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

Latest News: Bukayo Saka (hamstring) will be out for "over two months" after undergoing surgery last week, while Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Raheem Sterling (knee) remain unavailable despite edging closer to fitness. Jurrien Timber will also miss out through suspension but Kai Havertz (illness) is expected back for Saturday and no other issues have been reported. One option for Mikel Arteta to plug the gap left by Timber is to switch Riccardo Calafiori to the right and recall Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back. The alternative is redeploying Thomas Partey as an inverted right-back, with a rested Declan Rice ready to take up the vacated 'six' role. Ethan Nwaneri really impressed on the right wing on Wednesday night but with only 72 hours separating Gameweeks 19 and 20, Arteta may decide to use his squad for the trip to Brighton, perhaps recalling Leandro Trossard along with the aforementioned Rice. Havertz could of course get a look-in too but it's not crystal clear how much training he's had around his illness, with the squad likely to have had only one full day on the grass as a collective in between the Gunners' first two matches of 2025.

Latest News: Matty Cash returns from a ban but Villa have now lost Morgan Rogers to a one-match suspension and Jhon Duran remains banned following his Gameweek 18 red card. There is bad news on the fitness front, too, as Pau Torres has been ruled out for two months after suffering a metatarsal injury during Monday's draw with Brighton. Diego Carlos (foot) and Jadon Philogene (unknown) are out with more minor issues, too. Tyrone Mings and Cash look set to come in for Torres and Carlos, with Ezri Konsa switching from right-back to centre-half in the process. There's also the chance that Ian Maatsen gets a run-out with it being an easier-on-paper fixture but with so much disruption to the backline elsewhere, Unai Emery may opt to maintain some stability at left-back by continuing with Lucas Digne. An FA Cup tie against West Ham will soon be here, so perhaps that will present the likelier starting opportunity for Maatsen and the rest of the second string. While there's no doubt that Ollie Watkins will continue in Duran's absence, there is more of a question mark over who comes in for Rogers. Jacob Ramsey is the most like-for-like replacement but is only recently back from injury, so Emery could instead pair one of Ross Barkley or Amadou Onana with Boubacar Kamara, push Youri Tielemans into the '10' role and farm John McGinn out to the left.

Latest News: Adam Smith (muscle), Luis Sinisterra (hamstring), Alex Scott (knee), Julian Araujo (hamstring), Marcos Senesi (quad) and Marcus Tavernier (hamstring) all remain on the injury list but Tyler Adams has recovered from a minor muscle issue and Justin Kluivert is back from a one-match ban. Kluivert for Philip Billing would seem to be the likeliest change in the attacking midfield positions but two other surprise starters from Gameweek 19, namely James Hill and David Brooks, may have sufficiently impressed against Fulham to see off the challenges of Max Aarons and Dango Ouattara. Hill's extra height will also be an asset against Sean Dyche's Everton side. Another possible change is a recall for Adams, which could see Ryan Christie move into the '10' role, Kluivert operate out wide and Brooks drop out.

Latest News: It's pretty much as you were on the team news front at Brentford. Fabio Carvalho, who missed the Arsenal game with a groin issue, is unlikely to feature, while Ben Mee (muscle), Ethan Pinnock (hamstring), Kristoffer Ajer (ankle), Igor Thiago (joint infection), Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (hamstring) and Josh Dasilva (knee) remain out. Mark Flekken, Sepp van den Berg and Mathias Jensen, who all returned from injury against the Gunners, have at least come through Gameweek 19 unscathed. Flekken and van den Berg were straight back into the starting XI after brief absences, with Jensen among the substitutes - so the question is how match-fit the Dane is after a month on the sidelines. He adds to the midfield mix if/when he is fully up to speed, with Yehor Yarmoliuk the likeliest candidate to make way from Gameweek 19 regardless of whether Jensen starts or not. That's because we're probably likelier to see a more attacking set-up from the system that was used against Mikel Arteta's side, with Kevin Schade standing a good chance of a recall against the Premier League's basement club.

Latest News: Brighton could have Jack Hinshelwood (knee) back for the visit of Arsenal, while Adam Webster (muscle) - who has recently returned to full training after a lengthy absence - may also be involved. Other than that, though, Fabian Hurzeler said the Seagulls' injury situation remains the same - so James Milner (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Danny Welbeck (ankle), Mats Wieffer (quad) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) look set to remain out. Hurzeler was at least "hopeful" Pervis Estupinan would recover from illness to feature. Despite goals from understudies Tariq Lamptey and Simon Adingra, you'd expect Joel Veltman and Kaoru Mitoma to return after their rests last Monday. Brajan Gruda hasn't pulled up any trees on the right flank, meanwhile, so Yankuba Minteh could come back into the equation out wide. The biggest problem is up top, with Albion unable to fill the hole vacated by Welbeck. Georginio Rutter and Julio Enciso haven't really impressed of late, with Joao Pedro missing a foil through the middle. Hurzeler could even decide to go with neither Rutter nor Enciso, instead using Matt O'Riley in a midfield three with Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba.

Latest News: Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Benoit Badiashile (unknown), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (knock) and Mykhailo Mudryk (suspended) remain out but Romeo Lavia (hamstring) is "very close" to recovery, according to Enzo Maresca on Friday, and Reece James is ready for "minutes" - more likely as a substitute - following his recent return to the first-team squad. Assuming Lavia and James aren't ready to start, and considering the dismal fare served up by second-string players like Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Axel Disasi and Noni Madueke at Portman Road on Monday, this should be one of the more straightforward Chelsea line-ups to predict. Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Malo Gusto and Jadon Sancho ought to return, then, alongside Robert Sanchez between the sticks.

Latest News: Marc Guehi returns from suspension but loanee Trevoh Chalobah is now ineligible to face his parent club. Will Hughes (foot) is now injured, too, joining Adam Wharton (groin) on the sidelines. In better news, Matheus Franca (groin) has rejoined training after a lengthy absence and Eberechi Eze has recovered from the sickness bug that affected him earlier this week. Guehi will come in for Chalobah at the rear, while Oliver Glasner confirmed that Cheick Doucoure will deputise for Hughes in the middle of the park. Other than Chris Richards and Doucoure, everyone else in this predicted XI has started every match that they've been available for in the last five Gameweeks - and much longer in some cases. Palace continue to pick up form, with just two defeats in 11 matches, and Glasner has subsequently kept things very settled with his line-ups.

Latest News: Seamus Coleman (muscle), James Garner (back) and Tim Iroegbunam (foot) remain out for the Toffees, while Sean Dyche said that he "doubts" Dwight McNeil (knee) will feature this weekend. Dyche has kept things very settled during a four-match run against sides in the top six, a string of games in which Everton were defeated only once. Nine players were ever-present starters during that run, while Ashley Young very likely would have made it 10 had he not been suspended in Gameweek 18. The one other change that Dyche made, Armando Broja in for Dominic Calvert-Lewin last Sunday, you could easily see being reversed at the Vitality Stadium. There's the chance we see another alteration, too, after a sub-par Jack Harrison was hooked at half-time of the Nottingham Forest defeat and replaced by a (marginally) brighter Jesper Lindstrom. That change could be repeated from the off this time out.

Latest News: Kenny Tete (knee), Sander Berge (ankle), Reiss Nelson (hamstring) and Harrison Reed (knee) remain out, so it's pretty much as you were on the team news front with Fulham. The 'five at the back' system that Marco Silva used to great effect against Chelsea didn't look quite so accomplished against Bournemouth and is probably overkill at home to Ipswich, so there's a decent chance that one of Joachim Andersen or Issa Diop bows out to accommodate a formation switch. Such were Diop's positive displays alongside Calvin Bassey that, rather than drop him, Silva may well have altered his system simply to get Andersen back in the side without ditching an in-form player. Now, though, it may be time for a tough selection call. Emile Smith Rowe could be the beneficiary if Silva does drop a surplus centre-half, returning to the starting XI after a recent spell out through injury and a comeback cameo in Gameweek 19. Tom Cairney is an alternative in the middle of the park. Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez, goalscorers against the Cherries, will hope to have done enough to stave off the challenges of Adama Traore and Rodrigo Muniz for another week.

Latest News: Conor Chaplin (knee) has joined Axel Tuanzebe (hamstring), George Hirst (knee) and Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) on the injury list, while there's been no word to suggest that Massimo Luongo has recovered from the illness that has kept him sidelined throughout December. You'd think a superb win over Chelsea would result in an unchanged line-up but this is Kieran McKenna we're talking about here, someone who has kept us guessing with his starting XIs all season. The peripheral Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns and Christian Walton all came into the side against the Blues and performed superbly, with McKenna effectively confirming that Walton would get the nod over Ari Muric again on Sunday. There is a tad more uncertainty elsewhere. Sammie Szmodics is a regular starter on the road, for instance, and could oust Broadhead. McKenna also said that the weekly Jacob Greaves v Cameron Burgess tussle was a "good decision" to have to make. Having just conceded one goal to the combined forces of Arsenal and Chelsea in the last two Gameweeks, however, you'd imagine that the Ipswich boss wouldn't want to upset the balance of the defence too much going into the weekend's clash at Craven Cottage.

Latest News: Kasey McAteer (unknown), Abdul Fatawu (knee), Wilfred Ndidi (hamstring) and Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) are still on the injury list, while first-choice goalkeeper Mads Hermansen (groin) will be out for at least two weeks yet - so Jakub Stolarczyk looks set to continue between the posts. Jordan Ayew is at least back from a ban, while Wout Faes (unknown) was scheduled to return to training on Thursday and is a possibility to feature. Ruud van Nistelrooy declared himself mostly happy with the performance despite the defeat to Manchester City, so we're not expecting much to change with the starting XI. The Leicester manager has named the same back four in all six of his league matches in charge (despite widespread criticism of James Justin from elsewhere), while the central midfield twosome look fairly settled in the absence of Ndidi. Bilal El Khannous and Jamie Vardy have also started every match they've been available for under van Nistelrooy, while Stephy Mavididi has made the line-up in the last four fixtures. If there is a doubt, it's over Facundo Buonanotte. Van Nistelrooy has played the likes of McAteer and Ayew rather than the Brighton loanee in recent weeks, with Buonanotte returning to the side in Gameweek 19 when both of those players were out. With Ayew back available, it'll be interesting to see who is preferred against Villa.

Latest News: Joe Gomez (hamstring) has been added to the injury list but Ibrahima Konate (knee) and Conor Bradley (hamstring) are set to come off it: both were earmarked for returns to training on Friday. Dominik Szoboszlai is also available after a one-match ban. After the frenetic Christmas period, a bit of respite. Liverpool have had the rare luxury of a full week's rest, with two cup ties on the other side of Sunday's game providing windows for a bit of rotation. Arne Slot can go full strength against the old enemy, then, and full strength at the moment seems to be Cody Gakpo on the left and Luis Diaz through the middle. It's also typically included Szoboszlai over Curtis Jones, as harsh as it is on the Liverpool native after another solid showing against West Ham. Who fills in for Gomez is the other question but with such little training time for Konate, it seems a lot likelier that Jarell Quansah will deputise at centre-half. Wataru Endo is another emergency option alongside Virgil van Dijk but if the Japan international was to get the nod, it would be a real slap in the face to Quansah for not a great deal of upside.

Latest News: Pep Guardiola said he expects a "similar" squad to last Sunday, with Ruben Dias (muscle) confirmed out alongside Rodri (knee) and Oscar Bobb (leg). The City boss also intimated that there'd be no Ederson (leg), Matheus Nunes (knock) or John Stones (foot), although the Brazilian trained "without disturbance in his leg" for the first time on Thursday. Assuming it is an identical squad to last week, you'd expect a mostly similar XI to be sent out. West Ham don't really have the frontline speed nor the transitional qualities to warrant the inclusion of Kyle Walker (for his recovery pace) or Jack Grealish (for his 'control' on the flanks). Savio's performance on the left against Ipswich also suggests he'll get the nod over Grealish and Jeremy Doku anyway, although Guardiola is very capable of throwing a curveball selection at us. Ilkay Gundogan could come back into the thinking but since Mateo Kovacic's return to fitness the veteran German has taken more of a backseat. Gundogan's continued inclusion since the November break was sometimes more out of necessity with bodies short in midfield, and he's done little since his return to Manchester to suggest he's not a spent force.

Latest News: Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes both return after missing the visit of Newcastle United through suspension but Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are seemingly all still on the injury list with unspecified issues and Marcus Rashford looks set to miss out through illness. Jonny Evans was also absent from the squad on Monday night but we've not heard a reason why. It's almost a given that Ugarte, Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo - benched against the Magpies as Ruben Amorim managed his minutes over Christmas - return to the starting XI, with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Joshua Zirkzee making way. Leny Yoro will hope to get a look-in too after the defensive struggles of Gameweek 19, not that he's looked like a £52m centre-half whenever he's taken to the field. Lisandro Martinez has been a regular under Amorim but his latest stinker arrived in the final game of 2024, and you wonder how long he can continue turning in sub-par displays without a demotion.

Latest News: Fabian Schar is suspended and Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Callum Wilson (hamstring), Nick Pope (knee) and Emil Krafth (collarbone) remain on the sidelines but Sven Botman (knee) could be involved for the first time in 2024/25. Eddie Howe didn't even rule out Botman starting with Schar banned, saying that the lack of action over the last 10 months is not necessarily a hindrance to him featuring as he has trained plenty throughout December. Still, it would seem that Lloyd Kelly is probably the favourite to get the nod alongside Dan Burn at centre-back this weekend. The other major conundrum for Howe is who gets the nod at right-back. Illness meant that Tino Livramento dropped out of the side in Gameweek 18, with Kieran Trippier keeping his place in the following game but exiting on both occasions with fitness issues. Trippier is available but Livramento is probably the better equipped to face the pacy Son Heung-min, so the younger of the two full-backs may return. Elsewhere, the front six are in excellent form and should all start again.

Latest News: Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahima Sangare (hamstring) remain out injured but Callum Hudson-Odoi (knock) and Murillo (adductor) are expected to return and Ryan Yates is back from suspension. Murillo for Morato is the likely change at centre-half if the former is fit, while Ramon Sosa didn't overly impress on a rare start in Hudson-Odoi's absence and should make way. Again, though, it should be stressed that this is under the assumption that the two regulars are 100% injury-free. Sosa may make way even if Hudson-Odoi isn't deemed line-up-ready, with Nicolas Dominguez moving out wide and Yates reintroduced in midfield. Beyond the alterations discussed above, little is expected to change with this in-form, high-flying Forest side.

Latest News: Ivan Juric confirmed that the Saints have no fresh injury concerns going into Gameweek 20, although he'll be without Matheus Fernandes through suspension and Flynn Downes (dead leg) remains a concern as he hadn't trained as of Thursday. Jack Stephens (unknown), Juan Larios (unknown), Ross Stewart (hamstring) and Gavin Bazunu (Achilles) are still sidelined, too, but Will Smallbone (hamstring) is back in training and he'll be assessed to see if he can feature against Brentford. Lesley Ugochukwu surely comes back into the midfield even if Downes is fit, as Joe Aribo and the now-banned Fernandes struggled as a pairing in the engine room last weekend. Aribo may even hold onto his place, too, should Downes, Smallbone and Adam Lallana not be fit enough to start. Juric declared himself happier with the performance against West Ham than the one served up at Crystal Palace, so we might see Yukinari Sugawara return at James Bree's expense - although it's also possible that Kyle Walker-Peters switches flanks and Ryan Manning comes in on the left. Further forward, Cameron Archer and Kamaldeen Sulemana await their first starts under Juric; the latter was praised for his Gameweek 19 cameo by the new Saints boss in Thursday's presser.

Latest News: Destiny Udogie (hamstring) has joined Cristian Romero (hamstring), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Ben Davies (hamstring), Richarlison (hamstring) and Mikey Moore (virus) on the sidelines, while Rodrigo Bentancur will have to serve a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation. Djed Spence is at least back from suspension but the Spurs team news could get even worse, with rumours circulating on Friday night that several of the squad are suffering from a virus. Ange Postecoglou had indeed acknowledged an illness outbreak in his pre-match presser, naming only James Maddison as someone who had been affected - although that was last weekend. Fraser Forster, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma have also been namechecked on social media as potential concerns but it should be stressed that this is conjecture at the time of writing, not established fact. If there is any truth in it, then the likes of Brandon Austin, Pape Matar Sarr, Alfie Dorrington, Lucas Bergvall and Timo Werner will all come into the thinking.

Latest News: The Hammers revealed earlier this week that Jarrod Bowen would be out for a period of time after suffering a fractured foot in the defeat to Liverpool. Elsewhere, Michail Antonio (leg) continues to recover following his car accident at the start of December and Lukasz Fabianski (head) won't be available as he serves the Premier League's concussion protocol. Guido Rodríguez and Tomáš Soucek are at least back after missing Gameweek 19 through suspension, with at least one of those returning to the middle of the park after the 5-0 thrashing by the league leaders. Niclas Fullkrug will also likely come back into play in Bowen's absence. Lopetegui made a few ill-fated tactical tweaks last weekend, the most curious of which was playing Emerson Palmieri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka down the same side and leaving the creaking Vladimir Coufal exposed on the other flank. The Hammers boss looked to address that situation at half-time, withdrawing Coufal at the break, introducing Jeanclair Todibo and moving to more of a wing-back system in the second half. It's a set-up that Lopetegui may opt to replicate at the Etihad, despite Manchester City's recent slump. Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville and Carlos Soler could all enter the mix in midfield, although Lucas Paqueta's dismal form has been a bit of a blind spot with his manager.

Latest News: Matheus Cunha begins a two-match ban, while Toti Gomes (hamstring) has been added - for up to four weeks - to an injury list that already contains Yerson Mosquera (knee), Boubacar Traore (knee), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) and Enso Gonzalez (knee). Mario Lemina (small injury) and Pablo Sarabia (calf) look set to miss out, too, but Andre is expected to recover from a knock - and he was even allowed to return briefly to Brazil this week to attend the birth of his child. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Goncalo Guedes should return to the starting XI after being consigned to substitute duty in Gameweek 19 (a tight hamstring for Strand Larsen and overload prevention for Guedes were cited as the reasons by Vitor Pereira), while Tommy Doyle will be on standby if Andre doesn't make it. Other than that, though, the line-up looks fairly settled as Wolves' form continues to improve under their new manager.