EPL DGW-20 Pre-Deadline Chat

DGW-20 gives us 12 matches, a full “weekend” set plus two more make-up matches, so there’s plenty to mine for points. Here’s the latest team news and injury reports as of 15:00 GMT. Hopefully this Friday the 13th won’t bring you bad luck!

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FRIDAY

Aston Villa v Leeds

Unai Emery will have to do without captain John McGinn as Villa look to bounce back from an unexpected FA Cup defeat against... Stevenage??? Matty Cash picked up a knock in that match and is now a doubt for the weekend. The Villans’ other absentee is Diego Carlos, who has been out since August. Dendoncker will miss out through suspension.

Patrick Bamford might finally be able to make his return from injury after returning to full training a week ago. Adam Forshaw is unlikely to be available despite already participating in full training. Certain absentees for Leeds are Luis Sinisterra, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Stuart Dallas.

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SATURDAY

Man United v Man City

Jadon Sancho is expected to sit out this fixture for the Red Devils despite returning to Manchester after some personal time away. Donny Van de Beek picked up a knee injury in the FA Cup clash against Everton, and it’s expected to keep him out for a while. Dalot was subbed as a precaution against Charlton and has now been ruled out for this one. Wout Weghorst will not be available, and Anthony Martial has been struggling with a minor issue.

The Manchester derby comes too soon for Ruben Dias, and John Stones has been ruled out as well.

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Brighton v Liverpool

Leandro Trossard will be benched for disciplinary reasons, while Jakub Moder remains out as he continues his rehabilitation from a long-term injury.

James Milner has returned to training, but Firmino has suffered a setback and will miss out. Darwin Nunez has not trained this week due to an unspecified injury, and Luiz Diaz, Arthur Melo, Virgil van Dijk and Diogo Jota also remain unavailable.

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Everton v Southampton

The big news coming out of Everton is the injury to key player Alex Iwobi. It has already been confirmed to be an ankle ligament injury, but it is still unknown how bad it is. Iwobi joins an injury list that includes Michael Keane, James Garner, Nathan Patterson, and Andros Townsend.

Southampton has no new injury problems. Alex McCarthy and Theo Walcott are closing in on returns, and new-boy Charly Alcaraz could be handed his debut.

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Nottingham Forest v Leicester

Forest’s in-form attacker, Taiwo Awoniyi is still being monitored after he went out with fatigue/knock in his last match against Southampton. Neco Williams also picked up an injury in the club’s FA Cup defeat to Blackpool that is expected to rule him out of this fixture. Both men missed Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match. Willy Boly limped off the pitch during that game and is now a doubt for Saturday. The club’s long-term absentees remain sidelined, including Jesse Lingard, Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards, and Cheikhou Kouyate.

Leicester has a lengthy injury list of its own, including James Justin, Boubakary Soumare, Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira, and Ryan Bertrand. There is disappointing news concerning James Maddison and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, as both have been ruled out for this fixture, but Dennis Praet has returned to training.

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Wolves v West Ham

Wolves have a slew of injuries to contend with. Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Francisco Oliveira, and Pedro Neto are all ruled out. Daniel Podence and Ait Nouri will also be subjected to late fitness tests, and a late call will be made on Diego Costa as well.

Kurt Zouma has returned to training, and Scamacca is a doubt due to pain in his knee. Alphonse Areola, Vladimir Coufal, and Manuel Lanzini are also doubts due to knocks.

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Brentford v Bournemouth

Thomas Frank has confirmed that captain Ivan Toney will lead the Bees’ front line against Bournemouth. Aaron Hickey and Frank Onyeka have returned to training, but along with Pontus Jansson and Shandon Baptiste, they remain ruled out.

For Bournemouth, Adam Smith is suspended, while questions remain about the fitness of Neto, Brooks, Tavernier, Fredericks, and Stanislas.

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SUNDAY

Chelsea v Crystal Palace

Chelsea’s underwhelming form has been compounded by an injury list that keeps registering new casualties after every match. Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic joined a crowded physio room when they picked up injuries against Man City. There is, however, some good news with the Blues completing the signatures of Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile, Joao Felix, and David Fofana. Felix, however, was shown straight red for a rash tackle on Thursday, and is now suspended for this match and two more.

Tyrick Mitchell returns from suspension, while James McArthur and Nathan Ferguson are injured.

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Newcastle v Fulham

Aleksandar Mitrovic is expected to return against Newcastle for the Cottagers after sitting out against Chelsea for yellow-card accumulation. Antonee Robinson is still banned. Shane Duffy is uncertain due to Illness. Newcastle has no new injury problems, although Eddie Howe says he’ll be cautious with Alexander Isak after his recovery from injury.

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Tottenham v Arsenal

It’s the North London derby. Richarlison is expected to remain sidelined for Spurs as he recovers from a thigh injury. The duo of Yyes Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are training and will be assessed. Dejan Kulusevski has been declared fit, but Lucas Moura remains unlikely.

The FA Cup clash against Oxford United heralded the return of Emile Smith Rowe for the Gunners after being ruled out for over three months. Fears over Saka’s fitness were squashed by Arteta after he was substituted due to what seemed like a knock. The Gunners came through the match unscathed, leaving only Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Jesus on the treatment table.

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WEDNESDAY

Crystal Palace v Man United

Man United’s success in the FA Cup forced the announcement of a new date for this clash. This fixture is sandwiched between games against Man City and Arsenal for United, so it might be wise to worry about rotation from Ten Hag.

Scroll up for known injury updates on both teams, and then look to the latest live-chat article for updates in the comments.

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THURSDAY

Man City v Tottenham

Pep Guardiola’s men face Spurs in the Citizens’ third consecutive fixture against the top six clubs. Guardiola was able to rest players in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, which might leave him with less need to rotate against Spurs.

Scroll up for injury updates on both teams.

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How are your squads setting up for DGW-20? Which double-gamers are you bringing in? Which single-gamers do you expect to produce enough keep up with the rest? Have you heard any late breaking news as we approach our deadlines? Please log in and share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

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