FPL Gameweek 16 team news and injury updates

Frank Lampard provided some positive comments on Tammy Abraham (knock) in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

The Chelsea striker returned from a hip injury in Gameweek 15, only to pick up what appeared to be a fresh knock and limp from the field of play towards the end of the win over Aston Villa.

Having downplayed concerns after that midweek success, Lampard said today:

Tammy Abraham is good, he hasn’t done much in between games. We’ll make sure of that in the morning but at the moment he’s good.

Asked about Antonio Rudiger (match fitness), Lampard added:

With Toni .. tomorrow comes too soon but he’s had a great week where he’s on the verge.

Lampard was also quizzed about rotation and replied:

I’ll see. It’s obviously on my mind at a busy period of the year but we’ll see.

The Blues are up against Everton this weekend, with the Toffees playing their first match since the departure of Marco Silva.

Interim manager Duncan Ferguson said of his side’s injury situation today:

Seamus [Coleman], no, Delph, no, and the long-term injuries, no. [Yerry Mina] is being assessed, he’s a doubt. But he’s done a wee bit of training this morning so we’re confident.

Like Lampard and many other Premier League bosses this week, Jurgen Klopp was asked about rotation.

The Liverpool boss told reporters:

It’s the time [of year] where you have to make changes, it’s clear. It’s not a specific number, it’s just the need of the situation. And that’s what we will do, 100%.

Yesterday when I went home I had an idea for a line-up and we come in this morning and hear the little things, struggles here, little bit there… no real concerns but enough to think about if we really should do it.

At the mo, no [fresh injuries], looks OK. Nobody is ruled out yet but it’s still three hours until we train, so there’s still a bit of time. At this moment, they all should be fine.

We have to see who we can use, especially in these three days between two games, so Wednesday-Saturday is always a massive challenge. We have to be sensible and sensitive in the same moment with the decision-making about the line-up.

Ahead of the visit of Liverpool, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe said:

Adam Smith will miss out, picked up an ankle injury – don’t know how serious that is at the moment. Josh King will miss out. Steve Cook will miss out, he’s seeing a specialist today. We’ve still got the other guys out.

Pep Guardiola was his usual untalkative self but did confirm that Sergio Aguero (groin) would remain sidelined and that there were no fresh injuries picked up at Turf Moor on Tuesday.

On Oleksandr Zinchenko, Guardiola added:

He’s trained in the last days with all the squad. The physical condition, I don’t know how many minutes he can play but he’s ready.

Across the city, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer raised hopes that Anthony Martial (muscle) could return for the Manchester derby after missing out in midweek.

The Norwegian said:

We hope to have Anthony definitely for part of the game. I’m not sure if he’s able to start.

On Paul Pogba (ankle), Solskjaer added:

Paul probably won’t be, no. [I hope he’ll return] as soon as possible, as quickly as possible. He’s out on the grass training. I said [a comeback] in 2019, so hopefully, we’ll see him before the New Year, definitely.

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Demarai Gray (illness) is fit to face Aston Villa but said there are still doubts around Ben Chilwell (hip).

There are no new injuries to report on the Leicester front, at least.

Dean Smith said of Villa’s current fitness situation:

Anwar El Ghazi should train tomorrow so he’ll make himself available for Leicester game. Other than that, everybody else is fully fit. Keinan [Davis] should be back in the next ten days to two weeks. Jed [Steer] obviously out for a longer period.

Nuno Espirito Santo said of Wolves’ injury latest:

Everybody is OK. We still have the same issues that we have to assess. [Gibbs-White] is closer, it’s a day-by-day process. First, we have to take care of his pain but he is improving and hopefully, he can join us soon.

Graham Potter had little to report on the Brighton injury front, meanwhile.

Nothing much has changed with the fitness situation at Spurs, who confirmed that Ben Davies (ankle), Erik Lamela (hamstring), Hugo Lloris (elbow) and Michel Vorm (calf) all remain out and are continuing rehab.

Sean Dyche said of Burnley’s injury problems, meanwhile:

Barnesy’s still getting on with it but his groin’s been sore. More of an over-use situation, that’s why he didn’t play, we took him out the other night. But he has got a strong chance.

Kevin Long has got a hip injury which you didn’t know about but that’s why he hasn’t been involved. Westy’s got a groin strain still, he’s touch and go, we’ll wait and see on that one. Chaz [Taylor] a hamstring, I doubt it for this weekend.

Johann is making good progress. Bardo didn’t train today but we’ll see how he is tomorrow.

Roy Hodgson brought some good news for Martin Kelly owners, saying of Joel Ward (ankle):

When it happened they [the medical staff] were threatening me with two months, and that was two weeks ago. So there’s plenty of time left in that one if the two-month suggestion or prognosis turns out to be correct.

On Palace’s other injury issues, Hodgson said:

There’s no chance on putting a timescale on Patrick van Aanholt at the moment – it’s far too fresh, the injury. We’ve had it scanned so we do know there’s a hamstring strain there but I don’t have any timescale.

We won’t know until tomorrow [if Cahill and Dann are fit]. It’s only two days after the game but I’m hopeful we’ll recover at least one of the guys who weren’t able to play for us this time. That’s very necessary with Mamadou Sakho being out of the game [suspended].

Interim Watford manager Hayden Mullins is still without Danny Welbeck (hamstring), Craig Dawson (head), Jose Holebas (ankle), Daryl Janmaat (knee) and Sebastien Prödl (knee) for the visit of Crystal Palace but Christian Kabasele (hamstring) and Roberto Pereyra (hamstring) have returned to training.

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed on Friday that Lukasz Fabianski (hip) and Manuel Lanzini (shoulder) will be missing until the end of the month.

Michail Antonio (muscle) continues to be assessed, while Jack Wilshere (abdomen) is back working with the squad.

There have been no fresh updates from Freddie Ljungberg apart from his post-match presser last night, with a medical bulletin from Arsenal not guaranteed to arrive before the FPL deadline given that the Gunners are not in action until Monday.

Chris Wilder revealed that he has a full squad to choose from ahead of the trip to Norwich, whose manager Daniel Farke only has long-term absentees Grant Hanley (groin), Josip Drmic (muscle) and Timm Klose (knee) unavailable to him.

Southampton boss said of Sofiane Boufal (toe) ahead of the trip to Newcastle:

I must tell you that there is still a problem with him, he’s still not training. In the last game he was on the bench and there was no reason to bring him in. I decided to let him out and give him the rest.

Tomorrow he will train for the first time and we must look and see how he is. We must pay attention to it because such an injury can take longer if you are not careful.

The Magpies will assess Allan Saint-Maximin (ankle) and DeAndre Yedlin (hip) ahead of that fixture.

Gameweek 15 – FPL Match Reports

• Crystal Palace 1-0 Bournemouth
• Burnley 1-4 Man City
• Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa
• Leicester 2-0 Watford
• Man Utd 2-1 Spurs
• Southampton 2-1 Norwich
• Wolves 2-0 West Ham
• Liverpool 5-2 Everton
• Sheffield United 0-2 Newcastle
• Arsenal 1-2 Brighton