Predicted line-ups and confirmed Premier League team news: FPL Gameweek 34

Latest News: William Saliba (back) remains out, and while Mikel Arteta gave the impression that Ben White (groin) was fit ("they're all good") in Friday's presser, Thomas Tuchel later said that White was unavailable for a call-up to the England squad due to injury. Meanwhile, Arteta also seemed to give a vague green light regarding Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquera (muscle) and Jurrien Timber, who all missed the midweek win over Ipswich Town. Arteta had previously said that Timber's omission was merely game-time management after his comeback from injury in Gameweek 4, while the Arsenal boss hinted at "fatigue [and] some little issues" for some others when asked about Hincapie's no-show. Plenty of uncertainty at right-back, then, and it could even be Martin Zubimendi moonlighting in that position after he did so on Tuesday. Arteta rested his first-team XI for the EFL Cup tie at Ipswich, with Myles Lewis-Skelly the only one to get significant minutes. A full-game run-out may be an indication that he’s going to drop out of the side in Gameweek 5, then, with Bruno Guimaraes taking his place. Bruno replaced Lewis-Skelly at half-time at Sunderland last Saturday and was at the heart of Arsenal’s two goals on Wearside. The Brazilian midfielder did start the match at Ipswich, but he was the first man replaced, which is maybe another pointer towards this weekend’s selection at the Amex.

Latest News: Joao Gomes (calf) seems to have made a swift recovery to rejoin Aston Villa’s squad, having missed the midweek EFL Cup tie. Matty Cash completed his own return from injury as an unused substitute in that match, with Unai Emery set to make final checks on both players later today. Marco Bizot, who sustained a back injury on Wednesday, joins Pau Torres (hamstring), Modou Keba Cisse (unspecified), Ian Maatsen (ankle), Amadou Onana (knee), Leon Goretzka (knee) and Brian Madjo (unknown) on the sidelines. Benched in midweek, Zion Suzuki and Boubacar Kamara will almost certainly return here, as well as Victor Lindelof, who will likely resume his partnership alongside Tyrone Mings. Tyler Harwood-Bellis, who impressed at Coventry, is an alternative to Lindelof. Cash for Aaron Wan-Bissaka is one of the likelier alterations at right-back, provided he is fully fit. If Joao Gomes misses out again, Ross Barkley will continue to deputise in the pivot. Further forward, Ibrahim Mbaye looked lively on his full debut in midweek, so he is a potential starter over Emiliano Buendia or George Hemmings. In that scenario, John McGinn would retain the ’10’ role. Alejandro Garnacho continues to be overlooked, while Johan Manzambi probably won’t threaten the starting XI until after the international break. Up top, Tammy Abraham scored twice against Coventry, but it’d be a major surprise if he holds onto his starting position ahead of Nicolas Jackson.

Latest News: Amine Adli (calf), Eli Kroupi (foot), Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) and Julian Araujo (thigh) are on the medium-term injury list, but we're in the dark over fresh fitness concerns as Marco Rose opted to film his Gameweek 5 presser *before* Thursday's win in Spain! Rose went with an unchanged side in Europe on Thursday but can the Cherries boss do likewise with the short turnaround to Liverpool? In his pre-match presser, Rose did say that his players "can handle the load... at the beginning [of the season]", while he was at least able to take off the likes of Tyler Adams, Rayan, Evanilson and Adam Smith relatively early in Sociedad. Ryan Christie, David Brooks, Ben Gannon-Doak, Lewis Cook and Alvaro Rodriguez are all relatively fresh alternatives, if needed.

Latest News: Nathan Collins (calf), Mathias Jensen (unknown), Kaye Furo (knee), Sepp van den Berg (groin) and Josh Dasilva (hamstring) look set to remain out for the Bees. Antoni Milambo (knee), meanwhile, will feature for the B team over the coming weeks as he builds fitness following a year out. Keith Andrews said there were no known new concerns in Thursday's presser. Most of last weekend's starting XI had managed game-time in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, with Kristoffer Ajer's 90 minutes largely due to necessity thanks to an absence of other centre-halves. Keane Lewis-Potter did get the full-game run-out, however. The full-back positions are the most volatile at present, with Michael Kayode - slightly out of form this season - and El Hadji Malick Diouf - still integrating after his recent arrival - the alternatives in those positions. Lewis-Potter being versatile enough to play further forward could open up a spot for one of those two; the Bees' utility man could even be preferred to Jaidon Anthony and Dango Ouattara, with neither winger staking a convincing claim this season. With free-scoring Chelsea in town, Keith Andrews might stick with Yehor Yarmoliuk over Mikkel Damsgaard, even if it comes at the cost of engine-room creativity.

Latest News: New boy Femi Azeez (hamstring) hasn't recovered, so his Brighton debut will have to wait till after the September internationals. Mats Wieffer (knee), Jack Hinshelwood (unspecified), Yankuba Minteh (leg), Evan Ferguson (ankle), Kaoru Mitoma (hamstring), Stefanos Tzimas (knee) and Zadok Yohanna (unspecified) remain out, too. In better news, Jaouen Hadjam is "able to play" after taking a knock in midweek, Luka Vuskovic is fine after suffering from cramp in the 3-2 win over Manchester United, and Lewis Dunk is available after being rested for that cup tie at Old Trafford. In a further boost, Georginio Rutter made his comeback from injury as a substitute in the Carabao Cup third round. After rests and managed minutes for the regulars in the cup, you'd imagine that we're going to see a very similar, possibly identical, line-up to the one that thrashed Coventry last weekend. Rutter may not be ready for a start yet after just eight minutes in Manchester, and Charalampos Kostoulas is in great form up top in any case.

Latest News: Xabi Alonso was of little use in Thursday's presser, refusing to rule anyone in or out of Friday's clash at Brentford, or even clarify the nature of some injuries. Joao Pedro is surely a big concern, however, after pulling out of the Brazil squad with a reported knee injury. Reece James, too, was overlooked by England boss Thomas Tuchel on fitness grounds. James, Pedro and Moises Caicedo (calf) had not been spotted by the Sky cameras who were present at the training ground on Tuesday, although Alonso did say the Ecuadorian midfielder was getting "closer" to a return. Two Blues who were sighted were Marco Palestra (unspecified) and Jordan Henderson (wrist), who have both missed the start of 2026/27. Predictably, Alonso wouldn't confirm whether they'd feature at the Gtech, but a place on the bench potentially beckons for the pair. It'll be two from three of Valentin Barco, Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto in midfield if Henderson, Caicedo and James miss out or are deemed unfit to start, while Danny Welbeck is in pole position to lead the line if Pedro is absent. In unenforced alterations, Maxence Lacroix surely returns after a surprise Gameweek 4 breather, while Pep Chavarria could well come in at left wing-back (if it is a wing-back system) after Jorell Hato's horror show against Hull. Josh Acheampong is an alternative in a very unstable backline.

Latest News: Aurele Amenda (calf) looks set to miss out, having picked up a muscle injury in the midweek cup tie with Aston Villa, while Haji Wright (quad), Luke Woolfenden (knee), Josh Eccles (calf) and Kaine Kesler-Hayden (hamstring) remain sidelined. Taiwo Awoniyi also serves game two of a three-match domestic ban. Stephen Mfuni, who debuted in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and can play at left-back or centre-half, may come in for Amenda, with Frank Lampard calling Wednesday's display "fantastic". Lampard could alternatively switch to a 4-2-3-1, as he did in midweek, bringing in an extra attacking midfielder. As for who gets the nod in place of Awoniyi, it sounds like it may be Ellis Simms rather than Sidiki Cherif, with Lampard repeatedly expressing reservations over the latter's fitness. Victor Torp and Caleb Yirenkyi both furthered their cases for inclusion in midfield against the Villans, but Lampard was effusive in his praise of Matt Grimes in Thursday's presser, so Frank Onyeka's spot may be the only one up for grabs.

Latest News: Dean Henderson (ankle), Chadi Riad (knee) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (hamstring) remain out for the Eagles, while Axel Disasi starts a three-game ban. Ismaïla Sarr (groin) returned to the Palace squad in midweek as a substitute and while Pierre Sage said he's "maybe" ready to start, the Senegalese winger looked rusty against Lech Poznan and the Eagles boss admitted that he was not ready to last 90 minutes. Sage went strong with his starting XI for the Europa League match but he was able to take Quinten Timber and Anan Khalaili off after an hour, with Jorgen Strand Larsen, Chris Richards and Daichi Kamada following suit after 74 minutes. Dwight McNeil, Sarr, Eddie Nketiah, Darío Osorio and Zavier Gozo are all rested alternatives in the front three, if needed, with Ben Chilwell and Oscar Mingueza fresh options at wing-back. Really, though, it's at centre-half where the main headscratchers are, with Disasi suspended, Jaydee Canvot omitted in Gameweek 4 for tactical reasons (but returning as a sub in midweek) and Leeds set to offer a physical aerial threat. Could the likes of Jefferson Lerma be a savvy horses-for-courses selection at the rear?

Latest News: David Moyes expects Harrison Armstrong to be available after the midfielder missed the midweek cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers with a minor issue. Merlin Rohl is still sidelined with an unspecified injury, however, and Christian Nørgaard (groin) remains out until after the September break. Assuming Armstrong is fit, probably the only question mark this week is who starts out wide. Brennan Johnson has flattered to deceive on the right, while Jack Grealish still awaits his first league start since January. Grealish did make the line-up in the EFL Cup in midweek, but can the long-time absentee start twice in less than 72 hours? It could be, then, that Wednesday's man of the match, Tyler Dibling, gets a rare Premier League outing, having earned his manager's praise for his off-the-ball work in midweek. Hayden Hackney will be on standby if Armstrong misses out.

Latest News: Kenny Tete (head) will miss out as he observes the concussion protocol, while Tom Cairney (knee) is also still on the sidelines. Ryan Sessegnon (groin) could return, however, and will be assessed in training today. Alvaro Arbeloa rotated most of the Gameweek 4 starters for Tuesday's cup tie with West Ham United, with only the full-backs, Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson, keeping their places - and even that was out of necessity, with Tete and Sessegnon out. Most of those who impressed at Liverpool will be back for the visit of Manchester United, then, but Cesar Palacios really caught the eye in the cup and will be pushing for a recall, something that might entail the versatile Alex Iwobi moving elsewhere (eg the right wing?).

Latest News: Nobel Mendy (concussion) will miss the trip to Newcastle United after sustaining a head injury last weekend, while Jack Butland (shoulder), Ilyas Ansah (back), Hidemasa Morita (adductor) and Charlie Hughes (groin) remain out. So too do Darko Gyabi (thigh) and Elliot Matazo (knee) but those two, along with Óscar Zambrano, aren’t in the 25-man Premier League squad anyway. Matt Targett (ankle) is now an additional concern, not that he would have started against his former employers. Ten Hull players have started every league game this season but Sergej Jakirovic will be forced to replace one of those ever-presents with Mendy out, so Lucas Herrington will be poised to come in. The only position Jakirovic has changed in 2026/27 is the central midfield slot alongside Regan Slater. Morita and Lucas Gourna-Douath have had their shots and Tim Iroegbunam awaits his but Matt Crooks, who began the season in the engine room before picking up an injury, returned to reclaim the spot in Gameweek 4. Sorba Thomas for Elliot Stroud is one of the likelier changes to this in-form Hull line-up in the coming weeks but Jakirovic may be reluctant to tinker too much with an unbeaten formula.

Latest News: Emersonn is fine after coming off with a tight quad last Saturday, so Jack Taylor (knee) is the Tractor Boys' only confirmed absentee this weekend. There's a good chance we'll see the same team that Gary O'Neil sent out last weekend, 10 of whom were rested in the EFL Cup in midweek. Jacob Greaves was the exception. O'Neil signposted who he'll start up top and on the left, the two positions that are most up for grabs. Emersonn likely retains his place after the Ipswich boss said that Zian Flemming "still has a bit to do... on the understanding of the [centre-forward] role", while O'Neil was effusive in his praise of Jack Clarke, who ousted Daizen Maeden from the side in Gameweek 4.

Latest News: Harry Wilson (quad) has joined Joe Rodon (hamstring) and forgotten man Mateo Joseph (knee) on the sidelines for this weekend's game. Daniel Farke has named the same team in the last two Gameweeks and, after the pasting of Newcastle United on Monday, it's likely going to remain unchanged again. The likes of Sean Longstaff, Brenden Aaronson, Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol will be poised for more bench duty, then.

Latest News: The Reds have no fresh concerns for the weekend, while Joe Gomez (muscle) came through his first post-injury run-out, a 45-minute outing in the Carabao Cup, unscathed. That leaves only Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Federico Chiesa (muscle) on the sidelines. This might be Andoni Iraola's first chance to start Cody Gakpo and Bradley Barcola together in a Premier League starting XI, as the former is now over the injury issues that affected him going into Gameweek 4. Barcola is another week fitter, too, having arrived on Merseyside with a lack of pre-season training and minutes under his belt. Barcola, Alisson, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet and Dominik Szoboszlai all either had the night off in Tuesday's EFL Cup tie or were limited to second-half cameos, so you'd expect them to return against Bournemouth. It's doubtful whether there'll be wholesale changes from the Spurs match, however, with midweek starters Alexis Mac Allister and Milos Kerkez - both benched in Gameweek 4, presumably for fitness reasons - two names who we'd expect to see retain their places. The Tuesday-Sunday turnaround certainly helps with that. As for Ronald Araujo, we're assuming he'll revert to right-back duties after deputising at centre-half in the cup.

Latest News: Enzo Maresca won't face the media until much later on Friday, when he will hopefully bring us an update on Jeremy Doku (calf). Maresca said earlier in the week that the Belgian winger was "quite close". There is one City player who will definitely miss out: Phil Foden serves game two of a three-match domestic ban. Maresca sent out some strong signals by handing complete midweek rests to those we expect to start against Sunderland, and 90 minutes to those who potentially could have threatened the line-up (Ayyoub Bouaddi, Nico O'Reilly, Abdudokir Khusanov). Iliman Ndiaye was among those who didn't set foot onto the field against Norwich City on Thursday, suggesting he's going to come in for Foden this weekend. Rayan Cherki did start in the mostly second-strong XI against the Canaries but was withdrawn at half-time after scoring in the first half, suggesting he'll retain the '10' role against the Black Cats.

Latest News: Amad Diallo (unspecified), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Matthijs de Ligt (back) and Tom Heaton (hamstring) are still out but Michael Carrick said there was "a kind of a chance" that Luke Shaw (unspecified) and Carlos Baleba (ankle) could feature against Fulham on Sunday. Carrick did admit, however, that he was "not totally 100%" yet on either player. Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu are options at left-back if Shaw does miss out, while Baleba almost certainly won't trouble the starting XI anyway, even if he does make the matchday squad. There are a few question marks further forward, particularly after Marcus Rashford wasn't given an EFL Cup rest like the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo were. Could Dorgu, who was omitted on Wednesday, come back in further up the left flank? Benjamin Sesko would ordinarily be an option up top, of course, but United are handling him carefully after injury and two starts in four days is likely beyond him. There is an outside chance that Shea Lacey gets a look-in on the right, with Mbeumo up top and Cunha on the left, after the youngster impressed against Brighton in the cup.

Latest News: Newcastle are struggling for bodies as Nico Gonzalez (head), Jacob Ramsey (thigh), Amar Dedic (hamstring) and Anthony Elanga (unknown) all picked up injuries during, or unexpectedly missed, Monday’s defeat at Elland Road. All four look set to sit out Gameweek 5, along with Joelinton (unspecified), Dan Burn (ankle), Ewen Jaouen (ankle) and Will Osula (foot). Tino Livramento is the obvious deputy for Dedic, so long as he himself is fully fit. Lewis Miley is another option at right-back, of course, but he's likely going to be needed in a youthful midfield alongside Sean Steur. Aladji Bamba, yet to start a competitive game for the Magpies, is another alternative in the engine room. Matthias Jaissle hinted that Jacob Murphy (rather than a redeployed Harvey Barnes) would continue to deputise for Elanga, meanwhile, so Bazoumana Toure will be poised to warm the bench again. Matias Fernandez-Pardo was handed a surprise start at Elland Road in a baptism of fire, so you wonder whether Joe Willock will return to the fray against Hull, potentially to give a bit more help to the rookies behind him.

Latest News: Nicolo Savona (knee) and Nikola Milenkovic (hamstring) remain out but Jair Cunha (hamstring) has returned to training - albeit only in a "light session" on Thursday - and could feature, with assessment to follow before Saturday’s game. Jair’s possible recovery means a headache at centre-half, with Ola Aina and Ousmane Diomande performing well there last Saturday, but you wonder whether Oliver Glasner will merely stick with a winning set-up and not risk Jair after few training sessions. Aina also possibly offers a bit more on the ball from right centre-back, too, and Forest will likely enjoy plenty of possession at home to struggling Coventry. Further forward, Igor Jesus is pushing Dan Ndoye hard for a start in the front three.

Latest News: Romaine Mundle (knee) and Habib Diarra (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, while Reinildo serves a one-match ban after his dismissal for two bookable offences in Gameweek 4. We've not heard anything new yet on Omar Alderete, who appeared to limp off on Wednesday. Dayann Methalie for Reinildo is an obvious swap at left-back, although the versatile Trai Hume can do a job on his less favoured flank and you wonder whether Regis Le Bris will side with experience rather than throwing Methalie in away at the Etihad. Thomas Meunier, Bryan Brobbey, Dan Ballard and Nilson Angulo all had breathers in Wednesday's Europa League win over Alkmaar and should return, while you'd expect Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Enzo Le Fee to go again despite racking up 90 minutes in midweek. This being a Wednesday-Sunday turnaround, rather than the usual Thursday-Sunday, should help with that.

Latest News: Pedro Porro (muscle) and Sandro Tonali (knock) return after missing out on the midweek EFL Cup action, while the fit-again James Maddison is also fine after two substitute appearances in the last week. Destiny Udogie (muscle) made his return on Wednesday night, too. That leaves only Mykhailo Mudryk (ankle), Xavi Simons (knee), Wilson Odobert (knee) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) on the sidelines this weekend. Archie Gray and Andrew Robertson will drop out from the Gameweek 4 XI if Porro and Udogie are deemed fit to start, while it sounds like it's still a battle between Mateus Fernandes and Conor Gallagher for the number 10 slot, as Roberto De Zerbi effectively said Maddison wasn't ready to start yet and that Mohammed Kudus "is not used to playing" in the hole. Two starts in quick succession may be beyond Kudus anyway. Savio, Dominic Solanke, Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven all had midweek breathers, while Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur shared game-time in midfield.