Team News

Latest News: Kieran Tierney (muscle) is scheduled for a scan on Friday to determine the extent of a muscle injury. Arsenal may provide a medical bulletin on the left-back and others, though it could arrive post-deadline considering the Gunners do not play until Monday. While Mikel Arteta was happy with his side’s defensive performance in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, the manager admitted his side “lacked some quality and end product in the final third” and could rush Tierney back accordingly, although Bukayo Saka is capable of filling in there, as he did late-on against Crystal Palace. Gabriel Martinelli (ankle) is one potential option to disrupt the now-regular front four of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette. On Tuesday, Arsenal reported that they hoped Martinelli could return to full training “in the next few days”. Eddie Nketiah replaced Lacazette late on Thursday and will be eager for minutes. The forward’s last start came in Gameweek 14. Willian offers a further option in the attacking positions, along with Pepe. Thomas Partey also emerged from the bench against Palace, making his injury comeback in the 70th minute. The Ghanaian will threaten the starts of central midfield pair Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos. Gabriel was also back in the Gunners’ matchday squad for Blank Gameweek 18 following a period of self-isolation, while Pablo Mari (calf) missed out completely and could miss several matches. Rob Holding looks about as nailed as it gets having started 11 of the last 12 Premier League games so if Gabriel is to come back in, his compatriot seems the most likely to make way.

Latest News: Having been isolating for the past week due to COVID-19, team news from Dean Smith and Aston Villa has been hard to come by, especially as their pre-Gameweek 19 press conference takes place after the Saturday deadline. Luckily, December’s Manager of the Month usually names a settled side, having made very few changes throughout the season. Before their COVID enforced disruption, Ross Barkley was rumoured to be nearing full fitness after suffering a hamstring injury in their defeat against Brighton in November. Should Barkley return to the side, it will leave Smith with a difficult decision to make, with Anwar El Ghazi scoring four goals in five games since earning his place. With Smith offering out Keinan Davis on loan, Ollie Watkins looks certain to retain his place up front, with Grealish and Bertrand Traore likely to play in behind the frontman. Douglas Luiz and John McGinn are a constant presence in the centre of Villa’s midfield, with the pair only missing one game between them. With all of their first team defenders available, Smith is expected to name the same backline that suffered a narrow defeat to Manchester United, with the impressive Emiliano Martinez continuing in goal.

Latest News: Brighton will visit Leeds on Saturday afternoon without Tariq Lamptey (hamstring), Danny Welbeck (knee), Adam Lallana (groin), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (unknown), Aaron Connolly (groin) while Steven Alzate (unknown) failed to return to action in Wednesday's defeat at Manchester City. Jakub Moder (lack of match fitness) is not in contention for the trip to Elland Road either after only joining training this week after returning from loan at Lech Poznan. The growing injury list does help the Brighton team largely pick itself, especially on the back of an encouraging display at the Etihad Stadium midweek. Absences in central midfield should pull Ben White forward once again and force Graham Potter into using Dan Burn, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman as a back-four, while Solly March might be more appropriately used in a wing-back system - although he is capable in midfield. Percy Tau was paired up-front with Leandro Trossard and Alexis Mac Allister operated as a number 10. Neal Maupay might fancy his chances of getting back into the side due to the quick turnaround between recent matches.

Latest News: Sean Dyche described Charlie Taylor (hamstring) as both a "doubt" and a "maybe" ahead of Burnley's trip to West Ham on Saturday. Judging the Clarets' manager on his previous treatment of such players it seems unlikely the left-back will return to starting action at the London Stadium, especially with Erik Pieters deputising in each of the last three Premier League matches. Burnley have considerably fewer injury concerns in other areas after Ashley Westwood and Josh Brownhill both came through 90 minutes against Manchester United and Dwight McNeil featured as a 65th-minute replacement for Robbie Brady. All three of those key midfielders are likely to start at West Ham, allowing Dyche to give Brady a rest, given his history with muscle problems. Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra are also back, acting as competition for Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood but Dyche has preferred the latter pairing for much of his recent time at Turf Moor.

Latest News: In his Thursday press conference, Frank Lampard revealed his Chelsea squad was "all good" on the injury front ahead of Saturday's trip to Fulham. That means Reece James and Andreas Christensen are available for selection again although only the former stands any real chance of breaking into the back-four. Cesar Azpilicueta has stood in for James in each of Chelsea's last three in all competitions so will certainly be fresher, although the 21-year-old has been Lampard's preferred option when fit this season. There is, once again, fierce competition for places on the flanks of Chelsea's front-three as Hakim Ziyech returned from his latest setback with a 64 and 68-minute outings against Manchester City and Morecambe respectively in the first two weeks of January. However, Callum Hudson-Odoi has been making quite the claim on the right-wing berth having scored or assisted as a substitute in two of Chelsea's last three league matches. Christian Pulisic is more established on the left-hand side in the last two matches. Timo Werner is his main competition but the German international played a greater portion of the FA Cup win while Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud did not feature until the second half. N'Golo Kanté's suspension largely helps the central midfield trio pick itself as Mateo Kovacic was an unused substitute while Kai Havertz played 90 minutes against Morecambe.

Latest News: Long-term absentees Martin Kelly (calf), Nathan Ferguson (thigh), Connor Wickham (muscle) and Wayne Hennessey (muscle) remain out, while Mamadou Sakho (thigh) and Jeffrey Schlupp (hamstring) are recent additions to the physio room. The latter is out for a significant length of time, which should help Eberechi Eze retain his hold on the left-midfield position, where he showed more encouraging signs against Arsenal. Scott Dann was back on the bench following a hamstring injury on Thursday night while Gary Cahill was also among the substitutions as he continues to build-up match fitness after missing much of the Christmas period with similar muscle problems. Their present situation and back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season are strong cause to hand James Tomkins and Cheikhou Kouyaté a fourth successive start as the centre-back pairing, while Tyrick Mitchell has now kept Patrick van Aanholt out of the left-back berth for each of the last three Premier League matches. Christian Benteke continues to be Roy Hodgson's preferred partner for Wilfried Zaha, starting every league game since Gameweek 15, keeping Jordan Ayew and Michy Batshuayi in the process.

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Latest News: Aleksandar Mitrovic (muscle) is a "possible" to face Chelsea on Saturday following a light training session on Thursday. The Serbian striker did manage a solid 90-minute outing at QPR before sitting out the Spurs' game to recover from the muscle problem he sustained in the FA Cup. If he were to feature, there is a chance that Mitrovic would be paired with Ivan Cavaleiro up-front, considering Scott Parker has favoured a 3-5-2 formation in each of Fulham's last three matches in all competitions. However, he could find himself a little short on central midfield options considering Tom Cairney (knee) and Mario Lemina (unknown) received less than positive updates in Parker's Thursday press conference and Ruben Loftus-Cheek is ineligible to face his parent club. That might make a 3-4-3, with Ademola Lookman, fresh from a midweek rest, and Cavaleiro either side of Mitrovic a more likely prospect. In light of those aforementioned absences, Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa and Harrison will be first in line to staff central midfield while Antonee Robinson has started at left wing-back in each of the last two league games, either side of Joe Bryan deputising in the FA Cup. The opposite wing-back role is not quite as tied down with Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Kenny Tete each having played their of late. The latter has now started both of Fulham's last two after returning from injury and amid Parker's claims his squad was tired so, having featured as a substitute at QPR, and finding the net, De Cordova-Reid looks the more likely starter against Chelsea.

Latest News: Leeds will have the freedom to select Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente when they host Brighton, which could have an impact on where some of their key defensive assets are stationed on Saturday afternoon. In theory, Marcelo Bielsa could put them both in at centre-back and return Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas to their right-back and left-back roles respectively - a switch that would likely see Ezgjan Alioski miss out on an 11th successive Premier League start. However, Ayling has impressed after tucking in at central defence and would afford Bielsa more consistency with recent performances if paired with Cooper than if both centre-halves were changed. Bielsa's main headache will be choosing a replacement for Kalvin Phillips, who misses Saturday's encounter with a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards. Mateusz Klich is capable of filling in for the England international, in theory, although he did not impressive in that role when deputising there in the 4-1 defeat to Leicester. His box-to-box energy could be put to better use in his traditional central midfield station and the fact he is one yellow card away from suspension could be another reason for Bielsa to keep Klich away from the hustle and bustle of a deeper role. Pascal Struijk has not been without problems in defensive midfield this season but might be more suited to the crunch of the position than other alternatives. Jack Harrison and Raphinha have become mainstays on the flanks, starting together in every Premier League match since Gameweek 9. 45 minutes at centre-forward against Crawley seems unlikely to stop Rodrigo moving back to central midfield alongside Klich, especially considering veteran operator Pablo Hernández featured for a full 90-minute outing in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon. Patrick Bamford was given the afternoon off and should return to lead the line against Brighton.

Latest News: Jamie Vardy and James Maddison will be available for Leicester's meeting with Southampton on Saturday evening after respective rests during an FA Cup win at Stoke helped them receive treatment for some "ongoing problems". There is the possibility for further reinforcements elsewhere as Ricardo Pereira (groin) and Cengiz Ünder (ankle) "should" be ready for the weekend according to Brendan Rodgers although neither seems likely to start considering the lengths of their respective lay-offs. Timothy Castagne and James Justin should go untroubled for the full-back berths against Southampton while Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana have been the centre-back pairing in three of the last four league matches. Çaglar Söyüncü has been used sparingly as he continues to ramp up to full-speed incrementally, so a three-man defence seems unlikely, especially considering Rodgers has used 4-2-3-1 in each of Leicester's last four in the league. Dennis Praet (hamstring) is out for "up to three months" as of the last update so the consistent pairing of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi looks set for another outing this weekend, especially with talk of Hamza Choudhury going out on loan. Harvey Barnes and Marc Albrighton are the favourites to flank James Maddison in attacking midfield but Ayoze Pérez is a viable alternative, more so than Demarai Gray who has just 18 minutes of Premier League action under his belt this season.

Latest News: Jurgen Klopp faces selection headaches in key central areas ahead of Sunday's hosting of Manchester United. Naby Keita (muscle) was ruled out of the clash to allow an ongoing problem to "settle properly" while Jordan Henderson may have to fill in at centre-back given the most recent update on Joel Matip (muscle). The Liverpool manager revealed the centre-back was "close" to a return but did not feel comfortable declaring him ready given that there were still two training sessions to complete as of Friday lunch-time. Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have both had stints alongside Fabinho in the heart of defence but neither are blessed with the sort of pace required to keep up with a rapid Manchester United front-line. Klopp's recent praise for Henderson providing speed at the back could tip the balance of his tough decision, especially as he has Wijnaldum, Thiago and Milner at his disposal in the middle of the park. With no further injuries to worry about, the key Fantasy assets of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold all look set to start one of Liverpool's most important Premier League matches of the campaign so far.

Latest News: Manchester City will be without Aymeric Laporte (hamstring) and Nathan Aké (unknown) when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday evening, boosting the chances that Rúben Dias and John Stones get a fifth successive Premier League start together. Eric Garcia is back after a period of self-isolation but has made only three league appearances in 2020/21. Following a midweek rest, Kyle Walker looks likely to return at right-back which would shunt João Cancelo to the left flank of defence. There was no suggestion from Pep Guardiola's Friday press conference that Kevin De Bruyne was struggling with his consistent starts despite claims he was too tired to take the penalty against Brighton. Meanwhile, the form of Phil Foden is making him hard to hand a rest too, with two goals and an assist in the last two matches. Raheem Sterling's midweek rest should see him return on the right-hand side of the front-three, especially given Guardiola's strong backing of the player in his pre-match media briefing. Gabriel Jesus has been used sparingly recently, even in Sergio Aguero's absence. Foden, Riyad Mahrez, De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are the four most-recent players given the chance to occupy the centre-forward role but against the organised two banks of four Roy Hodgson is likely to deploy on Sunday, Jesus might be more suited to the job than any of Guardiola's midfield options.

Latest News: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is giving every chance for his squad to recover from the knocks sustained against Burnley as they prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield. Anthony Martial (muscle) and Nemanja Matic (muscle) are the only two that we know about and there could be others but, given the importance of this weekend's fierce rivalry clash, it seems likely that Solskjaer will push his best players to be ready. Edinson Cavani's work rate and ability to win the ball back in advanced positions is sure to be useful if Martial is not fit in time while Paul Pogba's return to action at Burnley should see him get another go at the left-wing position. If Solskjaer persists with using the Frenchman there, Marcus Rashford would be afforded the right-wing role again, although it has produced mixed results from the England international of late. Against Liverpool's competent midfield and the pace of their attackers in transition, Fred and Scott McTominay are the most likely central midfield pairing. Eric Bailly should start alongside Harry Maguire in defence after Victor Lindelöf (back) suffered a reaction to his return to training ahead of the Burnley game, which he missed.

Latest News: Following Steve Bruce’s forthright comments on Newcastle’s performance in their 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United, we could see a more attacking outset against Arsenal. The Toon will definitely be without Ryan Fraser, who is serving a one-match ban after being sent off against the Blades. Their skipper Jamal Lascelles is due to return to the side after suffering from the after-effects of COVID, especially as Bruce revealed they had a problem with centre-half Federico Fernandez. However, the Arsenal game could come a bit too soon for Alan Saint-Maximin, who Bruce said had only just returned to training after missing seven weeks from COVID. Summer signing Jamal Lewis could also return to the side, with his replacement Paul Dummett limping off the pitch in the Sheffield United game. Even with Martin Dubravka breathing down his neck, Karl Darlow is expected to keep his place in goal after a string of excellent performances. Callum Wilson, who has cut an isolated figure in his last few games, could be partnered up front by an in-form Andy Carroll, who Bruce has said is giving him a decision to make.

Latest News: Chris Wilder provided another rather unhelpful injury update on Friday, revealing that he "thought" he had seven players for the visit of Spurs, but did not provide any names. Oli McBurnie (knock) is making progress in his recovery but the Sheffield United manager explained that his progress had to be reviewed "day-by-day" which is why he remains a doubt. Provided his injury list allows it, Wilder is likely to stick with a winning team for the first time this season. The versatile Ethan Ampadu has quickly established himself as a competent member of the back-three while Ben Osborn and Jayden Bogle have featured in the absence of Enda Stevens and George Baldock. The latter pair could come in for any of those three players, the full-backs more likely to step aside than Ampadu based on recent form. John Fleck, Oliver Norwood and John Lundstram are the three central midfielders that helped build from the back last season so, provided they remain fit, they should start against Spurs. David McGoldrick is the only centre-forward who can pretend to be a regular starter for Sheffield United with Rhian Brewster, Lys Mousset and Oliver Burke all competing for the chance to pair with the former Ipswich Town striker on Sunday.

Latest News: In his Thursday press briefing, Ralph Hasenhüttl said "it looks like" Danny Ings (illness) will miss Southampton's trip to Leicester having tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) 10 days hence. He explained that he was unsure whether or not the player could return to training on Friday so it seems that even if he tests negative in time to make that session, he could miss out on lack of match fitness instead. With Michael Obafemi (muscle) recently undergoing surgery, and Dan N'Lundulu yet to start a Premier League game this season, Shane Long should find himself paired with Ché Adams who, according to Hasenhüttl, is available again following his head injury. Also re-entering the fray is goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who missed the Liverpool game to self-isolate but Hasenhüttl has confirmed he is available once again. Theo Walcott and Stuart Armstrong are in line to reprise their roles on the flanks considering the long-term injuries Nathan Redmond (muscle) and Moussa Djenepo (muscle) are currently plagued with and recently reported muscle problems for Nathan Tella. The same goes for Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek, who have started the last three Premier League matches together as Jannik Vestergaard deals with a knee issue.

Latest News: Giovani Lo Celso (muscle) is the only injury absentee for Spurs as they travel to Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon, which should see Gareth Bale and Steven Bergwijn able to provide some more cut and thrust in attack. Neither was able to play a part in the disappointing draw against Fulham with the Welsh international still building up match fitness following a stuttered start to life back in north London while Bergwijn missed the last two in all competitions through illness. Moussa Sissoko was afforded a winger's role against but is likely to make way for one of either Bale or Bergwijn at Bramall Lane. Toby Alderweireld will fancy his chances of coming back into the side for Davinson Sánchez alongside Eric Dier while Sergio Reguilón and Serge Aurier might make way for replacements in the full-back areas. We have seen Jose Mourinho opt for Ben Davies and Matt Doherty in matches against sides with taller threats at set pieces, while the pair might find themselves less exposed to Sheffield United's own marauding wing-backs in their 3-5-2 system.

Latest News: Predicting West Brom’s team for their next game is tricky, with new boss Sam Allardyce already lining up his side in four different formations since arriving. But with the side shipping goals and first-team forward Karlan Grant out injured, we expect Big Sam to set his team up to be tough to break down. One of the few bright sparks of their season, Conor Gallagher, will miss their game against Wolves due to suspension but it could be the perfect game to introduce new signing Robert Snodgrass, who Allardyce said he hoped would bring Premier League experience to the side. As the Baggies' only fit striker, with Charlie Austin joining QPR on loan, Callum Robinson is likely to be ploughing a lonely furrow up front. Sam Johnstone, arguably West Brom’s player of the season so far, will keep his place in goal. Defenders Semi Ajayi and Darnell Furlong have started all but one game for the Baggies. Conor Townsend is believed to be nearing a return in defence after suffering a knee injury in their last victor over Sheffield United. Grady Diangana could lose his place in the side after being hooked off at half time by Allardyce in the humiliating 4-0 defeat by Arsenal.

Latest News: Fabian Balbuena is currently self-isolating which should see the in-form Craig Dawson partner Angelo Ogbonna in West Ham's back-four for the visit of Burnley. Issa Diop was not referenced in Friday's press conference, in which David Moyes described Balbuena and Lukasz Fabianski as his only immediate injury concerns outside long-term absentee Arthur Masuaku. That suggests he is available following a period of self-isolation although his absence from training probably counts against his chances of starting. The goalkeeper position is certainly up in the air considering that Moyes "does not know" whether or not Fabianski will overcome his thigh problem. The former Arsenal man will be assessed but Darren Randolph is fully capable of stepping in if need be. Michail Antonio looks set to lead the West Ham line considering Sebastien Haller has been sold to Ajax while Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen should flank Said Benrahma in attacking midfield.

Latest News: Pedro Neto (knock) is being assessed ahead of Wolves' derby meeting with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday lunch-time while Marçal (groin), Jonny (knee), Daniel Podence (calf) and Raúl Jiménez (head) remain absent. Nuno Espirito Santo was pleased to reveal in his Friday press conference that Willy Boly (hamstring) and Adama Traoré (muscle) returned to training this week and that he would "see how they are for tomorrow". He also mentioned a need for the team to get back to their "foundation" of clean sheets after recent poor defensive displays. It seems as if he may ditch recent experiments with 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 to return to 3-4-3, especially with Boly on the cusp of a return, although Max Kilman could fill in should the Frenchman not win his fitness race.