Premier League Injury Update - Gameweek 17
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
Manchester United vs Norwich – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
Manchester United’s injury crisis continues, and right now they will be bemoaning the fact that there isn’t a winter break in the Premier League. Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, and Ander Herrera are all doubtful for their clash against Norwich. The bad news lies with Marcos Rojo, Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw, and Antonio Valencia, who are all out with more serious injuries.
Norwich are doing relatively well on the injury front, and they’ll only be without Andre Wisdom and Matt Jarvis for their trip to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
Southampton are hoping to welcome Graziano Pelle back into the starting line up for their match against Tottenham Hotspur, but Martin Stekelenburg is out for a week. He joins long term injury problems Fraser Forster, Florin Gardos, and Jay Rodriguez on the sidelines.
Moussa Dembele is a doubt for Spurs’ trip down south, and Ryan Mason is going to be out for another week or so with his ankle problem. Clinton N’Jie has picked up a knee problem and Alex Pritchard won’t be back until February.
Everton vs Leicester – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
Everton have a number of injury problems to deal with, although they are close to recovering from them. James McCarthy, Bryan Oviedo, Phil Jagielka, and Tony Hibbert are all doubtful for their hosting of Leicester. Stephen Pienaar is still suffering from his hamstring injury and will sit out the next few matches, whilst Tyias Browning has been ruled out until June with a serious knee injury.
Matthew James is nearing a return for Leicester after being in recovery from the ACL injury he sustained in May, but he still won’t be back for a few weeks yet. Rickie De Laet is also out until the beginning of January and Danny Drinkwater should be back for Boxing Day. Jordan Schlupp’s hamstring injury will keep him out until the end of January.
Chelsea vs Sunderland – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
The incoming Chelsea manager may have to deal with an underperforming squad, but at least his physio’s office is relatively clear. Eden Hazard and Radamel Falcao are both doubts for their hosting of Sunderland, but apart from that they are looking good.
Younes Kaboul should have recovered from his bout of illness in time for a trip to Stamford Bridge, although Sebastian Coates’ own illness means he is doubtful. Lee Cattermole should be back in action on Boxing Day, whilst Seb Larsson will sit out the Christmas period with a knee injury.
West Brom vs Bournemouth – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
West Brom are looking in good shape in the fitness department. Ben Foster’s ACL injury is on the road to recovery and he should be back between the sticks by the start of the New Year. Stephane Sessegnon is also a slight doubt, but the West Brom backroom staff are hoping that he’ll be okay to play.
Bournemouth’s injury list is slowly shrinking, but the key trio of Max Gradel, Callum Wilson, and Tyrone Mings will remain on the list for the foreseeable future. Tommy Elphick and Christian Atsu should be back near the beginning of January, whilst both Josh King and Lee Tomlin are hoping to take to the field before 2015 ends.
Stoke vs Crystal Palace – Sat 19th Dec – 15:00
Xherdan Shaqiri is hoping to shake off his hamstring problem before Stoke’s game against Crystal Palace, with Peter Crouch’s own hamstring expected to recover before the end of the year. Marc Muniesa, Stephen Ireland, and Shay Given are all sitting this one out too.
Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak could be in the Crystal Palace squad on Saturday, with Bakary Sako following on Boxing Day. Dwight Gayle is expected to be back at the start of January as well, but Kwesi Appiah is still suffering from his ACL knee injury and it’s unknown how long it will keep him out.
Newcastle vs Aston Villa – Sat 19th Dec – 17:30
At least Newcastle are at the top of one table, unfortunately for them it’s the injury table. They have ten players missing or doubtful for their relegation face off with Aston Villa. Mike Williamson, Rolando Aarons, Jamal Lascelles, Massadio Haidara, Tim Krul, Gabriel Obertan, Steven Taylor, Emmanuel Riviere, and Craig Good are all going to miss out. On the plus side, Cheikh Tiote could return to the midfield.
Micah Richards is a major doubt for Aston Villa with his knee problem. Jordan Amavi will be out for some time with his ACL knee injury, whilst Gary Gardner is still trying to recover from the shocking tackle he was on the end of in pre season.
Watford vs Liverpool – Sun 20th Dec – 13:30
Valon Behrami and Sebastian Prodl are both slight doubts for Watford’s match against Liverpool. The only other injury concern is Joel Ekstrand, who is expected to make his first Premier League appearance at the beginning of 2016.
Mamadhou Sakho could make a return to Liverpool’s back line on Sunday. Unfortunately there are quite a few more injury problems for Liverpool to deal with. Dejan Lovren and Daniel Sturridge are hoping to be back on Boxing Day, with James Milner, Jordan Rossiter, and Jon Flanagan hoping to return at the start of 2016. Danny Ings and Joe Gomez are expected to miss the rest of the season though.
Swansea vs West Ham – Sun 20th Dec – 16:00
Jonjo Shelvey is a slight doubt for Swansea as they look for a rare win on Sunday. Macedo Lopes is a major doubt though, and will probably sit the match out alongside Franck Tabanou.
The perennially injured Andy Carroll is a doubt for West Ham again, and he joins Manuel Lanzini in being expected back for Boxing Day. Winston Reid, Dimitri Payet, and Victor Moses will all sit on the sidelines until the middle of January though. Diafra Sakho is the only long term injury for the Hammers; he won’t be back until March.
Arsenal vs Manchester City – Mon 21st Dec – 20:00
Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Mikel Arteta are both big doubts for their crucial clash against Manchester City, but it’s likely they will be doing everything possible to get them fit in time for Monday’s game. It’s a lost cause for Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck, Francis Coquelin, Jack Wilshere, and Santi Cazorla though, who will be out for between two weeks and four months.
Sergio Aguero is hoping to be back up front for Manchester City on Monday, with defensive duo Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany joining the team before the end of the year. Fernando should be back at the start of January, but Samir Nasri will frequent the physio’s office until April with his hamstring injury.