The pre-match press conferences have started ahead of Gameweek 10 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
We’ll be covering all of the key manager quotes from these pressers over the next two days, starting with this round-up of Thursday’s injury news.
Five managers will be facing reporters this afternoon, with Erik ten Hag fulfilling his media duties after Manchester United’s UEFA Europa League tie tonight – although the ‘Gameweek 10’ part of that press conference will be embargoed until the following day.
We had been due to hear from Antonio Conte on Thursday, too, but that will no longer be the case after it was announced that Tottenham Hotspur’s fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone had passed away. It remains to be seen if Conte’s media commitments are to be rescheduled ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
The other 13 bosses look set to hold pressers on Friday, meanwhile.
KEY UPDATES
- Aston Villa: Both left-backs out, Cash fit, Bailey a doubt
- Leicester City: Ndidi injured
- Southampton: Minor illness + injury issues
- Brentford: Jansson out
- Bournemouth: Kelly still sidelined
ASTON VILLA
Steven Gerrard confirms that Ludwig Augustinsson (hamstring) will be out for around three weeks, joining fellow left-back Lucas Digne (heel) on the sidelines.
Matty Cash (hamstring) is available and Calum Chambers (appendix) has a “decent chance” of being involved against Nottingham Forest but Leon Bailey (muscle) is a doubt.
Diego Carlos (Achilles) and Boubacar Kamara (knee) are long-term absentees.
“Matty Cash is back in full training and he’s available for Nottingham Forest. Calum Chambers has done half of the session today and he’ll continue to pick training up from now until Monday. He’s got a decent chance to be involved.
“Ludwig Augustinsson will be out for around three weeks – he’s got a hamstring injury on the back of the Leeds game. We’ve also got Leon Bailey, who has got a small muscle issue. He’s a doubt for the weekend but he’s not totally ruled out.
“In terms of Lucas Digne, it’s a complicated one that’s going to rumble on for a few more weeks before we can assess it. I’ll have some news on Digne in a couple of weeks, but he won’t be available for Forest.” – Steven Gerrard
LEICESTER CITY
Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Wilfred Ndidi will be out for a few weeks with a minor hamstring strain.
Papy Mendy also has an issue with his knee and will struggle to be fit for this weekend’s trip to Bournemouth.
“In terms of the squad, Wilfred Ndidi will probably be out for a little bit. He came back from international duty with a hamstring strain. He recovered well but he felt it at half-time in the game and he was a little sore, so he might miss a few weeks.
“Papy Mendy has an issue with his knee so may struggle for the weekend but everyone else should be fine. It was just a clash of knees in training. The doctor and medical team said this morning it’ll be highly unlikely for him to be involved at the weekend but hopefully, he’ll be back after that.” – Brendan Rodgers
SOUTHAMPTON
Ralph Hasenhuttl is hopeful of having Juan Larios and Adam Armstrong available for the trip to Manchester City after the pair picked up minor injuries, while a couple of players affected by illness should also be fine.
Tino Livramento (knee) is out until 2023 and Romeo Lavia (muscle) is still a few weeks away from a return
“The team news, as I said, we’ve had a few players that have not trained the whole week. We had some issues with Arma and Juan with small injuries but they should be available for the weekend.
“One or two players have been out with a little bit of illness but they have also been back on the pitch today so the group, so far, is together like it was.” – Ralph Hasenhuttl
BRENTFORD
Thomas Frank has ruled Pontus Jansson out of Brentford’s match against Newcastle with a hamstring injury.
Sergi Canos is fit enough to return to the squad after struggling with a hamstring issue of his own, while Ethan Pinnock is available but lacking in match sharpness.
Christian Norgaard (Achilles) and Keane Lewis-Potter (foot) remain unavailable: the former is aiming to return before November, while the latter is already back running but not yet training with the first team.
BOURNEMOUTH
Gary O’Neil says Joe Rothwell (thigh), Ben Pearson (knee) and Ryan Fredericks (unspecified) have all “trained well” ahead of the visit of Leicester City on Saturday.
Lloyd Kelly (ankle) remains sidelined, while Junior Stanislas (muscle) also looks set to miss out.
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