EPL GW-27 Pre-Deadline Chat

Injury and suspension news ahead of the mini ‘double’ fixtures!

By alimangi7 Mar 10, 2023, 8:01am PST

Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United - Premier League — Which Brighton players are you looking at for the DGW?

The Premier League returns after the mid-week European fixtures, and once again we have doubles. Four teams will play twice: Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Southampton and Crystal Palace.

Below I bring you our weekly roundup of team news and injury reports ahead of the upcoming gameweek.

Last updated 10 March 16:00 GMT.

Saturday 11 March

Bournemouth vs Liverpool

Liverpool has momentum on their side and will hope to continue their good form in the league. The club is on a four-match winning run, most recently curb-stomping Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield. Bournemouth will be happy to snatch even a point from this game since they are still stuck in the relegation zone.

Bournemouth has plenty of players out with injuries. Junior Stanislas, Matiav Vina, David Brooks, Lloyd Kelly, Marcus Tavernier and Ilya Zabarnyi are likely to miss out, and Jefferson Lerma is now a doubt as well.

For the Reds, key players like Thiago, Luis Diaz, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita and Arthur are still injured and will miss the trip to the Vitality Stadium.

Everton vs Brentford

Everton are fighting for their top-flight future, while the visitors have aspirations of European football next season.

For Everton, the fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains the biggest talking point since the striker has missed the last five games with a thigh problem. James Garner returned to the matchday squad for the trip to Nottingham, but did not make it off the bench. Vitalii Mykolenko was absent due to illness, while Andros Townsend and Nathan Patterson are still out injured.

Most of Brentford’s players are fully fit. Back-up goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is injured with an ankle problem but is back in training and nearing a return. But winger Keane Lewis-Potter continues to have a knee issue and will be out for up to two months.

Leeds vs Brighton

Just like Everton vs Brentford, the Leeds vs Brighton match features one team fighting to stay ahead of the relegation zone and another reaching out for a European spot.

For the home side, Adam Forshaw (hip) and Stuart Dallas (knee) are still out but Luis Sinisterra (muscle) and Rodrigo Moreno (ankle) returned to training this week and have a chance of making the bench.

For Brighton, Adam Lallana (muscle) and Jakub Moder (knee) are both ruled out with long-term injuries. Levi Colwill (muscle) could be in a position to make the bench after playing half a game for the club’s U-21s last week. After being substituted in the early stages of the first half against West Ham, Tariq Lamptey is doubtful with a knee problem.

Leicester vs Chelsea

Fox boss Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that James Maddison is available against Chelsea, although the midfielder is still dealing with a minor “issue”. After being out for four months, Jonny Evans (thigh) has returned to training and could come back into the squad, while Harvey Barnes is aiming to wiggle through an ankle injury sustained in GW26.

On the other hand, Chelsea has a slew of players that will miss out, including Reece James (illness), Thiago Silva, Armando Broja and Edouard Mendy. N’Golo Kante also remains unavailable but could be ready for in time for GW28. Cesar Azpilicueta continues his recovery from a serious concussion and seems unlikely. Raheem Sterling (hamstring) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (back) are doubts.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest

After crashing out of the UCL, pressure is building on Antonio Conte’s men. Emerson and Ivan Perisic are doubts heading into the weekend, but Perisic did train today. Cristian Romero stayed down after seeing red for a second bookable offence in the Milan game, but its not clear if this was a legitimate injury or merely theatrics. Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Hugo Lloris and Ryan Sessegnon remain are still out.

For Forest, Steve Cooper has confirmed that Niakhate and Cheikhou Kouyate (hamstring) are nearing readiness, but Taiwo Awoniyi (groin), Willy Boly (hamstring), Scott McKenna (hamstring), Dean Henderson (thigh), Giulian Biancone (ACL) and Omar Richards (leg) remain unavailable.

Crystal Palace vs Man City

Crystal Palace is set to miss out on three players: Sam Johnstone and Nathan Ferguson are long term absentees, and Cheick Doucoure is suspended following his red card last weekend.

Everyone is available for Manchester City, but a cloud hangs over Kyle Walker, who is apparently under investigation by the Cheshire Police after an unseemly incident in a bar on Sunday.

Sunday 12 March

Fulham vs Arsenal

Fulham will have to do without important central midfielder Palhinha, as he remains suspended. Tom Cairney (ankle), Neeskens Kebano (achilles), Layvin Kurzawa (knee) remain sidelined through injury. Cedric Soares is ineligible for this one since Arsenal is his parent club.

After a 2-2 thriller against Sporting, the Gunners return from Portugal with a variety of injury concerns. Kieran Tierney (illness), Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Leandro Trossard (groin) and Mohamed Elneny (knee) are still sidelined, but Gabriel Jesus returned to training this week after a serious knee injury last year — a massive boost for Mikel Arteta. Although he did not make the bench against Sporting, he has a chance to feature in the matchday squad for Fulham. Martin Odegaard missed yesterday’s Europa League draw vs. Sporting through illness, and is therefore a doubt heading into the weekend.

Man United v Southampton

After the Liverpool beat-down, United bounced back in their Europa fixture with a 4-1 win over Real Betis in the first leg. For now, Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen are still unavailable, but Anthony Martial is back on the pitch. Sabitzer missed the EFL game through injury and is now a doubt for the weekend.

For Southampton, Carlos Alcaraz is a doubt for the United match but should be fully fit for the second game of Soton’s double. Otherwise the Saints will do without only Tino Livramento and Juan Larios, who have been long-term absentees.

West Ham vs Aston Villa

West Ham might be struggling in the Premier League, but they are making short work of their Europa Conference League opponents, most recently with a 2-0 victory over AEK Larnaca. Michail Antonio was substituted in that match as a precaution for calf tightness, and Paqueta is a doubt after picking up a knock in that match as well. Lukasz Fabianski has returned to training, and Maxwel Cornet (calf) has been declared fit. Vladimir Coufal (heel) remains unavailable.

The Villans have Philippe Coutinho (thigh), Jed Steer (calf), Boubacar Kamara (lower leg) all set for the sidelines, but there is a chance that Diego Carlos could feature. Leander Dendoncker’s status remains uncertain for personal reasons.

Newcastle vs Wolves

Newcastle are on a 315-minute goalless stretch across all competitions, turning their 17-match unbeaten run into a five-match winless run that includes losses to Liverpool and City. Wolves are also struggling up front, having scored just twice in four games, and none in thier last two.

The Magpies are still out with a Joelinton through suspension for yellow card accumulation, while Emil Krafth remains unavailable with a knee injury. Fabian Schar is a doubt.

For Wolves, Diego Costa (knee), Hugo Bueno (thigh), Hee-chan Hwang (thigh), Chiquinho (knee), and Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) are sidelined, and there are doubts over Boubacar Traore (hip).

Thursday 16 March

Brighton vs Crystal Palace

Team news - mentioned above

Southampton vs Brentford