Another round of midweek fixtures begins on Tuesday as the Premier League ploughs through its congested schedule into February.
Teams are experiencing a spike in injuries after a gruelling January period came off the back of the traditional festive fixture frenzy.
And there’s no time to let up for teams at the top and bottom of the Premier League table. Relegation battlers Sheffield United and West Brom clash on Tuesday, defending champions Liverpool host Brighton on Wednesday and Thursday sees Tottenham and Chelsea collide in a mouthwatering London derby, the picks of 10 games in three days.
Here, i brings you the latest team news ahead of Gameweek 22…
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Thomas Tuchel decided not to risk N’Golo Kante in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Burnley – a routine victory that saw the Blues command possession and restrict their opponents to one wayward shot all game.
Chelsea have greatly missed Kante since his injury suffered in the FA Cup loss to Manchester City at the start of January.
The midfielder acts as the dynamo in the team and new boss Thomas Tuchel has already confirmed he plans to use Kante as a “double six” when he’s back fit, but they really didn’t need his presence against the Clarets.
“For me he is a guy who is a big, big helper for everybody, with the mentality of a water-carrier – but at the same time a world-class player who played a crucial role in the World Cup win for France. That’s why it is super important for me to have him,” Tuchel said.
Chelsea’s trip to Tottenham is on Thursday, meaning Kante has a few more days to recover and get accustomed to Tuchel’s gameplan. All being well the ex-Leicester man will be ready to start in north London.
Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal)
Alexandre Lacazette was forced off at half time of Arsenal’s dour draw with Manchester United on Saturday after a collision with Harry Maguire left him receiving medial help for seven minutes.
After the match Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “He landed on his head, I don’t know, they will check him, the doctor is on it.
“He was feeling fine right now, so hopefully it’s nothing important. It’s a big worry because we have so many players out at the moment and some players who are struggling to keep playing minutes.”
Tuesday may come too soon for Lacazette, who will likely be assessed for concussion by medical staff in the days before the trip to Wolves.
Lacazette posted his own message on Instagram, saying: “All good over on this side. Thanks for the doctors for the support and the fans for their concern.”
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Another headache for Arsenal is Bukayo Saka, who missed Saturday’s game in north London due to a hip problem.
“Bukayo has been left out as a precaution due to a sore hip,” an Arsenal statement on social media read.
There remains questions over how long the England international will be out for, but the precautionary stance taken by Arsenal over the weekend suggests he shouldn’t be sidelined for an extended period.
Saka has been a revelation at Arsenal this season, especially in recent weeks where he has scored five goals since Boxing Day. And Arsenal certainly missed the 19-year-old exuberance against United.
Romain Saiss (Wolves)
Wolves fans haven’t seen Romain Saiss since he suffered a knock before the FA Cup encounter with Chorley in mid-January. Saiss was an unused substitute against Chelsea earlier this week and then didn’t even make the bench for the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
There are reports Liverpool are interested in signing the 30-year-old as a stand-in defender to cover for the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
But Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo doesn’t seem too fazed by those rumours. Asked about the absence of the Moroccan, the manager said: “We have Romain Saiss and Rayan [Ait-Nouri] both out, both with injuries, which is why we decided to go with Nelson [Semedo] on the left because we didn’t have neither Romain, Rayan, Marcal and Jonny – the players that normally play on the left were not available today.”
Next up for Wolves in a tie against Arsenal on Tuesday – less than 24 hours after the transfer window closes. It seems unlikely we will see Saiss feature here.
Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Another casualty from the stalemate at the Emirates was Scott McTominay, who was substituted in the first half due to stomach cramps.
Boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “It was his stomach, maybe the food in the hotel but whatever it was, he struggled. So we had to take him off.”
Scotland international McTominay was making his 35th appearance for club and country already this season and has been a major part of United’s recent resurgence.
He was replaced by Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba dropped back into the midfield. Solskjaer must now determine whether to stick with McTominay for Tuesday’s home tie with Southampton, or revert to a different set-up.
Much will depend on how the midfielder recovers from that bout of stomach cramps.
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
At one stage of the season Tottenham were serious contenders for the Premier League title. But after they slipped off the pace in recent weeks, what they really don’t need is another frustrating ankle injury for Harry Kane.
Kane suffered the knock following a challenge with Jordan Henderson in the 3-1 loss to Liverpool last Thursday. He was replaced by Erik Lamela, who may now take up the role of central striker for the foreseeable future.
Manager Jose Mourinho conceded his captain will be out for “a few weeks” – during which time Spurs are due to play West Brom, Manchester City and West Ham in the Premier League, Everton in the FA Cup and travel to Wolfsburg for the first leg of the Europa League last-32 stage.
Thursday’s crunch game with Chelsea will be a real test of Spurs’ attacking resolve. They still have Son Heung-min to seek out with a defence-splitting pass, but Mourinho will need his troops to step up in Kane’s absence.
Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton)
The Saints full-back missed Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa after suffering an injury in training.
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was keeping his cards close to his chest when asked about his man, saying: “Not sure yet. He will not be available but we will have to have a look.”
Walker-Peters, 23, has played 20 games for Southampton this season, having made his loan move to St Mary’s from Tottenham permanent in the summer, at a cost of £12m.
Saints will hope to end a two-game losing streak when they play Manchester United on Tuesday, but Walker-Peters is unlikely to be there to muck in.
Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea)
It was initially thought Hakim Ziyech was not carrying an injury when Chelsea boss Tuchel omitted him from the squad that beat Burnley on Sunday.
But the German explained that Ziyech has in fact been suffering from fatigue.
“Hakim has been in a bit of overload since five weeks so he has a bit of a risk of getting injured if he plays more than say 30 minutes,” Tuchel said.
“For that we decided to take a break now to go out of the risk zone. We decided this yesterday.”
Ziyech may also be rested for the game against Chelsea on Thursday as Tuchel continues to tinker with his squad and manage players through the fixture congestion.
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