Ahead of tonight’s Fantasy Premier League deadline, we’ve got injury updates on all 20 top-flight teams in our weekly press conference summary.
For more team news information, check out our Predicted Line-ups page and Injuries and Bans feed.
A video recap with Neale and Andy can be viewed here:
CRYSTAL PALACE V ASTON VILLA
Matty Cash‘s season could be over after he suffered a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Everton, so he will very likely join Trezeguet (knee) on the sidelines for the trip to Crystal Palace as assessment continues.
Dean Smith confirmed that Jack Grealish wouldn’t yet be ready to start at Selhurst Park after a cameo appearance on Thursday but Ollie Watkins is back from suspension.
On Grealish, Smith said:
He won’t be ready to start at Palace. We’ll see how he recovers. It was great to see him out of there against Everton. I’ll sit down with him (today). It’s small steps at the moment. He looks fresh. He just loves playing football. We’ll try and get 90 minutes into him against either Tottenham or Chelsea.
Mamadou Sakho, Nathan Ferguson and Connor Wickham (all match fitness) remain out, while Patrick van Aanholt is a major doubt for because of a “family issue”.
Roy Hodgson was also downbeat on James McArthur‘s (calf) chances of featuring and added that Nathaniel Clyne would have to be assessed after picking up a “24-hour illness”.
James Tomkins may be back involved, at least, having featured for the under-23s at the beginning of this month as he builds up fitness following an eye injury.
BURNLEY V LEEDS UNITED
Sean Dyche confirmed on Thursday that Robbie Brady (Achilles) and Kevin Long (calf) will miss the rest of the season and, with Premier League safety now assured, added that Burnley’s walking wounded – including Nick Pope (shoulder/knee) will have pre-existing issues seen to:
Bardo’s the main one, Popey has had a couple of niggles with his shoulder and knee – we’ll wait and see on him. Robbie Brady and Kevin Long are not going to be right. Dale Stephens has got a situation we’re checking with his ankle.
Helder Costa (back), Adam Forshaw (back) and Joe Gelhardt (unspecified) are Marcelo Bielsa’s only injury concerns for the trip to Burnley, with the Leeds boss confirming that Raphinha, Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips were all fit following substitute appearances last weekend.
As to whether they will start, Bielsa said:
Yes, they are fit. It’s important to consider that to be healthy is the primary condition to opt for a space inside the team. But to be ready sportingly, is not only to be healthy and have a good physical performance but to transform this into a football performance. There’s the difficulty that we need for the practise and to transform onto the field.
It’s not the same for an player who’s been out for an long time. After 10 days, the sporting part, they start to lose it. The one who spends a lot of time out, first they’re healthy and then they get to good, apt physical levels. Then they develop football activities in the training, 11 against 11. Then if they are able to perform with the under-23s they also improve their form, but a game in the Premier League is above all of that. The demand is a lot higher.
The finesse to play in the Premier League, you get that by playing in the Premier League, but also by accumulating games. For a player, apart from being a starter, they have to be a starter but also play well. And for the team you have to measure if the quality of the player who is coming in with respect to the player who is coming out, if it’s fair the difference and the weakness in the sporting form that they have.
EVERTON V SHEFFIELD UNITED
James Rodriguez (calf) has been passed fit ahead of the visit of Sheffield United but Yerry Mina (adductor) will sit this one out and joins Jean-Philippe Gbamin (knee) on the injury list.
Oliver Burke‘s season is over after he suffered a fractured foot, while Ethan Ampadu (pelvis) is “probably out” for the rest of 2020/21 and Sander Berge “won’t be risked” after picking up a niggle.
Oli McBurnie (foot) and Billy Sharp (thigh) remain sidelined.
NEWCASTLE UNITED V MANCHESTER CITY
Kevin De Bruyne (muscle) looks set to miss the trip to Newcastle United after failing to train this week but Pep Guardiola otherwise has a fully-fit squad, with even John Stones available following the completion of his three-match ban.
Guardiola said of De Bruyne:
He’s still injured, he’s getting better. When he will be fit he will be coming to training.
Callum Wilson (hamstring) has joined Jamaal Lascelles (foot), Isaac Hayden (knee), Karl Darlow (knee) and Ryan Fraser (groin) on the injury list, with the Newcastle striker set to be sidelined for up to three weeks and consequently missing the season run-in.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION V LIVERPOOL
Jurgen Klopp said that he wasn’t aware of any fresh fitness concerns heading into the Sunday afternoon clash against West Bromwich Albion but the Reds do have a lengthy pre-existing injury list, with the long-term absentees still sidelined and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (unknown), James Milner (unspecified minor injury), Naby Keita (muscle), Ozan Kabak (muscle) and Ben Davies (muscle) all having missed out in at least one of the Double Gameweek 35 matches.
On Thursday’s on-field dispute with Sadio Mane, Klopp said:
We had so far no real chance to talk about it but we will. There will be nothing left, it will be fine.
Robert Snodgrass (back) and Branislav Ivanovic (hamstring) are the only injuries we know about from West Brom, with team news thin on the ground from Sam Allardyce.
Loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles is available again after missing out in Gameweek 35.
SOUTHAMPTON V FULHAM
Harrison Reed‘s return to fitness is well-timed, as loanee Mario Lemina will be unable to face parent club Southampton this weekend.
Scott Parker said there were “no new injuries” he could think of when grilled on the latest fitness news, with Terence Kongolo (knee) out for the season and Tom Cairney (knee) being continually assessed as he makes his way back from a long-term lay-off.
Ryan Bertrand (calf), Oriol Romeu (ankle) and Will Smallbone (knee) remain out, while Jan Bednarek is a doubt after limping off with an ankle injury in the midweek win over Crystal Palace.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION V WEST HAM UNITED
Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay begin two-match bans, while Graham Potter told reporters that the visit of West Ham would “probably come too soon” for Joel Veltman (calf) and Davy Propper (ankle).
There was better news on Adam Lallana, at least, with the former Liverpool man training fully as of Thursday and available for selection providing he comes through the next 48 hours unscathed.
David Moyes gave yet another ambiguous team news update in Friday’s press conference, saying only that he was hoping to get some of his previously injured players back but that he “wouldn’t want to give anything away”.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Ben Davies (calf) is the only confirmed absentee for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their clash with Wolves, with the left-back set to miss the rest of the season.
Jonny (knee), Pedro Neto (knee) and Raul Jimenez (head) remain on the injury list ahead of Wolves’ trip to Spurs, with Nuno Espirito Santo hinting at more “problems” on the injury front without naming names.
He did at least have the grace to let us know that Willy Boly (long COVID-19) and Marcal (groin) were back in training, although the former is still having “individual issues” and the latter has only just returned from a three-month lay-off.
Owen Otasowie missed out with a knock last weekend, meanwhile, but wasn’t namechecked by his manager on Friday.
3 years, 4 months ago
Which combo?
a) Jota and Bamford
b) Antonio and Foden