Team News

FPL Gameweek 21 team news and injury updates

There were only six stand-alone Premier League press conferences held in the run-up to Gameweek 21, leaving us in the dark for many clubs ahead of the New Year’s Day deadline.

Pep Guardiola was one of the three managers to hold a media gathering today, with the City boss confirming that David Silva (knock) and John Stones (hamstring) are “back” for the visit of Everton.

Asked about Aymeric Laporte (knee), Guardiola added:

He’s getting better, he’s training alone but already on the pitch. It’s the last part, I think in one week, maybe ten days, he can start to train with us.

The City head coach also had his say on the risk of picking injuries up over the festive period, saying:

We think about that, we have five games in 12 days. Quite similar for the other teams but in this period, to have one or two more days to recover, it is a lot.

We play 80 minutes with ten against 11, a difficult test against Wolves. After less than two days, we come back and play again. It’s a risk but you have to take it.

Carlo Ancelotti brought us up to speed on the Toffees’ fitness situation, saying today:

The injured players are the same, they are almost close to recovery. Schneiderlin has started to train with the team today, I think he will be available for the game on Saturday.

The others we didn’t have problems in these two days, that was good. Andre Gomes and Gbamin need time to recover but everything is going well for them.

Elsewhere, Chris Wilder confirmed that John Lundstram (ankle) will take part in a full training session on Tuesday and will be assessed after it.

The Sheffield United boss said ahead of the trip to Anfield:

Everybody has come through [the Man City game] well, health-wise, so we’ve got a full quota to pick and choose from.

Sitting in for Nigel Pearson yesterday, Craig Shakspeare said of Watford’s walking wounded:

We’re still waiting on five or six players, either with illness or knocks. We’ll have a clearer idea tomorrow but we’re hoping that all of them make it.

[Hughes and Cathcart] are part of that five or six so they’ll be assessed again tomorrow. As players they’ll want to be fit for the Wolves game so we’re going to give them every opportunity to try and make it.

Graham Potter confirmed that Brighton have no new injury problems in his press conference on Monday.

Solly March (groin) has trained but the match against Chelsea will come too soon, while Jose Izquierdo (knee) remains unavailable despite making good progress.

David Moyes’ first West Ham press conference (in his second stint, anyway) was predictably thin on injury updates, with all the talk about his reappointment.

Asked about if he could have much impact in the Bournemouth game:

I have to say it is not easy. I have taken training this morning. But really, I cannot have a massive influence on what I have got [for GW21]. For me, it was about trying to pick up as much as I can from the people around.

I am coming here initially to try and get us wins and away from the wrong end of the table but the bigger picture is to have a strong team, a really good footballing team, attacking team and all those things I have to bring to the table.

As for the other 14 teams in the division, we will have to make do with any late-arriving quotes from embargoed sections of press conferences held after the weekend’s games.

The problem with that, of course, is that the information can quickly become outdated.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for instance, was positive about Paul Pogba‘s chances of featuring against Arsenal when asked after the Burnley game but the Frenchman reportedly hasn’t travelled to London with the rest of the Manchester United squad.

There were some heartening comments from Brendan Rodgers after the win over West Ham, with the Leicester City boss saying of Jamie Vardy:

His wife went into hospital on Friday and gave birth on Saturday morning. He wouldn’t have played on Saturday anyway, he’d have been on the bench, but we let him stay at home to look after his wife and kids and he’ll be back for Newcastle.

Asked about Ricardo Pereira (hamstring), Rodgers replied:

He should be fine for Newcastle. He just felt it a bit tight, so I didn’t bother taking him [to West Ham]. I gave him a rest at home. He’ll be back in [on Monday] and fine.

The other issue with two or three-day-old comments is that there hasn’t been much thought put into the next game, with managers interviewed soon after full-time – the embargoed section of Nuno Espirito Santo and Roy Hodgson’s pressers, which were masquerading as Gameweek 21 previews, offered precious little in the way of useful information to Fantasy managers.

Injuries need time to settle and be assessed, too, so even if Eddie Howe was the type of manager to offer us clear-cut fitness updates (he isn’t), then the hamstring strains picked up by Josh King and Jack Stacey can’t have been properly appraised.

Keep checking in with our Twitter timeline and the Team News tab throughout the evening as we bring you up to speed on anything else we’ve heard, as some quotes won’t be released until later tonight.


371 Comments Post a Comment
  1. coriswrasse
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Happy last day of the decade folks.
    Start Grealish or Cantwell. Villa are terrible but Cantwell not very enticing either.

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      I’m starting Grealish

    2. Ser Davos
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Sometimes you pick a player purely for "coverage" of a team, sometimes you pick a player on pure individual brilliance alone, in spite of all the other factors going against him. Grealish is obviously the latter and you're not picking him for anything other he can single handedly produce from nowhere, anywhere. I doubt Villa would have even got promoted without him.

    3. RoryzonderR
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      I have both and will sell Grealish, bench Cantwell

    4. wulfrunian
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Cantwell

  2. zotter
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Do we think Klopp will play strong v Everton ?! If not then salah mane c becomes very viable

    1. Alberto Tomba
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      No chance, he has a plethora of experienced players who know that match will be a battle and high injury risk game. I expect lots of rotation

      1. zotter
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        So salah mane should both start v sheff U?

      2. zotter
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Something like ... Adrian. Trent. Milner. Hoever. Vvd. Lallana. Gini. Keita. Shaqiri. Elliott. Origi. ?

        1. Alberto Tomba
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Impossible to guess really isn't it. I think the 'Predicted Line-ups' tab here will have the team v Sheffield pretty accurate. Especially as we struggled away against them earlier in the season.

  3. Alberto Tomba
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    No love in the scoutpicks or watchlist for Deeney, who's three decent fixtures in a team with a new manager and for whom he's returned in the form that suggests he's been hungry to get back in front of goal.

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Totally agree with this

  4. sthelenslad92
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    How safe is Gomez? Thinking about doubling up on liverpool defence.

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      I wouldn’t double with him. Worth the extra for vvd for security and much more goal threat.

    2. Alberto Tomba
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      If Matip was cleared fit tomorrow, Matip would still be first pick. I'm on WC and had thought of taking the risk as Gomez has a few more weeks to establish himself, but really even if continues to play well he'll be the one facing rotation risk of the back four.

    3. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Safe enough, then simple switch to Matip

    4. Halftime
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      I gong with him, although there might be a chance of him starting one of Liv's DGW's and Matip the other.

  5. Boss Hogg
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Who scores more this gw...?

    a. Zaha
    b. Traoré

    ???

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      50:50

  6. Alisson WondHaaland
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Evening gents.

    What to do with this?

    Foster
    Soy Aurier Kelly
    Mane Martial Alli Trossard
    Rashford Kane(C) Vardy

    Button Cantwell Rico Lundy

    2FT, 1.3 ITB

    My thinking is to gradually drop Spurs and United assets, bring in City players for the next few weeks and then triple up on Liverpool on GW 24

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Start with Alli Trossard to Kdb Traore?

      1. Alisson WondHaaland
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Not looking to get either of those in. No point when Im chasing

  7. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Out tonight so need to set team now 🙂 gtg?

    Hendo
    TAA Perreira Aurier
    Alli KDB Mane Martial
    Vardy Ings Maupay
    (Martin, Cantwell, Rico, Lund)

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Transfer out hendo ?

      1. Tsparkes10
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Nah, he's staying

    2. JT11fc
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Looks good

  8. milanista10
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Which one to start:
    A) Dunk
    B) Targett
    C) Lundstram

    Would you transfer Mount to Traore for free?

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      A easy

      Yeah I would

  9. sthelenslad92
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Start 1 of:
    Aurier (heard he might be rested)
    Rico
    Kelly

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Aurier. Surely won’t cameo

  10. zotter
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Predictions

    Brighton v Chelsea. 1-2
    Burnley v Villa. 1-0
    Newcastle v Leicester. 0-3
    Saints v Spurs. 2-3
    Watford v Wolves. 1-1
    City v Everton 2-2
    Norwich v Palace. 1-2
    West Ham v Bournemouth 0-2
    Arsenal v united. 1-3
    Liverpool v Sheff U. 2-0

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Brighton v Chelsea. 2-2
      Burnley v Villa. 2-1
      Newcastle v Leicester. 1-2
      Saints v Spurs. 1-2
      Watford v Wolves. 0-0
      City v Everton 3-1
      Norwich v Palace. 0-3
      West Ham v Bournemouth 1-2
      Arsenal v united. 2-2
      Liverpool v Sheff U. 1-0

    2. JT11fc
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Brighton v Chelsea. 1-3
      Burnley v Villa. 2-0
      Newcastle v Leicester. 0-3
      Saints v Spurs. 2-2
      Watford v Wolves. 1-1
      City v Everton 1-2
      Norwich v Palace. 1-1
      West Ham v Bournemouth 2-0
      Arsenal v united. 1-3
      Liverpool v Sheff U. 2-0

  11. Joyce1998
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    on wc

    team A
    pope, button
    taa, gomez, soy, lund, kiko
    mane, grealish, rich, kdb, traore
    vardy, rashfrod, greenwood

    or
    team B
    pope, button
    taa, gomez, soy, lund, kiko
    mane, maddy, kdb, traore, oriol
    vardy, rashford, ings

    1. Joyce1998
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      baso grealish and rich vs maddy and ings

    2. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Prefer B

  12. Eleven Hag
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Brighton v Chelsea. 1-3
    Burnley v Villa. 2-0
    Newcastle v Leicester. 0-3
    Saints v Spurs. 1-2
    Watford v Wolves. 1-1
    City v Everton 2-1
    Norwich v Palace. 0-1
    West Ham v Bournemouth 0-0
    Arsenal v united. 1-1
    Liverpool v Sheff U. 2-0

  13. Alberto Tomba
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Still no Willian on the watchlist.
    CHO, Mount and Pulisic as flash in pans have made it this season, but for mr consistent who's now 8th in the rankings having missed a large part of the early games, there's not enough love.

  14. JT11fc
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Which combo for the long run?

    A. Kun Traore Mooy

    B. Maupay Sterling Dendo

    C. KDB is enough, go double pool attack

    D. Spend money else where
    4.m itb
    Pope
    Trent Gomez Kelly
    Mane KDB Moura Rich
    Vardy Ings Maupay

    Button Grealish Lundy Manquillo

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      B

      1. JT11fc
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Thanks

  15. Totti
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    For a hit

    A) alli -> martial
    B) aguero -> rashford
    C) play aguero and alli

    1. Sailboats
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      c

    2. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      C