BREAKING NEWS
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta could shuffle his pack on Monday night citing a lack of "freshness" in his side after the 0-0 draw with Palace. “I think the spirit and the attitude the team showed [was] terrific, but we lacked that freshness today and that spark in the final third." Gabriel Martinelli is expected to train fully ahead of the game after recovering from a minor ankle sprain while a decision on Pablo Mari (calf) will be made closer to kick-off. The extent of the muscle injury suffered by Kieran Tierney could be known after an MRI scan on Friday, but the early prognosis does not look good. "We’ll probably know more after testing him and knowing more about the injury and how long he’s going to be out for." Thomas Partey is looking to force his way into the XI following minutes from the bench and Gabriel is an option if Arteta wants to change his backline. Southampton: Danny Ings (COVID-19) seems almost certain to miss this weekends' game against Leicester. "He is in self-isolation," confirmed Ralph Hasenhüttl although the striker could return to training on Friday. "He may have been contagious against Liverpool. It looks like he's out for the weekend." Jannik Vestergaard, Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo remain sidelined while Michael Obafemi has had surgery and Nathan Tella has a muscle issue. "We have a few problems in the moment which gives me a bit of a headache. We've not got the chance to use all the recovery equipment, and we had a shorter pre-season so that plays a part." Alex McCarthy and Ché Adams have come back in, so they will both be available. Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic could "possibly" return to face Chelsea confirmed the Fulham boss. "He trained lightly today," Scott Parker said at Thursdays' press conference. However, the Cottagers are still without Mario Lemina and Tom Cairney, who has a "slight issue with his knee." Fulham took a well-earned point at Tottenham midweek with Ruben Loftus-Cheek being singled out following an "exceptional" performance, however, the Chelsea player cannot line-up against his parent club this weekend.
Manchester United: Anthony Martial and Nemanja Matic picked up knocks at Turf Moor, while Victor Lindelof continues to struggle with a persistent back problem. Defenders Brandon Williams and Phil Jones are the only players definitely unavailable. "I’ll give everyone tomorrow [Saturday] to prove their fitness, to get a chance to go to that game. There are a couple of knocks that we got at Burnley that I’m not sure about. For us, form goes out of the window when you play your rivals." Newcastle United: Jamal Lewis "could" come back into contention along with the skipper Jamaal Lascelles who was rested midweek. "We've got a problem with Federico Fernández," after he was forced off at Bramall Lane. Allan Saint-Maximin will train on Friday or Saturday "which is good news" but after a significant period out, around 6-7 weeks, "we'll have to monitor him," said Steve Bruce. The withdrawal of Paul Dummett against Sheffield United was precautionary due to fatigue/cramp... post-match tests showed no strain, and the left-back should be fine for Monday. Nothing regarding the potential return of Jonjo Shelvey from Bruce although he was seen training ahead of GW18. Ryan Fraser serves a one-match ban. Leicester City: Brendan Rodgers describes the absence of midfielder Dennis Praet for around three months as a "huge loss" following a hamstring injury in the FA Cup. "It was an awkward one for him at the time. The ball just popped up, and he overstretched. It was a tendon in the hamstring." Cengiz Ünder is "looking very good" after recovering from an ankle injury, and the winger should be back. James Maddison and Jamie Vardy also return. "It wasn’t so much a rest. They couldn’t play, or if they did play, there was going to be a huge risk for them," Rodgers revealed. "They’ve had ongoing issues throughout the season, unfortunately, and that was a game where we saw a window to get some medical work done knowing we’ve got other players who can play." Ricardo Pereira could feature, but after a setback, the Foxes boss admits he is in "no rush" to involve the full-back. "He’s working hard with the medical team. He’s gone through all the tests and all the measures. He’s been out and trained with the squad for a little while. It’s just about, step by step, giving him some game time and getting him back on the field." Manchester City: “Today the player are off,” Pep told reporters on Friday. “Tomorrow we train. I would love to update you. I think Eric Garcia will be back. The guys from the Academy will be back. Aymeric [Laporte] and Nathan [Ake] are not fit, Sergio [Aguero] also. The rest are OK.” Brighton and Hove Albion: Yves Bissouma is back after serving a one-match suspension, and Graham Potter may be able to call on the services of Steven Alzate who has missed the last four. A setback for Tariq Lamptey in the final phase of his rehab means he will take a few steps back and Brighton will be careful with Danny Welbeck who is experiencing swelling around his problematic knee. Adam Lallana and Jason Steele, both illness, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are ruled out joining Aaron Connolly in the treatment room. Jakub Moder has been in training with Albion, but Potter believes the game at Elland Road will come too soon for the Polish international. Jose Izquierdo is in a "better moment" and will continue to build game time with the under-23s. Burnley: Sean Dyche sounded a lot more confident earlier in the week regarding the availability of Charlie Taylor. "If everything goes well over the next few days, Chaz will certainly be back in contention." However, the Clarets boss revealed the defender is a "doubt" heading into GW19. Regarding the remainder of the squad. "[They're] coming back together now and everyone else is fine." Dyche admitted it is a "balancing act" managing player loads during this period, and singled out Dwight McNeil and Johann Berg Gudmundsson following their recent injury return. Chelsea: Except for N'Golo Kante - suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards - Frank Lampard confirms the Blues are "all good" after Reece James and Andreas Christensen, hamstring and knee respectively, returned to the training pitches this week. Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp reveals Joel Matip is close. "Does it make sense to throw him in after one-two sessions? I don't know... We will have a look at how he trains - nothing decided yet." Naby Keita will not be risked following several setbacks recently. "He is not ready; it’s not a big injury; they just need to let it settle and want to get him 100 per cent fit. That's the situation, so no, he is not in contention for Sunday." Leeds United: Kalvin Phillips is the only addition to the list of missing players which includes long-term absentees - Gaetano Berardi, Adam Forshaw and Robin Koch. Marcelo Bielsa expects everyone else to be fit and available after Tyler Roberts (illness) and Diego Llorente (groin) rejoined the group. Meanwhile, Liam Cooper is fine following a minor scare during the FA Cup loss to Crawley Town.