Team News

Latest News: Alexandre Lacazette (ankle) has been ruled out until October, while Kieran Tierney (groin) and Hector Bellerin (knee) will feature for the under-23s on Friday night and look unlikely to be involved against Aston Villa on Sunday. Unai Emery made seven changes to his starting XI on Thursday for the Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt, with only David Luiz, Sead Kolasinac, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang keeping their places. Kolasinac will be monitored after picking up a minor injury in that game but Emery said after full-time that he "thinks he's fine", so there may not be any need for a defensive reshuffle. Rob Holding is back in the first-team picture but a first start since 2018 would seem a big ask and the centre-half may instead get a run-out against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup on Tuesday as he builds up match-fitness. After struggling against Watford in a 4-4-2 diamond, Emery switched back to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 in Germany on Thursday and may be tempted to keep a smilar shape for the visit of Dean Smith's side. Reiss Nelson is a possibility on the left flank in this system, with Nicolas Pepe a natural fit on the opposite wing. Mesut Ozil and Dani Ceballos might be competing for one spot in this formation but Emery has previously highlighted Ceballos' ability as a "number eight", so the on-loan Spain international may potentially line up further back in central midfield. One of Ceballos or Ozil could be the sacrificial lamb if their manager again opts for Matteo Guendouzi alongside Xhaka but all four of those players could start if the diamond system is retained, with Nelson omitted.

Latest News: James Chester (match fitness) and Jonathan Kodjia (cheekbone) remain out but Trezeguet returns from suspension and looks likely to be brought back into the starting XI. The Egypt international is capable of playing on either flank and who he replaces is up for debate, given that Jota and Anwar El Ghazi have both flattered to deceive in recent weeks. Jota's lack of pace may see him axed given that Villa will have to play on the counter-attack at the Emirates and, while El Ghazi hardly staked a convincing claim on Monday evening, Jota has been substituted after an hour of Villa's last two league meetings having failed to impress. A Dean Smith reshuffle could see neither winger play, of course, but that would perhaps necessitate Jack Grealish moving over to the left - something Smith hasn't done before - to accommodate another central midfielder in the form of Douglas Luiz, Conor Hourihane or Henri Lansbury. Marvelous Nakamba made his first league start of the season against West Ham United on Monday and, being more of an enforcer than Luiz and Hourihane, may well continue at the base of the Villa midfield given that Smith's side are away at Arsenal on Sunday. Frederic Guilbert has started the last three matches at right-back but Ahmed El Mohamady is always an option in that position and Smith indeed preferred the Egypt international when Villa last visited north London in Gameweek 1. El Mohamady could, in theory, even be played further forward on the right of midfield to give the attack-minded Guilbert more protection. Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels seem fairly settled at centre-half, however, so Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause may have to again watch on from the sidelines. Matt Targett (hamstring) is back in contention to feature although hasn't played a minute of Premier League football this season and struggled in the EFL Cup second round, so Neil Taylor should continue at left-back for now.

Latest News:

Latest News: Jose Izquierdo (knee), Ezequiel Schelotto (knee), Leandro Trossard (groin), Leon Balogun (muscle) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh (unspecified) remain sidelined for the trip to Newcastle, while Bernardo (knock) only has an "outside chance" of featuring according to manager Graham Potter. Martin Montoya has recovered from the illness that forced him to miss the draw with Burnley, however, so may well return at right wing-back having previously been an ever-present under his new manager. Solly March switched flanks to start in that position against the Clarets so might move back over to the left on Tyneside, allowing Dan Burn to drop back to centre-half. Burn could stay in a more advanced role if Potter decides to use March in the front three at the expense of Glenn Murray or Pascal Gross, however. Should Burn return to centre-back, then it could be Shane Duffy - who perhaps isn't as comfortable on the ball as his manager would like - who drops out of the starting XI, as happened away at Manchester City. Yves Bissouma may well get his first start of the season in the Carabao Cup in midweek and looks more likely to be among the substitutes here, along with Aaron Mooy and youngsters Aaron Connolly and Steven Alzate.

Latest News:

Latest News: Frank Lampard will make a late check on Mason Mount (ankle) after the midfielder picked up an injury in midweek, with the positive news at least being that there is no ligament damage to his joint. Lampard said that Mount has "got a chance" and that the Blues would "have every opportunity to try to get him there" but the player's ankle was still swollen as of Friday and the Chelsea boss said that the club "won't take any risks with him". Lampard has plenty of options if Mount fails to recover, with Pedro, Ross Barkley and Christian Pulisic hoping for a recall - it was Pedro, indeed, who the Chelsea head coach turned to when Mount limped from the pitch against Valencia on Tuesday. N'Golo Kante (ankle) is back in training but Lampard was similarly cautious about the Frenchman's chances of featuring, highlighting the former Leicester player's lack of a pre-season and that there was a "bigger picture" to think about. Should Kante not be ready to play, then Lampard may continue with the 3-4-2-1 that he has used in both of Chelsea's recent games. Lampard cited Wolves’ use of a 3-5-2 as one of his reasons for the system change last Saturday, although played the same formation against Valencia on Tuesday and had also mentioned that three centre-halves gives his team “a bit more security on face value” – so Kurt Zouma could continue alongside Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori, with Antonio Rudiger's (groin) fitness uncertain. There was frustratingly no update on Rudiger and Emerson Palmieri (hamstring) in Friday's presser but Emerson was pictured back in training this week and could well oust Marcos Alonso at left-back/wing-back, given that he was Lampard's first-choice option before getting injured. Tammy Abraham will surely continue up front, meanwhile, given his rich vein of form in front of goal. Reece James (ankle) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (Achilles) are set to feature for the under-23s again before being considered for selection, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Achilles) remains out.

Latest News: Connor Wickham (unspecified) is Roy Hodgson's only confirmed injury-related absentee for the visit of Wolves, meaning that James McArthur, Martin Kelly and Cheikhou Kouyate have all recovered from their various problems. McArthur may very well return to the starting XI, allowing Jeffrey Schlupp to move to the left wing at the expense of Andros Townsend. Hodgson has a decision to make at centre-half following the 4-0 mauling at Spurs, with Mamadou Sakho looking particularly suspect at the back. James Tomkins hasn't played a minute of football this season after recovering from a groin injury so a start may be a big ask of him but Kelly could feasibly be recalled at centre-half if the Palace boss wants to take Sakho out of the firing line. James McCarthy, Victor Camarasa and Max Meyer are alternatives in central midfield but all failed to start even when McArthur was out last weekend, so may have to be content with a place on the bench on Sunday. Christian Benteke looks likely to be among the substitutes, too, with Jordan Ayew having scored twice in his last three run-outs up front.

Latest News:

Latest News:

Latest News: Alisson (calf) remains out but Naby Keita (muscle) has returned to full training on Friday after recovering from injury. A start for Keita after a month on the sidelines and a day or two of training seems a tall order, though, while Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match press conference that Divock Origi (ankle) is "unlikely" to feature. The Reds have had five days to recover from their exertions in Napoli and there wouldn't appear to be many rotation concerns, particularly given the calibre of Sunday's opponents. Joe Gomez is an option at centre-half and right-back but Klopp has stuck with the same back four for the last five games in all competitions and Gomez may instead come into the reckoning in the EFL Cup tie against MK Dons next week. Liverpool's first-choice front three, barring any late injuries, look shoo-ins to start at Stamford Bridge, leaving Klopp with the usual dilemma of which central midfield three to select. Georginio Wijnaldum was handed a rest in Naples and should return to the starting XI at the expense of James Milner, with Jordan Henderson and the in-form Fabinho - often favoured in matches of this magnitude - the likeliest candidates to join him. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another option in the middle of the park but hasn't started a league game against a 'big six' side since March 2018 (mostly because of injury, admittedly) and was hauled off at half-time of the Super Cup tie against Chelsea last month, so may be on the bench alongside the likes of Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri for this one.

Latest News:

Latest News: Anthony Martial (thigh) and Paul Pogba (ankle) look set to be unavailable for the trip to West Ham, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying on Thursday that the pair hadn't even been in full training yet. Luke Shaw (hamstring) and long-term absentee Eric Bailly (knee) are also out, while Daniel James (knock) is a doubt after missing out against Astana on Thursday. Solskjaer said after that Europa League tie that James hadn't trained in the preceding few days but "hopefully" would be fine for the trip to West Ham, with a decision to be made on his involvement on Saturday. The Norwegian made nine changes for the win over the Kazakh side - only Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic keeping their places - so the bulk of the players rested for that match will return in east London. Should James miss out, then Mason Greenwood could well enter the equation after his match-winning goal against Astana. Solskjaer said that "consistency is key" in football but that Greenwood, Fred and Axel Tuanzebe are "knocking on the door" for inclusion after their recent performances. Greenwood, then, could be first in line to deputise if James is unavailable, with Rashford perhaps moving to the left flank to allow the 17-year-old striker the opportunity to lead the line - as happened in the second half against Astana. Jesse Lingard is another option across the forward line after returning from illness as a substitute on Thursday, so will also be poised for a recall should James be sidelined. Andreas Pereira, who has started the last two on the right flank, is an option to move over to the opposite wing if Lingard is brought in on the right. With Shaw injured, the back four - all of whom were handed a breather on Thursday - effectively picks itself.

Latest News: Sean Longstaff (ankle) remains out but Allan Saint-Maximin (hamstring) and Andy Carroll (match fitness) are in contention to return, with Steve Bruce saying on Friday that both would be involved if they come through a final training session. Carroll will almost certainly be a substitute, while Bruce will be wary of rushing Saint-Maximin straight back into the team after he aggravated his hamstring in the win over Spurs so the Magpies could be unchanged for the visit of Brighton. Ki Sung-yueng and Matthew Longstaff are alternatives to Jonjo Shelvey in midfield but there wouldn't appear to be many other serious selection decisions to make, with Fabian Schar having recovered from a knock. Javier Manquillo, Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez are the back-up defensive options, while Yoshinori Muto will likely be alongside Carroll on the bench. Florian Lejeune (knee), DeAndre Yedlin (groin) and Dwight Gayle (calf) are longer-term absentees but Matt Ritchie (ankle) is getting closer to fitness.

Latest News:

Latest News:

Latest News:

Latest News:

Latest News:

Latest News: Michail Antonio (hamstring) and Winston Reid (knee) remain sidelined for the visit of Manchester United but Reid is set to return to training next week and will feature for the under-23s as he gradually works his way back up to fitness. Manuel Pellegrini has named the same team for three league games in a row but will be forced into at least one change this weekend, with Arthur Masuaku suspended - Pellegrini all but confirming in Friday's presser that Aaron Cresswell will deputise at left-back. Manuel Lanzini is a fresh doubt, meanwhile, with the Hammers' head coach saying that the Argentina international had "a problem" that needed to be assessed ahead of Sunday's game. Pablo Fornals would appear the natural replacement should Lanzini miss out, with Jack Wilshere not having played a minute in the league since Gameweek 2. Robert Snodgrass is another alternative, of course, either centrally or out on the right flank in place of Andriy Yarmolenko, who perhaps didn't have his best game at Villa Park on Monday night. Albian Ajeti will warm the bench again, with Fabian Balbuena and Pablo Zabaleta set to do likewise after back-to-back clean sheets for the Hammers.

Latest News: The stability we took for granted at Wolves in 2018/19 has given way to uncertainty this season, with the West Midlands club's involvement in the Europa League leading to regular rotation in the Premier League. Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota should both return to the starting XI for Sunday's match at Crystal Palace after featuring only as substitutes in the defeat to Braga on Thursday but there would be understandable concern elsewhere in the team, given Nuno Espirito Santo's tinkering of recent weeks. Ruben Vinagre and Adama Traore are rested options at wing-back, with Jesus Vallejo and Romain Saiss alternatives at centre-half, but given the desperate defensive performance against Chelsea last weekend when all bar Vinagre of that quartet started, Santo may be tempted to stick with the familiar back five of last season as he attempts to arrest Wolves' worrying form. Whether Matt Doherty's fitness allows him to start two games in three days is another question, however, and Adama - who has impressed going forward from wing-back in recent weeks - could be given the nod in his stead. Saiss and Morgan Gibbs-White are options in central midfield if Santo deems Ruben Neves in need of a rest after back-to-back 90-minute run-outs, while Leander Dendoncker continues to struggle for form and could be at risk of a benching too. Patrick Cutrone lasted the full game against Braga on Thursday so may be back among the substitutes at Selhurst Park, while fringe players such as Pedro Neto may get a chance to impress against Reading in the EFL Cup next week.