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The Premier League is back for another weekend of madness, and there are some tasty fixtures in store. Chelsea welcome under-pressure Manchester United, Manchester City and Brighton go head-to-head for the second time in a week, and in the weekend’s big match, Liverpool meet Arsenal at Anfield.
But before that, it’s also FPL team selection time. After a busy midweek schedule of Carabao Cup action, there are some injury worries that managers should be aware of prior to selecting their GW9 teams.
Plus, with European fixtures on the horizon next week, there’s also a chance players could be rested with that in mind. As such, Express Sport have compiled all of the latest injury and team news updates ahead of the FPL GW9 deadline.
Joao Pedro
Having picked up an injury in training, Joao Pedro is expected to miss the weekend fixture vs United. His absence is a huge blow for the Blues, as Chelsea struggle to operate at the same level compared to when he’s in the side. A return before the November international break appears unlikely right now.
It’s believed that Riccardo Calafiori picked up a minor problem during the win over Everton and as a result, the Italian was left out of the Arsenal squad for the shock Fleetwood defeat. Arteta said last weekend: “It was because he had a slight issue, we don't know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.”
Luke Shaw’s last appearance for United came in the draw with Tottenham at the start of this month. Since then, he’s missed four matches, and how the Red Devils could do with his return. It’s unlikely he’ll be fit enough for the Chelsea match.
Kobbie Mainoo
However, Michael Carrick did receive a major injury boost this week, as Kobbie Mainoo returned to United training. The midfielder has also been missing for a couple of weeks, but is expected to be in contention for minutes on Saturday.
Declan Rice
Speaking of English midfielders, Declan Rice is another Arsenal man who missed the Fleetwood game. He did train before the Carabao Cup match, and isn’t expected to be out for any length of time. He's likely to start at Anfield on Sunday.
Haaland was left out of the City squad altogether in the week, but rest assured managers, that was only to rest him. The Norwegian will return to the starting XI for Saturday’s match with Brighton.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Having aggravated a hamstring injury on international duty, Dominik Szoboszlai is still struggling for fitness. Andoni Iraola wasn’t concerned with the severity of the injury, but don’t expect him to be in the starting XI vs Arsenal on Sunday.