The return of Premier League football is just around the corner and FPL players will certainly have some tough decisions to make ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures. A few big-name players are nursing injuries picked up over the international break, while others are touch-and-go and will be subjected to late fitness tests by their respective clubs.
Express Sport is on hand to bring you the latest injury news for Gameweek 9, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle all impacted…
Saka and Saliba could miss out
Arsenal may be forced to take on Chelsea without two of their most important players if Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are declared unfit before kick-off. Both players withdrew from their respective international squads earlier this month, with Saka nursing a hamstring injury and Saliba struggling with a toe problem.
Mikel Arteta remained coy in Friday’s press conference when asked if there were any updates on the duo, saying: “Not a lot. We haven’t had a lot of players. We’re going to do our first training session today and we’ll know more after the session.”
The Gunners may also be without Leandro Trossard, who was injured against Manchester City and did not feature for Belgium during the international break.
Varane back in training but Casemiro out
Raphael Varane could return to action for United this weekend after missing the win over Brentford with what was described as a ‘minor issue’. The Frenchman has been training with his team-mates over the last few days and will be hoping to feature in some capacity against Sheffield United, either as a starter or coming off the bench.
One player who will definitely not be involved is Casemiro, who picked up an ankle injury while playing for Brazil and is unavailable for selection as a result. He has remained in the country at United’s request but is expected back at Carrington early next week to resume training, according to Sky Sports.
Newcastle ‘leaving it late’ with Isak
More than one in five FPL players currently have Alexander Isak in their team but the Swede may not be fit to play against Crystal Palace this afternoon. He withdrew from international duty after suffering a knock against West Ham and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe revealed on Friday that he is yet to return to full training.
“Alex hasn’t trained with us yet,” said Howe. “He’s going to leave it late to see if he’s fit and available.”
Sven Botman, meanwhile, has not featured since scoring his first Newcastle goal against Sheffield United last month. Howe gave little away when asked if the Dutchman will be back in the side against Palace, saying: “Sven’s improving. The two weeks has been good for him.”
Other FPL injury news
Chelsea have been ravaged by injuries so far this season and will assess Reece James, Nicolas Jackson and Axel Disasi before kick-off against Arsenal. However, Malo Gusto will be available for the Blues after serving his suspension, while Benoit Badiashile is expected to be fit enough to make the bench.
Jurgen Klopp has already confirmed that Liverpool will be without Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara in this weekend’s Merseyside derby against Everton, Andy Robertson is also expected to be out for a while after dislocating his shoulder on international duty, but Cody Gakpo could be involved after making a timely return to the training pitch.
Kaoru Mitoma, who is currently in 37 per cent of all FPL teams, will be available for Brighton this weekend despite withdrawing from Japan duty with an illness but Pervis Estupinan, another popular pick, is still injured for the Seagulls and will play no part against Manchester City.
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