FPL Team News and Injury Round-up – Blank Gameweek 33

Our regular round-up of the Premier League team news returns ahead of the FPL Gameweek 33 deadline, which is at an earlier-than-usual time of 19:00 BST this evening because of the Friday night fixture between Southampton and Liverpool at St. Mary’s Stadium.

We’ve watched all 12 pre-match press conferences and will bring you the headline updates on any stand-out medical bulletins in our game-by-game recap below.

Southampton v Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp appeared to give Virgil van Dijk (ankle) the all-clear to face his former club on Friday night.

The Dutch centre-back was pictured with an ice pack on his ankle after the win over Spurs but Klopp told a press gathering on Wednesday:

Virg – he trained normal, everything OK. Yesterday we only had the second recovery session but he was involved in that and I had heard nothing different that he could maybe not train today. No, looks all OK.

There was little else in the way of team news from Klopp but media reports on Thursday suggested that Joe Gomez (leg) could be back in the squad – likely on the bench, at best – for the Gameweek 33 curtain-raiser.

Danny Ings is ineligible to face his parent club, while Ralph Hasenhuttl said of the Saints’ fitness issues:

Longy is back in training, he is an option. Jannik Vestergaard trained this week, maybe an option. Lemina, it’s a pity that he’s not in training again as he’s had problems this week.

Hasenhuttl also discussed his options regarding formation:

The flexibility of our game is rising. We surprised [Brighton] a little bit because we come in a 4-2-2-2 and I must say I like this shape. It is an option to stay in a 4-2-2-2 but it is also an option to switch back to a 5-3-2.

Chelsea v West Ham United

There was no update on Pedro (groin) or Marcos Alonso (hamstring) in Maurizio Sarri’s press conference on Friday but the Chelsea boss did provide a quote on Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who limped off with a minor hamstring strain in midweek but whose recurring back problem is the main cause of concern.

Sarri said:

We need to check every day the condition of his back. This morning, he had only a recovery session because he needs time to recover. Probably he is not able to play 90 minutes.

The Blues’ head coach was also asked if Callum Hudson-Odoi would get a second successive start but replied:

I don’t know, I have to decide who is going to play against West Ham and who is going to play against Slavia [on Thursday].

I have to consider that in this moment of the season, we have to change. We have played 51 matches.

Sarri faces a dilemma up front, with Olivier Giroud having started on Wednesday and having scored his side’s opening goal.

Speaking first of Gonzalo Higuain, Sarri said:

I think that he has to improve physically, mentally but I think also that he will able to be very useful for us in the last part of the season.

In the meantime [while Higuain is improving], we are lucky because we have Giroud. Giroud at the moment is in a very good mental and physical condition. Of course, we have to play every three days and so we need both.

Felipe Anderson (ankle) and Ryan Fredericks (knock) are fit to feature against the Blues on Monday night, while Samir Nasri (calf) has returned to training and may come into contention too.

There was no mention of Marko Arnautovic‘s knee problem in Manuel Pellegrini’s press conference, however, with the Hammers’ boss only discussing the Austrian striker in relation to his form and attitude:

It happens to some players at moments of a season that they are not in the best moment, and maybe they need our support [rather] than to punish them. I was talking to Marko and he wants to do things better, he is absolutely involved in our team.

Everton v Arsenal

Marco Silva’s pre-match press conference was a fairly unremarkable affair and short on injury news but Yerry Mina (hamstring) remains out.

Silva did say that there was “no problem” with Jordan Pickford‘s state of mind following his involvement in a fracas outside a Sunderland bar last weekend and that the Everton goalkeeper is available for selection.

There was more to report from Unai Emery’s presser, which started with a round-up of Arsenal’s injury situation:

We are waiting for tomorrow’s training because some players – Xhaka, Koscielny – didn’t train with us today. They are working alone with the physio. Aaron Ramsey started training normally today and the other players are well.

Emery also offered some fairly non-committal comments on Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, saying:

We need every player, every striker, Lacazette and Aubameyang. Sometimes they can both play, sometimes with one on the bench. It depends in the 90 minutes how we can respond tactically with one or two.

Speaking of Mesut Ozil, Emery added:

He’s working very well, playing very well, he’s helping us. I’m very happy with him. I think the team has a good atmosphere, good spirit with each player helping us. That’s the spirit I want, they are doing that, and Mesut is like the others.

Newcastle United v Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson reported a near-fully fit squad on Friday, with Mamadou Sakho (knee) his only absentee.

The Palace boss also confirmed that Andros Townsend was fit to feature, having started on the bench at Spurs after sustaining a hand injury while punching a dugout wall.

Hodgson said:

It’s not an important injury and it’s not one that stops him playing.

Fabian Schar is available for Newcastle after suspension but Rafael Benitez said that Isaac Hayden, Mohamed Diame and DeAndre Yedlin all had “little problems” and will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s game.

Bournemouth v Burnley

Eddie Howe has issues at left-back ahead of the visit of Burnley.

Charlie Daniels – who wasn’t mentioned by name in Howe’s presser – is a doubt with an ankle injury, while Adam Smith is still recovering from a hamstring strain.

Howe said:

We’ve got Adam Smith improving, I don’t know whether he’s still fit enough to return. With hamstring injuries, you have to be very careful.

Peter Crouch joins Steven Defour (calf) and Aaron Lennon (knee) on the sidelines for Burnley after having surgery on his appendix.

Huddersfield Town v Leicester City

Brendan Rodgers will welcome Harry Maguire back from suspension for the trip to Huddersfield and, as of his press conference on Thursday, had only Marc Albrighton (hamstring) and Daniel Amartey (leg) unavailable for Saturday’s match.

The relegated Terriers have plenty of fitness concerns, however.

Speaking on Thursday, Jan Siewert said:

Lolo [Depoitre] is back in training, he’s not fully in training at the moment. Which means not two proper weeks. The foot made problems. I’m not sure [if he could be involved at Leicester]. Mbenza is in training, he could also be an option.

Duhaney is just back in training, we have to take care for his hamstring because his injury is more serious than we thought. But he’s in training, he’s performing. Hamid Sabiri is training but is not yet fit.

TK [Kongolo] had a small problem because there was a hit on his knee so he couldn’t finish training properly. Phil Billing had a back problem, but just at the end, so hopefully not that serious. Matty Daly has a kind of illness so couldn’t train properly.

Siewert also explained why Denmark internationals Jonas Lossl, Zanka and Phillip Billing missed out in Gameweek 32:

I looked at the players who were in my training during the week. I think it’s quite normal for a manager [after an international break].

We have more detailed injury information and predicted line-ups in our Team News tab, while our regular podcast/video round-up can be accessed below: