victor, he’s been struggling all week, I can’t see Victor making it. But you just don’t know with Victor. I don’t think Harry has any chance.

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

Mauricio Pochettino is down to the bare bones for Sunday’s match against Everton, with Harry Kane (ankle), Harry Winks (groin) and Jan Vertonghen (ankle) injured and Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth suspended.

Danny Rose (hamstring) and Victor Wanyama (thigh) will be assessed after picking up strains in midweek, while Davinson Sanchez (thigh) is “continuing rehab” and is also set to be unavailable.

Serge Aurier (hamstring) is back in training, at least.

Asked about Vertonghen’s availability for the Champions League final in June, Pochettino said:

We need to assess. I think it is not a big issue because he finished the game but it’s true that now his ankle is swollen. We hope it is not a big problem.

Richarlison (rib) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (knock) are out of Sunday’s clash, while Seamus Coleman (groin) will be assessed.

Marco Silva said:

[Calvert-Lewin] is not able to play the next match. It was a kick in the training session, nothing special.

Let’s see if Coleman also can play or not, he will be a doubt, let’s see if tomorrow will be. Small problem in his groin.

The situation with Richarlison, he came out the last game with a problem in the rib. He will be out the next game, definitely.

Southampton v Huddersfield Town

Maya Yoshida (illness) remains out for Southampton but there was positive news from Ralph Hasenhuttl regarding the Saints’ key FPL assets.

Hasenhuttl said:

We have still one game to go. We will have a few changes and change back to the shape we were playing before, with the players that played before. That means that Angus [Gunn] is playing at the weekend again.

Erik Durm (glute) won’t feature at St. Mary’s while Zanka (illness) hasn’t been able to train properly and Chris Lowe has what his manager described as a “small problem”.

Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

Scott Dann is a fresh injury doubt for Palace this weekend.

Roy Hodgson said on Friday:

We’ll have to assess Scott Dann tomorrow because he left training today feeling a slight strain. That’s the only one that could possibly be added to the ones we’ve had for the last few weeks.

Eddie Howe is without nine players on Sunday and said:

David Brooks will miss out. None of the players that were unavailable last week are back.

Howe also explained why Asmir Begovic won’t be involved this weekend:

We decided to play Mark [Travers], we rested Asmir. He’s been given the final week of the season off to spend some extended time with his family.

Leicester City v Chelsea

Brendan Rodgers didn’t report any fresh fitness concerns in his pre-match press conference on Friday but Daniel Amartey (leg) remains out.

Speaking of Chelsea’s injury situation on Thursday night, Maurizio Sarri said:

We lost [Andreas] Christensen, we lost [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek. We started the match with three injuries, two injuries during the match. Not a serious problem [with Loftus-Cheek], he had the usual cramp after 75 minutes.

For sure it will be very difficult for Sunday but we need to consider that our best match, in my opinion, was against Tottenham, three days after 120 minutes in the cup final against Man City. Now it’s more difficult because we played 61 matches.

We need to rest. Unfortunately, we have to go to the United States to play a [friendly] match and then we have ten days to prepare the match.

It is not easy to recover after a match like this, especially mentally. Physically I think that we can recover, not 100%, but we can recover. Mentally it will be very difficult.

Burnley v Arsenal

Unai Emery didn’t provide any fitness updates in his pre-match press conference but Sead Kolasinac reportedly picked up an injury in the win over Valencia on Thursday and maybe a doubt this weekend. 

We will hopefully be provided with an updated medical bulletin by Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s deadline.

Speaking on Friday, Emery said:

We arrived home at 6am and today we cancelled training because it’s important to rest. Tomorrow we are going to prepare the match for Sunday. I am going to decide with the players who are hungry and in good physical condition to play this match.

Sean Dyche confirmed that Phil Bardsley (gashed leg) is fit to be involved but added that James Tarkowski has missed training sessions this week as his partner has given birth.

Aaron Lennon (knee) is unlikely to feature and Steven Defour (calf) remains out.

Watford v West Ham United

Etienne Capoue (groin) returns for Watford this weekend.

Speaking of the Hornets’ injury situation, Javi Gracia said:

In this moment we have Domingos Quina and Sebastian Prodl injured and the rest of the players are available. We recover Capoue, last week he was injured and he will be available for the next game.

Asked about possible rotation ahead of the FA Cup final, Gracia said:

All my players are ready to play. All the squad and me, as well, are only focused on this game. In this moment, we prepare as best as possible the next game and after we have enough time to prepare the final, as well.

Sometimes you think it is better to rest some players and after it is not the best decision. I prefer to take decisions thinking only of the next game. The next game is important.

The players can be injured in a training session out of the ground, you never know. It is better to keep the same attitude and try to win the next game.

Felipe Anderson and Declan Rice have recovered from illness while Robert Snodgrass is available again after serving a one-match ban last weekend.

Andy Carroll (ankle), Andriy Yarmolenko (Achilles) and Winston Reid (knee) remain out.

Fulham v Newcastle United

Injury updates were thin on the ground in Scott Parker’s press conference on Friday, with talk dominated of his permanent appointment as manager.

Denis Odoi (concussion) could be back in contention on Sunday, however.

Ki Sung-yueng (knee) is the latest addition to Newcastle’s injury list.