FPL Team News + Predicted Line-ups

Latest News: Mikel Arteta says he has no fresh injury concerns, suggesting - surprise, surprise - that Bukayo Saka is okay after he hobbled out of the north London derby. Kai Havertz (muscle) is expected to train on Saturday but Arteta was less committal with Ben White (niggle), saying only: "Let's see". Max Dowman (ankle) will play for Arsenal under-21s on Friday after his return to training, with Mikel Merino (foot) out for the longer term. Arsenal have had a week between matches, which is a rare occurrence these days, so there are fewer concerns about minute management - not that you'd expect Arteta to go anything other than full strength against a team like Chelsea. Two of the players who haven't been nailed regulars this season, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie, played big parts in the win over Spurs and earned praise from their manager on Friday, suggesting they will again get the nod in their respective positions. Arteta did say that Eze could be used on the left to allow Martin Odegaard a return in midfield, so that is one possibility against the Blues.

Latest News: Unai Emery has confirmed that Alysson is back in training, so the young winger could be in the squad for Friday's trip to Molineux. Boubacar Kamara (knee), Youri Tielemans (ankle) and John McGinn (knee) remain out, however, while reports suggest Andres Garcia has suffered a fresh hamstring injury. This has not been confirmed by the club yet. It's possible that Unai Emery brings in Pau Torres at centre-half to help with the build-up but the defence is the least of Villa's problems right now (Emery declared himself "so happy" with the rearguard effort on Friday), and Tyrone Mings may be a better match for Tolu Arokodare anyway. Rather, it's further forward where Villa's issues lie at present. Jadon Sancho for Leon Bailey is one of the likelier changes out wide, while we may even see Ross Barkley brought in - potentially at the expense of Emi Buendia - after his bright cameo against Leeds last weekend. The big selection debate is up top. Ollie Watkins has been below par of late, while Tammy Abraham netted in both the FA Cup fourth round and off the bench in Gameweek 27. It still wouldn't be a huge shock to see Watkins continue, given Emery's love of his wider game.

Latest News: Andoni Iraola says that midfielder Lewis Cook's hamstring injury is likely to keep him out until after the March international break. Justin Kluivert (knee), Julio Soler (hamstring) and Ben Gannon-Doak (hamstring) remain out for the Cherries, too, but there are no other known concerns. Iraola will very likely rotate in Gameweek 29, which follows a few days after the visit of Sunderland, but the question is whether he'll make any changes before then when the Black Cats come to town. David Brooks for Amine Adli is one very plausible alteration, while Marcus Tavernier is also now an option after his return from injury. He has only had 10 minutes in the last month, however, so you wonder whether he'll get another cameo on Saturday before coming into starting XI contention in midweek. The betting money would be on Eli Kroupi dropping out in one of the next two games, with Tavernier or Ryan Christie replacing him, but a home game against the low block of travel-sick Sunderland is surely the type of fixture in which Iraola would contemplate going with 'two nines'. Tyler Adams may also get his minutes managed over the next two Gameweeks, given that he himself is only just back from a medium-term lay-off.

Latest News: Michael Kayode sat out the defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion with a “knock” but has since returned to training. He'll be assessed before the Burnley game, with Keith Andrews expecting him to be "in and around it". Fellow right-back Aaron Hickey, who limped out of the Brighton match, is a bigger doubt, with Andrews saying he's "not entirely sure he's going to be ready". Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are likely out for the rest of the season with knee injuries but another long-term absentee, Josh Dasilva (knee), is back in training, albeit with a playing comeback likely further down the track. If Kayode doesn't quite recover, then Kristoffer Ajer probably moves to right-back and Nathan Collins comes in at centre-half. Yehor Yarmoliuk came off the bench at the interval last weekend and may return to the engine room after a disappointing team display against Brighton, which may also be the excuse Andrews needs to reinstate Kevin Schade to the side - although it should be pointed out that Keane Lewis-Potter's back spasm partly influenced his half-time withdrawal. Andrews started with both Mikkel Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen - a rare occurrence - in the reverse fixture of this match, so it's possible that both creative midfielders are reunited in the starting XI at Turf Moor, with a more defensive midfielder sacrificed.

Latest News: Yasin Ayari (shoulder) had his first full-contact training session on Thursday and could be “an option” for the weekend. James Milner is fine, too – he only came off last Saturday with cramp. Solly March (knee), sidelined for a lengthy period but back in training for a while now, is pushing for involvement, as well: Albion actually took March to Brentford last weekend but the long-serving winger didn’t make the matchday squad. Matt O’Riley didn’t make last week’s squad, either, but Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that it was a tactical decision, rather than fitness-related. Unless there are any issues that Hurzeler failed to disclose (it has been known), that leaves only long-term absentees Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) on the sidelines. Brighton stopped the rot with a 2-0 win at Brentford, so you'd think Hurzeler will largely stick with the same team that won in west London - although we can expect some minute management in the next two Gameweeks given the quick turnaround. Yankuba Minteh continues to wait for his first league start of 2026, while the out-of-sorts duo of Georginio Rutter and Carlos Baleba may struggle to regain their places in the short term. Lewis Dunk is playing through knee pain but again seems to be available for selection.

Latest News: Armando Broja (unspecified) and Axel Tuanzebe (Achilles) look set to remain unavailable for selection, with Scott Parker saying on Thursday that both players were a "few weeks" away. Of the long-term absentees, Mike Tresor (ankle) and Zeki Amdouni (knee) are back on the grass and closing in on returns but are thought to still be some distance from a recovery. Josh Cullen (knee), Jordan Beyer (hamstring) and Connor Roberts (Achilles) are still out, too. Lyle Foster should be back, however, after missing Gameweek 27 through illness. The bug also affected Kyle Walker, Bashir Humphreys and Lesley Ugochukwu during the matchday. After back-to-back positive results in the Premier League, we're expecting little to change with the starting XI. One possible alteration is a promotion to the line-up for James Ward-Prowse, who has made a positive impact off the bench in recent games. The problem is, do you sacrifice the energy of Hannibal Mejbri or the more defensive skillset of Ugochukwu to accommodate him? It was Ugochukwu who made way early for Ward-Prowse last weekend, but then again, the Clarets were chasing the game and the midfielder had been affected by the aforementioned bug.

Latest News: Wesley Fofana will sit out the Arsenal game after being sent off for two bookable offences last Saturday. Estevao (hamstring) and Marc Cucurella (hamstring) remain on the injury list, meanwhile, along with longer-term absentees Jamie Gittens (hamstring) and Levi Colwill (knee). In better news, Dario Essugo is back in training after a month or so out with an unknown issue and Reece James is "absolutely fine" after his substitution last weekend. Romeo Lavia (quad) is injury-free, too: he played 45 minutes for the under-21s last Friday, was on the bench in Gameweek 27 and then featured in a behind-closed-doors game in midweek. There are perhaps only two question marks this week: who steps in for Fofana and whether or not Malo Gusto is again preferred to Jorrel Hato at left-back. Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr and Benoit Badiashile are the options at centre-back, with Tosin the man Liam Rosenior first turned to at Burnley and also the taller of the three, which may be a consideration given Arsenal's set-piece prowess - not that Tosin is always as good in the air as you'd expect him to be. There is, of course, the possibility that Rosenior mimics his tactics from the recent trip to the Emirates in the EFL Cup, in which he went with a 3-5-2. Cucurella's absence perhaps lessens the likelihood of that.

Latest News: Maxence Lacroix (adductor) made a quick return from injury in Thursday’s UEFA Conference League clash with Zrinjski and Oliver Glasner hopes he can start again on Sunday, saying, "Right now, it looks okay." Elsewhere on the injury front, Jean-Philippe Mateta (knee) and Jefferson Lerma (hamstring) will remain sidelined till mid-March, while Eddie Nketiah (hamstring) is out until April. Cheick Doucoure (knee) has been on the grass recently, although it’s not clear how close he is to a playing comeback after being sidelined for 12 months. Glasner hinted that Jaydee Canvot would start again to help deal with Manchester United's pace, so Chadi Riad may once more be the fall guy in defence. Otherwise, it's a question of how much the outgoing Palace boss wants to freshen things up - and he hasn't done a great deal of that in the past. Will Hughes for the improving Daichi Kamada is an option given the Japanese international is only recently back from injury, while Yeremy Pino and Brennan Johnson are alternatives to Evann Guessand - but the Villa loanee now has two goals in as many games.

Latest News: David Moyes confirmed that Charly Alcaraz will be missing for “probably” three or four weeks after picking up an injury in training on Sunday. He joins Jack Grealish (foot) on the sidelines but Jake O’Brien is available again after serving a one-match suspension. Expect O'Brien to return at right-back and the versatile James Garner to revert to a midfield role, with Tim Iroegbunam to drop down to the bench. We could see Jarrad Branthwaite at left-back again, which is potentially good news for Michael Keane and less so for Vitaliy Mykolenko, with David Moyes saying that the England international is "as comfortable at left-back as he is at centre-back". Branthwaite did well against Amad Diallo on Monday, indeed, and his height will surely come in handy against a physical side like Newcastle. Further forward, it's a question of whether Tyrique George is brought back in at the expense of Harrison Armstrong, and whether Beto can break Thierno Barry's nine-match unbroken stint as a starter up top.

Latest News: Kevin (foot) is Fulham's only absentee for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur, with Sasa Lukic (hamstring), Samuel Chukwueze (calf) and Antonee Robinson (ankle) all returning to training this week and expected to be involved. It's likely Chukwueze v Oscar Bobb for Kevin's vacated left-wing spot, although Marco Silva did point out that Joshua King, Emile Smith Rowe and Ryan Sessegnon have all played in that role at times this season. Otherwise, you'd expect Silva to go with the side that impressed at Sunderland last weekend, with Rodrigo Muniz again limited to substitute duty midway through the second half. Lukic has frequently played alongside Sander Berge in the past but he's only just back from a medium-term lay-off, and it's a midfield pairing better suited to more formidable tests than the visit of a 16th-place side anyway.

Latest News: Gabriel Gudmundsson has recovered from the illness that forced him off at half-time of the Aston Villa game last weekend. That means that only Noah Okafor (hamstring) is out for the visit of Manchester City. Despite the wealth of options available to Daniel Farke, he'll likely stick with much of the same XI that almost nicked a win at Villa Park. One possible alteration is a recall for Jaka Bijol, with one eye on the physical battle with Erling Haaland. The versatile James Justin could make way, even if he would be very unfortunate to do so. Farke has the option of pairing Lukas Nmecha with Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top, as he has done on occasions in the past, but the betting money would be on Brenden Aaronson keeping his place.

Latest News: Jeremie Frimpong (groin) is available for Gameweek 28 but Arne Slot "doesn't expect" Florian Wirtz (back) to feature, adding that he didn't have a return date for the German. Elsewhere, Alexander Isak (ankle) will likely be out until April and Wataru Endo (foot), Conor Bradley (knee) and Giovanni Leoni (knee) are on the long-term injury list. Slot said that Frimpong had only trained a "few times" this week so, given that he's been out for a month, you'd perhaps expect him to be eased in off the bench. Then, it's a question of whether Joe Gomez is fit enough to start at right-back. The long-serving defender has now got three substitute appearances under his belt since returning from his latest injury, while the prospect of in-form winger Crysencio Summerville coming up against a makeshift right-back like Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai could convince Slot to restore Gomez to the side. However, Gomez's last two Premier League starts have both ended with first-half injuries, so there's an element of risk involved. Slot's reluctance to use Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa from the start means we're expecting little to change elsewhere.

Latest News: Pep Guardiola confirmed that Jeremy Doku (calf) had returned to training for the first time on Thursday, with the City boss to check with the medical department before deciding on his involvement this weekend. Josko Gvardiol (leg) and Mateo Kovacic (ankle) remain out, meanwhile, and there's uncertainty over Max Alleyne, who wasn’t involved in Gameweek 27 after hobbling out of the FA Cup win over Salford City a week earlier. Otherwise, there are no other known concerns, with Guardiola saying his squad was "good" when asked about its condition. Several players in City’s side - such as Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abdudokir Khusanov - are observing the religious period of Ramadan, which involves fasting during daylight hours, but Guardiola said it wouldn't factor into his team selection, given the expertise on hand from the club's nutritionists. The City team looks fairly settled at present, with nine players ever-present starters over the last four Gameweeks. Ruben Dias might have been in that club, too, had he not been injured in January. The main question mark is over who fills the one spot in attack that is seemingly up for grabs, with Marmoush getting the nod over Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden last weekend. Cherki has seldom started in a central role, which doesn't bode well in this winger-less set-up, while you wonder if Foden - the man for the tight spaces - may be a better fit than Marmoush, given that Leeds will likely have a low block featuring three centre-halves and two defensive midfielders between City and the goal on Saturday.

Latest News: Bryan Mbeumo hobbled out of Monday’s win over Everton but it did look a lot like cramp, and the winger has since been seen in training. Michael Carrick didn't mention him on Friday. Elsewhere, Lisandro Martinez sat out that victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with a calf issue. Reports suggest he will be out for 1-2 weeks but again, there was no update from the United boss in his pre-match presser. Leny Yoro will be on standby to deputise. We did, at least, get the weekly bulletin on Mason Mount (minor issue) and Matthijs de Ligt (back), with Carrick repeating his usual comments that Mount is "getting closer" and that de Ligt is further behind. The Dutchman is almost certainly going to miss out again, alongside Patrick Dorgu (hamstring). Carrick has kept things mostly unchanged since his appointment, with his alterations being enforced: Matheus Cunha and Yoro in for Dorgu and Martinez. The only real question mark is over whether Benjamin Sesko gets his chance, having come off the bench to grab injury-time goals in three of the last four Gameweeks. Carrick left things open to interpretation, saying that his reluctance to change had been driven by a feeling of "trying to keep the momentum" but hinting that Sesko could soon get an opportunity, "whether it’s the next game or the one after". Amad Diallo made way very early for Sesko on Monday, so he'd perhaps be the favourite to drop out, having suffered a bit of a drop-off in performance levels recently. Don't be surprised at all, though, if it's unchanged yet again.

Latest News: Jacob Ramsey missed the midweek victory over Qarabag as a precaution because of a tight hamstring but Eddie Howe is hopeful of his involvement in training on Friday and subsequently against Everton. Elsewhere, Tino Livramento (hamstring) and Lewis Miley (dead leg) are on track for March returns, while Fabian Schar (ankle), Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring) and Emil Krafth (knee) all remain out for longer periods. Sven Botman (back) and Yoane Wissa (knock) returned for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League win. Despite Wissa's availability, we're still expecting Anthony Gordon to lead the line after his heroics up top in recent weeks, particularly in the Champions League. Gordon, Anthony Elanga, Lewis Hall and Joe Willock were all benched in the glorified dead rubber against Qarabag on Tuesday, suggesting they may return to the XI here, while Joelinton and Kieran Trippier were taken off early, again with possibly one eye on the weekend. Trippier and Sandro Tonali are almost default starters in their respective positions anyway, with Miley, Bruno and Livramento out. Nick Woltemade has been reinvented as a midfielder recently but his 90-minute stint against Qarabag was his fourth straight start, so bench duty may beckon. The other debate is whether Botman muscles his way back into the Premier League XI, having returned in midweek.

Latest News: Vitor Pereira faced the media after Thursday’s European defeat to Fenerbahce, with embargoed quotes released earlier today. Matz Sels (groin), John Victor (knee), Willy Boly (knee), Nicolo Savona (knee) and Chris Wood (knee) remain out, with the medical department “working hard” to get the latter fit in time for the run-in. Sels should return to training on Monday. Pereira made six changes to his starting XI on Thursday, with Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Igor Jesus dropping to the bench. Their replacements – including Morato, James McAtee and Lorenzo Lucca – hardly covered themselves in glory, however, so expect a return to the same XI that impressed for large periods against Liverpool in Gameweek 27. As for Stefan Ortega, he sustained a calf issue in Europe but was able to continue, suggesting he’ll be fine for Sunday’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Latest News: The Black Cats have been hit by some big injury blows this week. Nordi Mukiele (calf) and Brian Brobbey (groin) will be out for the next 2-4 weeks, while Romaine Mundle (hamstring) and Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle) could also face a month or more on the sidelines. All four of the above players were injured against Fulham last weekend. Having sat out that defeat to the Cottagers, Dennis Cirkin is also now confirmed as sidelined with a hamstring issue. Reinildo Mandava (knee) is still unavailable, too, but Bertrand Traore (knee) is at least back. Lutsharel Geertruida will likely fill in for Mukiele, while Granit Xhaka, who came through a comeback substitute appearance unscathed last weekend, should step up to the starting XI, with perhaps Enzo Le Fee moving wider to cover for Ta Bi and Mundle. Traore is only just back from a month out and may be eased back in, so it could be a square peg in a round hole on the right flank again. Nilson Angulo was the one switched over to the right against Fulham, although Chemsdine Talbi, Chris Rigg and Eliezer Mayenda are also possibilities. It's Mayenda v Wilson Isidor in the battle for Brobbey's place but Regis Le Bris could opt for both up top instead, switching to a 4-4-2.

Latest News: The Spurs injury crisis is abating slightly, with Kevin Danso (toe) and Pedro Porro (hamstring) available again. Micky van de Ven is also expected to shake off a finger injury to feature at Fulham. Wilson Odobert (knee), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Ben Davies (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), James Maddison (knee) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) remain out, however, while Cristian Romero continues to serve a four-match suspension. The main question is whether Porro and Danso are fit enough to start after a month or so out. Spurs' lack of senior options at wing-back and centre-half could fast-track their returns, as midfielders Archie Gray - who particularly struggled in the north London derby - and Joao Palhinha have been filling in there of late. Those two would potentially then be free to return to the middle of the park, although Yves Bissouma didn't do badly against Arsenal and Conor Gallagher and Pape Matar Sarr are also options. Up top, Dominic Solanke could return to the side after a throat issue affected his training time ahead of Gameweek 27 and may have contributed to his benching against the old rivals.

Latest News: Pablo Felipe is expected to miss out again for West Ham’s trip to Liverpool, with Nuno Espirito Santo saying on Thursday that he was "starting his individual programme". Reports suggest he’ll be out for 4-6 weeks, although that timeline hasn’t been officially confirmed. Otherwise, it’s the usual knocks and niggles that Nuno has to check on, while Freddie Potts continues his three-match ban after his straight red card in the FA Cup. Nuno has kept things settled of late with the form on the up. Eight players are ever-present starters over the last four Gameweeks, while Axel Disasi has kept his place after stepping up for the then-suspended Jean-Clair Todibo and Mads Hermansen has kept two clean sheets in three matches after ousting Alphonse Areola between the posts. The void left by Potts and Pablo was filled by Soungoutou Magassa in Gameweek 27, although it's possible that Nuno opts for a back five (recalling Todibo) at Anfield.

Latest News: Ladislav Krejci serves a one-match ban after being sent off for two bookable offences last weekend. The Villa game is also likely to come too soon for Hwang Hee-chan (calf), despite his return to training. Elsewhere, Rob Edwards said striker Tolu Arokodare is "okay to play" despite him being subjected to racist abuse on social media this week. Toti Gomes is the most natural replacement for Krejci but he's only just back from a two-month absence and hasn't kicked a ball since December, so Edwards may opt for David Moller Wolfe - who he brought on after Krejci's dismissal at Selhurst Park - as a left-sided centre-half. It's in the middle of the park where Edwards is most blessed with options, with Joao Gomes (initially benched in Gameweek 26 due to a fitness issue) and Angel Gomes both among the substitutes last weekend. There is a busy week ahead, of course, and it's likely both players will get at least one start, either in Friday's match or the back-to-back games against Liverpool to come. Matheus Mane is long overdue a rest but Edwards may get minutes out of Andre while he can, given that he's sitting precariously on nine bookings.