Last updated on May 9th, 2025
MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland is “ready” ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Southampton – but a decision on whether he’ll actually start on Saturday is yet to be decided.
The Norwegian returned from two months out as an unused substitute at Molineux last Friday.
“He’s ready, yeah, he’s ready. He’s fit. Start, we’ll decide tomorrow.” – Pep Guardiola on whether Erling Haaland is ready to start in Gameweek 36
Rodri (knee), Nathan Ake (foot) and Oscar Bobb (unspecified) are on the grass but not yet available for selection.
“Still is not available.” – Pep Guardiola on Rodri
“Still they are not available. Started training with us partially, but still are not available.” – Pep Guardiola on Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake
John Stones (adductor) also remains out.
Guardiola was asked about Nico O’Reilly‘s early substitution last weekend, something that allowed Josko Gvardiol the chance to return to left-back.
“He played a lot of minutes. There are games, the players that play outstanding and after didn’t play. Players that played not really good and played the next game. There’s not a reason. There’s no punishment here.
“When the game is done, we analyse what we can do better but it’s completely forgotten, it’s the past. It is what you can learn the game we play to the next one, especially in the young players that make a regular, regular impact in the team.
“The results we had, without him, it would be difficult to imagine.” – Pep Guardiola on Nico O’Reilly’s substitution last weekend
“Yeah, can play there definitely, definitely.” – Pep Guardiola on whether Manuel Akanji’s return tempts him to play Nico O’Reilly in midfield
LIVERPOOL
Arne Slot has said that Conor Bradley will start this weekend, so Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s prepenultimate match as a Liverpool player looks set to be as a substitute.
Slot first only hinted that Bradley would be recalled in Gameweek 36.
“If Conor would have been available for Chelsea, he would have started already against Chelsea – but he wasn’t, so there’s a fair chance that he will start.” – Arne Slot
But the Dutchman went one further later in the presser, confirming that would be the case.
“I already said that Conor is going to start because I think he needs playing time as well to get some games under his belt to be better prepared for next season.” – Arne Slot
As for the rest of Liverpool’s line-up, Slot was asked if last week’s defeat affected his plans to continue to give his squad players chances in the run-in.
“I think there are a lot of influences on the decisions I make and one of them is also definitely losing a game of football. So, I’m not looking forward to losing all four of them. But there are more things going into a line-up than only losing or only rotating, giving the chance to other players.” – Arne Slot
There were no questions on injuries but Joe Gomez (hamstring) is thought to remain out.
ARSENAL
There were no team news questions asked in Mikel Arteta’s presser, with much of the talk focused around the midweek UEFA Champions League defeat and the failure to win the Premier League this season.
“That’s how we felt in the manner that we went out, we’re very, very proud, but make sure that we finish the season in the same way. You cannot win the Premier League, that’s clear, but the last 16 days that we have with three games to go, make sure that we make ourselves proud at least to compete and end in the manner that we deserve.” – Mikel Arteta on ending this season strongly to consolidate second place
Riccardo Calafiori (knee) and Jorginho (rib) returned to the Arsenal squad for Wednesday’s match with Paris Saint-Germain, while Jurrien Timber shrugged off the issue that kept him out of Gameweek 35 to start in France.
On-loan goalkeeper Neto is also available again, having been ineligible to face his parent club last weekend.
Of the remaining injured contingent, only Kai Havertz (hamstring) has a chance of featuring before the campaign’s end, as the seasons of Gabriel Jesus (knee), Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are over.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Eddie Howe opened his presser with an ambiguous team news update.
“We’ve got a couple of players that we are looking at and assessing and we’ll see how they are from the weekend but apart from that, we’re okay. We’ve trained well this week, I’ve been pleased with the group.
“You may [ask who they are] but let’s keep it under wraps and see if they make it!” – Eddie Howe
Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar are two names that may be concerns after their Gameweek 35 withdrawals. Howe previously said he was hopeful that both players were only suffering from cramp.
Later in Friday’s press conference, Howe was asked specifically about the pair and gave a pretty terse response.
“Yeah, doing pretty good.” – Eddie Howe on Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar
Elsewhere, the Newcastle boss hinted that Joelinton (knee) may yet feature before the end of the season.
“Saw Joe yesterday for the first time in a while. He’d been away getting treatment and returned to Brazil briefly but he’s been back in Barcelona for another injection. I think he’s feeling pretty good. Whether we see him before the end of the season, I’m not sure.” – Eddie Howe on Joelinton
Howe was then asked about Anthony Gordon, who hasn’t started since Gameweek 27.
“He is [desperate to start], he’s pushing. Just in terms of his general training performance, I think this is his best week physically. He had an issue obviously that he picked up with England and it’s taken him a while to get back to full fitness. It was a nasty injury. But he’s looked good, I thought he did well when he came on against Brighton. He adds a different dimension to our game, directness in running, very front-footed player. So, let’s wait and see.
“I think there’s an understanding from Anthony that he hasn’t been fully fit. We’ve had discussion and communication, of course, and I try to do that with all the players. Naturally I know now that he feels good within his body and he probably feels ready to start. That’s a decision I have to make”. – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon
“Even though we were picking the same team for a run of games, there are always decisions to make, especially with the quality of the squad that we have. But ultimately, you have to try and pick on what you see, and then there’s the rhythm and the relationships in the team that have been good. You’ve got to be careful not to change something that doesn’t need changing.” – Eddie Howe
Lewis Hall (foot) and Matt Targett (hamstring) are on the injury list, while Jamaal Lascelles (knee) is only just back in training after a long spell out.
Sven Botman has been on the bench in the last two matches after his own medium-term lay-off.
“He is definitely getting there. Most importantly, he’s had a sustained run of training injury-free, looking good. That’s always a great thing for us and for Sven. I think he feels confident in his body again, which again is hugely important after the couple of injuries that he’s had. He’s a huge player, as we know, he’s got stand-out qualities. Yeah, he’s close.” – Eddie Howe on how close Sven Botman is to starting
ASTON VILLA
After rumours suggesting as much on Thursday, Unai Emery confirmed that Youri Tielemans (muscle) has joined Marcus Rashford (hamstring) on the injury list.
The Belgian is not yet ruled out of the rest of the season, however.
“He’s injured, he’s not available for tomorrow. We will test him again next week.
“It’s a small [muscle injury] and we will test him again next week. For tomorrow, he’s not available.” – Unai Emery on Youri Tielemans
Villa have no other fitness worries.
CHELSEA
Enzo Maresca didn’t give us anything new in terms of injury news in his Gameweek 36 presser, which was filmed straight after Thursday’s win over Djurgarden.
He did hint, not just with his comments but with his midweek teamsheet, that he would name the same team for the third Premier League match in a row.
“Yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see. [The Djurgarden match] gave us a little bit of a chance to rotate tonight and to protect players. But we have still now tomorrow and Saturday to prepare the game and then we’ll see.” – Enzo Maresca on whether we can expect a similar line-up to Gameweek 35
Christopher Nkunku (knock) looks set to miss out: he was ruled out for a further 10-15 days last Sunday.
Aaron Anselmino (muscle), Wesley Fofana (muscle) and Omari Kellyman (hamstring) remain sidelined, too, while Mykhailo Mudryk is still provisionally banned by the Football Association.
Marc Guiu (hamstring) is on the cusp of a comeback, however, with Maresca saying on Wednesday that the striker was “very close” to first-team involvement after a return to training.
MANCHESTER UNITED
United may have more than one eye on the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao but Ruben Amorim said in his Gameweek 36 press conference – filmed in the aftermath of Thursday’s semi-final win – that it wouldn’t be wholesale rotation in the next two games.
“No, they will play because sometimes it’s better to play. What I will protect is the players that can get an injury. For example, Bruno, or the last game before Tottenham but we moved the game to the Friday against Chelsea. So we’ll have time to recover. We want to win and to be competitive, also in the Premier League. Bruno doesn’t have the problem of any injury [touches wood] but Harry has. So we’ll have to manage that but they have to play and it is better to play than to stay out.” – Ruben Amorim on whether the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire will be rested in the next two Premier League games
Later in his press conference, Amorim did stress he will not be taking any risks with his squad.
“I have to make a choice. What is the best for the club, not what is the best for me. I make a choice in this moment. I’m going to try to save all the players because it’s really important for us to win the final.” – Ruben Amorim on criticism of his and his team’s approach to the Premier League
Injury wise, we didn’t get any fresh updates.
We do know that Matthijs de Ligt (knee) will miss out on Sunday after picking up an injury in Gameweek 35.
Diogo Dalot (calf), Ayden Heaven (ankle), Joshua Zirkzee (hamstring), Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Toby Collyer (leg) also remained unavailable ahead of Thursday’s clash with Athletic Club.
BOURNEMOUTH
Dango Ouattara (adductor) has been ruled out of this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa and is unlikely to feature again this season.
Ryan Christie (groin), Enes Unal (knee) and Luis Sinisterra (hamstring) are still on the sidelines, too.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Nuno Espirito Santo is hopeful of having Murillo (hamstring) available this weekend but further assessment is needed.
The Brazilian came off with what appeared to be a hamstring issue in Monday’s draw with Crystal Palace and has only partly trained since.
“He has been able to do part of the training sessions. But we still have to assess him tomorrow better. He is doing part of the training session, not the full session. Hopefully for Sunday.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Murillo
Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring) is still out.
“He is improving but he is not going to be available for this game. Hopefully he can feature again this season.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Callum Hudson-Odoi
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Kaoru Mitoma (heel) should return this week but Solly March (knee), who like Mitoma missed out against Newcastle United last Sunday, is out for the season.
“We have to start with Solly. So, unfortunately, he will be out for the rest of the season. Hopefully, he will be back for the pre-season.
“Kaoru is back on the pitch, he trains with the team, so he will be an option for tomorrow.” – Fabian Hurzeler
Joao Pedro serves the final game of a three-match ban following his straight red card in Gameweek 33.
Georginio Rutter (ankle), James Milner (hamstring) and Ferdi Kadioglu (toe) remain out.
“Georgie is doing rehab so he won’t be an option for tomorrow but hopefully we will see him in this season.
“James Milner, he’s back on the pitch, not with the team but with the rehab coaches.” – Fabian Hurzeler
CRYSTAL PALACE
Palace will be without Adam Wharton for Sunday’s away trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
The midfielder picked up an ankle injury in Gameweek 35 but the issue is not serious and he should be back for the FA Cup final.
The Eagles have no other injury concerns, bar long-term absentees Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure (both knee).
“No, unfortunately he’s [Wharton] not available. If everything goes right he’ll be re-integrated in full training next week, and on Wednesday when we start preparing for the [FA Cup] final.
“He is the only who cant play. All the others are fit and available.” – Oliver Glasner
On-loan back-up goalkeeper Matt Turner is available again, having been unable to face his parent club on Monday.
FULHAM
There have been three new additions to the Fulham injury list week.
Harrison Reed picked up a calf issue last Saturday, while Timothy Castagne has had ankle surgery this week.
Now Sasa Lukic (unspecified) has been added to the list of absentees, which already includes Rodrigo Muniz (Achilles) and Reiss Nelson (hamstring).
“The only one that can be able probably to play again this season is Sasa Lukic, probably is going to be just one game out. Let’s see if next week he can be back to help the team again.” – Marco Silva
Andreas Pereira, who missed out last weekend, is “ready to play”.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Jorgen Strand Larsen (groin) has resumed training after missing out last Friday, with further assessment to come to see if he can be involved against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Hwang Hee-chan is meanwhile dealing with a “small problem”.
Those were the exact words that Vitor Pereira had previously used to described Sam Johnstone’s issue – he’s missed the last four matches.
Wolves are also without longer-term absentees Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Yerson Mosquera (knee), Leon Chiwome (knee) and Enso Gonzalez (knee).
EVERTON
Abdoulaye Doucoure is available again, having missed out in Gameweek 35 but to deal with a “personal issue”.
James Tarkowski (hamstring), Orel Mangala (knee) and, likely, Jesper Lindstrom (hernia) are out for the season.
WEST HAM UNITED
Edson Álvarez (back) will return to the West Ham United squad this weekend.
Michail Antonio (leg) and Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) are the only other absentees from Graham Potter’s squad.
“Edson Álvarez is back. He’s had an issue with his back, but he had an injection a few days ago, so that’s good. He’s back in the squad for the weekend, and apart from that there are no new injuries.” – Graham Potter
West Ham confirmed earlier in the day that Aaron Cresswell, Łukasz Fabiański, Vladimír Coufal and Danny Ings will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season.
IPSWICH TOWN
Ben Johnson is off the suspension list but Leif Davis remains on it for another game.
Conor Townsend (hamstring), Nathan Broadhead (thigh) and Sammie Szmodics (ankle) are still out, with Kieran McKenna saying it’s still possible we see the latter again this campaign.
Aro Muric (shoulder), Wes Burns (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) and Jaden Philogene (knee) are sidelined for the rest of 2024/25.
“I don’t think anything else new from where we’ve been.” – Kieran McKenna on team news
McKenna said Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste, while technically available and in the squad last weekend, are “still struggling” and “carrying injuries”.
LEICESTER CITY
Facundo Buonanotte (head) is available again after the 12-day concussion protocol ruled him out of action last weekend.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has no fresh concerns for the trip to Nottingham Forest.
Mads Hermansen (groin), Bobby De Cordova-Reid (muscle), Abdul Fatawu (knee) and Stephy Mavididi (muscle) are out for the season but there’s still a chance we’ll see Ricardo Pereira (muscle) again in 2024/25.
BRENTFORD
Long-term absentee Aaron Hickey (hamstring) is not ready for first-team involvement, despite featuring for the under-21s earlier this week.
Thomas Frank is, however, optimistic that he’ll make the matchday squad in the run-in.
“Hickey is getting closer. He played a decent game on Monday, 60 minutes there.
“He’s just short of being involved the next squad but hopefully he can be involved in one of the next two games. Let’s see. It’s about building him correctly.” – Thomas Frank on Aaron Hickey
Josh Dasilva (knee) and Fabio Carvalho (shoulder) remain out, while Vitaly Janelt underwent season-ending surgery last week to correct a niggling heel issue.
The Bees have no fresh concerns.
“Everyone who was ready for Man United is also available again.” – Thomas Frank
The Bees welcomed Igor Thiago back into the squad last weekend for the first time in 2025.
Whatever negligible threat the fit-again forward posed to Yoane Wissa‘s start was further extinguished by Frank on Thursday.
“He is over the worst part and getting into training. Now it’s just about giving him the right load like with any player, no matter if it’s a joint infection, a hamstring or an ankle.
“Now he just needs to be fit enough to be able compete. We pushed him a bit hard to be available for the squad [last weekend] because we needed him to be available. Even if we have a new injury to any one of our front three, he will not start, but hopefully he had a good week of training this week, he’ll have another good week next week, and we will go from there.” – Thomas Frank on Igor Thiago
SOUTHAMPTON
Simon Rusk again reported a clean bill of health in his pre-match press conference.
“I mean, we’ve trained quite vigorously today, so I’m still having to have an update on, you know, who’s in. But as we sit here now, you know, again, a fairly clean bit of health.” – Simon Rusk
Matheus Fernandes was substituted early in the second half last weekend, partly because of a chest infection (a decision that saw Rusk barracked by the Saints fans), but is okay to feature in Gameweek 36.
“Yeah, he’s recovered. He’s trained well this week, and hopefully, he can put a really good performance in for us this Saturday.” – Simon Rusk on Matheus Fernandes
