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Many stars have played both Week 14 and Week 15, while some have gotten rest. Those who have not yet hit the bench will be concerns for missing out in Week 16 should their managers choose to freshen up their XIs. The gap between Week 15 and Week 16 may play a part in that decision making process.
Minimal Rest:
Wednesday/Saturday: Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham, Watford
Thursday/Sunday: Brighton, Newcastle, Sheffield United
Medium Rest:
Tuesday/Saturday: Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Manchester City
Wednesday/Sunday: Aston Villa, Norwich City, Southampton, Wolves
Thursday/Monday: Arsenal
Plenty of Rest:
Wednesday/Monday: West Ham
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NEXT WEEK
Another factor is that several top teams will have Champions League (Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur) on Tuesday and Wednesday, and others will have Europa League (Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolverhampton) on Thursday, which could also impact Week 16 line-ups.
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SUSPENSIONS
Liverpool keeper Alisson, Aston Villa defender Frederic Guilbert and Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan return after missing Week 15 due to one-game suspensions.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho begins a three-game ban due to a violent straight red card.
Not a suspension per se, but Bournemouth midfielder Harry Wilson is ineligible to face his parent club Liverpool.
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PLAYERS SITTING ON FOUR YELLOW CARDS
Many players currently have four yellow cards on the season, one away from a fifth card which would trigger an automatic one-game ban if it happens in the team’s first 19 games:
Arsenal: defenders Sokratis and Calum Chambers, midfielders Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi
Brighton: midfielder Dale Stephens
Bournemouth: defender Diego Rico
Burnley: defender James Tarkowski, midfielder Jeff Hendrick
Liverpool: defender Trent Alexander-Arnold
Manchester City: midfielder Raheem Sterling
Manchester United: defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Norwich City: defender Max Aarons, midfielder Kenny McLean
Sheffield United: defenders George Baldock and John Lundstram, midfielder John Fleck
Tottenham Hotspur: midfielder Harry Winks
West Ham: defender Ryan Fredericks
Wolves: midfielder Ruben Neves
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NEW MANAGERS
Duncan Ferguson begins his term as Everton’s caretaker manager following the sacking of Marco Silva, but has a difficult task ahead as the Toffees welcome Chelsea, travel to Manchester United, and welcome Arsenal in the next three EPL fixtures, with a League Cup game against Leicester City in there as well.
Hayden Williams had one game as interim manager during the week following the sacking of Quique Sanches Flores. Now Nigel Pearson is set to take over until the end of the season, which of course you can take with a grain of salt given how often the Hornets’ brass likes to make changes.
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INJURIES
Burnley: defender Charlie Taylor (doubtful); defender Phil Bardsley and striker Ashley Barnes (perhaps a game-time decision)
Chelsea: wing attacker Willian and forward Tammy Abraham (perhaps a game-time decision)
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Crystal Palace: defenders Patrick van Aanholt and Joel Ward (out); defenders Gary Cahill and Scott Danny (doubtful)
Everton: defender Yerry Mina (perhaps a game-time decision)
Leicester City: defender Ben Chilwell (perhaps a game-time decision)
Manchester United: wing attacker Anthony Martial (perhaps a game-time decision); midfielder Paul Pogba (doubtful)
Newcastle: defender DeAndre Yedlin and midfielder Allan Saint-Maximin (perhaps a game-time decision)
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THE SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
- Everton v. Chelsea (early game)
- AFC Bournemouth v. Liverpool
- Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley
- Watford FC v. Crystal Palace
- Manchester City v. Manchester United (late game, the Manchester derby!)
SUNDAY
- Aston Villa v. Leicester City
- Newcastle United v. Southampton
- Norwich City v. Sheffield United
- Brighton & Hove Albion v. Wolverhampton
MONDAY
- West Ham United v. Arsenal (a London derby!)
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[NOTE: Premier League schedule and injury information came from the official Premier League fantasy website. Suspension-related information came from there as well, from the official Premier League website or from the official FA site.]
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Which games are you watching? What line-up decisions have you biting your nails ahead of Week 16? Please share any late-breaking news as the deadline approaches, then join us for the live action!
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