Team News: Late Fitness Check – Week Two
Not since 2003 has a PL game taken place on a Friday [outside of the holiday season] although todays’ game will serve as a precursor of things to come with a new television deal promising weekly [Friday] fixtures beginning in 2016/17.
This week the headlines have been dominated by Chelsea / Mourinho – standard – for his public dressing down [and subsequent demotion] of club doctor Eva Carneiro who was stripped of her first team duties for well ermmmm doing her job! Way to deflect from a below par, lacklustre performance and divert attention from the matter in hand. Namely a game against former champions Manchester City at the Etihad. Top marks for ingenuity.
Of the rest Arsenal will be looking to get some points on the board and have a great record against Palace winning 5-straight in the league. However the Eagles are a different proposition these days under the stewardship of Pardew and Wenger will not take nothing for granted.
Good luck everyone for the upcoming weekend and may all your arrows be green!
Aston Villa – vs – Manchester United
Jack Grealish and Carles Gil returned to training this week but Fridays’ PL game against Man Utd will come too soon as the pair lack match sharpness. Both should be available for game week three. Rudy Gestede will be hoping his debut winning goal against Bournemouth is enough to earn him a start against United. In truth Villa were pretty ordinary at Dean Court until the introduction of the “battering ram” which arguably changed the game. Jordan Amavi was the pick of the summer signings and the young left-back looks to have a bright future ahead of him. Jores Okore is sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery.
A clean-sheet at Old Trafford is likely to mean United go with the same back five. Matteo Darmian was singled out for praise by Louis van Gaal who impressed on his competitive debut while Chris Smalling was superb. Mild thrombosis will keep Phil Jones out for at least another 2-weeks and Marcos Rojo isn’t quite up-to speed following his late return from the Copa America. Sergio Romero will retain the goalkeepers’ jersey as David De Gea’s future becomes increasingly uncertain at Old Trafford. Another solid week of training means Bastian Schweinsteiger is almost there and the German international will challenge Schneiderlin and Carrick for a start while Ander Herrera will be hoping to oust either Juan Mata, Memphis Depay or Ashley Young. The Red Devils could be unchanged.
Southampton — vs – Everton
Jordy Clasie suffered a setback during his return for the under-21s on Monday evening. The Dutch midfielder was recovering from a hamstring complaint but now an ankle ligament injury will keep him out for between 2-3 weeks. Jose Fonte and Maya Yoshida will continue in the heart of defence as Steven Caulker is ruled out because of a sinus infection. Jay Rodriguez made his first start in over 16 months on Tyneside and understandably looked a little rusty although his stats – strength and speed – were cause for encouragement. The England international averaged 7.31km/h which was higher than any of his team-mates. Oriol Romeu could be added to the Saints squad following his £5 million move from Chelsea but Ryan Bertrand won’t return to full training for another 10-14 days.
Gerard Deulofeu and Muhamed Besic [both hamstring] “are very close” to making the squad this weekend but after a month out the pair lack match sharpness so a place on the bench is likely. Mirallas re-joined the group on Thursday and providing he suffers no reaction the Belgium winger has a good chance “I’m quite positive [of] Kevin being fit.” Leighton Baines is ruled out for between 12-14 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery following a problem in training last week.
West Ham – vs – Leicester City
Carl Jenkinson will be added to West Ham squad after missing the win at the Emirates due the terms of his loan agreement. However the defender will do well to force his way into the side after Bilic masterminded a win for the first time since 2007. Diafra Sakho appeared “happy and has trained well” despite his arrest this week on suspicion of assault but Morgan Amalfitano will not be included in the match-day squad following an altercation with the boss. Amalfitano took exception to a public dressing down – over a missed team meeting – although the fallout is not as bad as some sections of the media suggest. Pedro Obiang [fatigue] is available for selection following his return to full training and Reece Oxford is primed for this weekends’ home game after he became the second-youngest player in PL history – 16 years 237 days – to start a game in the top-flight.
No team has taken more PL points since April than Leicester City who opened their account with an emphatic win over Sunderland in game week one. Riyad Mahrez grabbed the plaudits during a dominant first half display which saw the Foxes go in at the break 3-nil to the good. Jamie Vardy took his tally to five goals and four assists in his last 11 league appearances and despite “racial slur” allegations the forward will appear this weekend. Marc Albrighton also turned provider with a couple of assists of his own. One more and the 25 year-old will equal last seasons’ total. Ritchie De Laet is expected to recover from cramp which forced his withdrawal against the Black Cats. No fresh injury concerns with only Matty James {ACL] ruled out.
Swansea City – vs – Newcastle United
Ki Sung-Yueng will face a late fitness test after “tweaking” his hamstring during the draw at Stamford Bridge. A scan came back clear and Garry Monk is confident the South Korean will be passed fit. Jack Cork remains on standby after surprisingly being named among the substitutes in game week one. Jefferson Montero – who gave Branislav Ivanovic a torrid time – will be available after the club confirmed his withdrawal was nothing more serious than cramp. Andre Ayew has now scored in eight in his last 14 league games including four in six.
Emmanuel Riviere will have a minor procedure to tidy up a cartilage problem in his knee. No timescale has been given on the forwards return. Vurnon Anita joined the group on Wednesday following his “miraculous” recovery, the 26 year-old midfielder was stretchered off against Southampton due to a back problem but was able to train fully. Remy Cabella [thigh] and Paul Dummett [hamstring] will step up their rehab from Monday.
Sunderland – vs – Norwich City
Dick Advocaat could ring the changes after last weekends’ embarrassment at the King Power. Lee Cattermole lasted barely 30-minutes before he was replaced and Billy Jones [54 mins] wasn’t far behind as the Black Cats were dismantled during a torrid first half. Adam Matthews will be vying for the right-back slot while the Dutchman may opt for a change of formation to accommodate Steven Fletcher up front. Danny Graham is slight doubt. Younes Kaboul struggled on his debut which could see John O’Shea return but Wes Brown [knee] is not quite ready. Adam Johnson was one of the few players to come away from the defeat with any shred of credibility but the winger will now miss at least a month following a serious training ground shoulder injury. Yann M’Vila was sent-off [attempted head-butt] for the under-21s on Sunday but his ban won’t be carried across into the PL.
No fresh injury concerns for Alex Neil whose side played well during the defeat to Palace. The Canaries will point to a number of missed opportunities before Wilfried Zaha put the Eagles ahead. Nathan Redmond was a surprise omission from the starting line-up but his goal from the bench – four in his last five appearances – should ensure a start at the Stadium of Light. Likewise last seasons’ top scorer Cameron Jerome [who had been struggling with a foot problem] is expected to be fully fit and ready for a start. Martin Olsson [shoulder] and Kyle Lafferty [knee] are closing in on a return. Youssouf Mulumbu has been ruled out.
Tottenham – vs – Stoke City
Mauricio Pochettino has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from this weekend. The Argentine confirmed Hugo Lloris, Alex Pritchard and Ryan Mason are all good to go while Danny Rose has recovered from a minor thigh injury. Their availability could see Michel Vorm and Ben Davies dropping to the bench despite a decent performance at Old Trafford.
Marko Arnautovic [thigh], Marc Wilson [ankle] and Erik Pieters [illness] will return to the Stoke squad after re-joining the group this week although it remains to be seen who – if any – will make way. Geoff Cameron could drop out for Wilson or Wollscheid at centre-back, alternatively Hughes may consider moving Muniesa across to the left. Arnautovic was excellent during pre-season and Charlie Adam’s place is under threat. Peter Odemwingie [hamstring] could miss between 2-3 weeks and Bojan will not travel as he continues his recovery from an ACL rupture “we’ll look to get him some game time with the U21s.” Club record signing Xherdan Shaqiri is “flying” but Hughes would not say whether the Swiss international will feature against Tottenham on Saturday. Ryan Shawcross successfully underwent back surgery on Wednesday which will keep the skipper out for around 2-months.
Watford – vs – West Brom
No player has scored more goals in 2015 [top four tiers] than Odion Ighalo but the Watford attacker wasn’t 100 per cent last weekend – niggling injury – and had to settle for a place on the bench. Not so in game week two as the 26 year-old Nigerian hitman looks to make up for lost time. Almen Abdi and Steven Berghuis have both trained this week but are “lagging behind their teammates” fitness-wise. The pair are unlikely to start with Flores will make a late decision on their involvement. With the exception of Lloyd Doyley [neck] and Ekstrand [ACL] the only definitive absentees this weekend will be Miguel Britos and Giedrius Arlauskis who both serve the second game of their 2-match bans.
Tony Pulis will meet with his conditioning coaches to discuss the fitness of new signings Serge Gnabry and Jose Salamon Rondon before a decision is made on their participation. Gareth McAuley has been passed fit after recovering from a recent calf strain. The Baggies’ will be looking to get some points on the board after they were outclassed on Monday. Pulis admitted he got his tactics all wrong for the game rewarding Rickie Lambert and Sadio Berahino for their pre-season performances when a 4-5-1 would’ve been better suited against the former champions. Chris Brunt registered more dribbles than any other Baggies player against City.
Crystal Palace – vs – Arsenal
Alan Pardew knew after 5-minutes at Carrow Road that he had “picked the wrong team” but the Eagles got there in the end thanks to standout performers Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Yohan Cabaye. A hamstring injury meant Yannick Bolasie was only fit-enough for a 20-minute cameo while [surprisingly] Glenn Murray was given the nod over £9 million man Connor Wickham. Julian Speroni is sidelined so Alex McCarthy should retain his place but expect Pardew to ring the changes. Marouane Chamakh will step up his recovery from a hamstring strain by playing for the development squad on Monday – the striker is closing in on a return to action. Yohan Cabaye has now scored his 18 PL goals including six in his last eight appearances.
Hector Bellerin returns after a recent thigh problem and the full-back is expected to replace Mathieu Debuchy who was disappointing during the defeat to West Ham. Alexis Sanchez is also “fit and available.” The Chilean was restricted to a place on the bench last weekend following his late return from the Copa America – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Mesut Ozil are at risk of dropping out. Olivier Giroud has been passed fit following a sickening clash of heads with James Tomkins but the Frenchman was largely ineffective in GW1 so don’t be surprised if Theo Walcott is recalled to the starting line-up. Tomas Rosicky will miss at least 2-months after undergoing knee surgery while Danny Welbeck is “not in full training” and will be around 3-weeks. Jack Wilshere [hairline fibula fracture] is on bang schedule to return within a month.
Manchester City – vs – Chelsea
Yaya Toure [groin tightness] is expected to recover in time to face Chelsea on Sunday after Pellegrini revealed his withdrawal was more of a “precaution” at the Hawthorns. City were dominant at West Brom but that won’t stop the Chilean making the necessary changes to help steal a march in this seasons’ title race. Fit-again Pablo Zabaleta will challenge Bacary Sagna while Sergio Aguero is very close and Wilfried Bony could drop out. Martin Demichelis is also back in contention but I still fancy Mangala to partner Vincent Kompany in the heart of the defence. Other options include Samir Nasri who could be swopped for Jesus Navas. David Silva was superb during the win over West Brom. The Spanish playmaker grabbed a fortuitous goal and completed more passes [90] than any other PL player last weekend. Fernando has been ruled out but Gael Clichy returned to training on Thursday and will be assessed ahead of the game. City have now won 7-games in a row.
Asmir Begovic will make his first competitive start for Chelsea after the club failed to overturn Thibaut Courtois’ red card. The Belgium international will serve a one match ban. The Blues looked a little lethargic during the draw with Swansea but that could be attributed to a late return from their summer [plus playing 40-minutes with only ten men] so don’t write Chelsea off just yet. Diego Costa came through the game at Stamford Bridge seemingly unscathed which was one positive for Jose Mourinho. Oscar will face a late fitness test after picking up a knock in training.
Liverpool – vs – AFC Bournemouth
Roberto Firmino is pushing for his inclusion after scoring a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors game at Melwood earlier this week. The Brazilian could be paired with Christian Benteke in a 4-4-2 which would force Adam Lallana out. Joe Gomez will keep his place ensuring Alberto Moreno is out of the Liverpool eleven once again. Balotelli, Borini and Enrique are out of any immediate plans while the likes of Mamadou Sakho and Lazar Markovic are struggling to make the match-day squad. Joe Allen will miss around 3-weeks but it is hoped Daniel Sturridge could return slightly ahead of schedule in early September.
Harry Arter is still struggling with an ongoing hip issue which will keep the Cherries’ midfielder out for a little longer yet. Eddie Howe kept faith in the majority of the players who helped Bournemouth reach the top-flight in GW1 but surely it’s only a matter of time before big money signings Tyrone Mings, Lee Tomlin and Max Gradel are given their chance to shine. Yann Kermorgant recovered from a minor heel complaint last weekend and will be hoping for a bigger slice of the action this time around. Shaun MacDonald [toe] and Christian Atsu [back] are both close to a return after missing the opening day defeat to Villa.
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