FPL team news LIVE as Haaland fitness latest and Arsenal defensive dilemma
The countdown to the start of the new season is a crucial time for Fantasy Premier League players. After spending the summer tinkering with their squads and keeping a close eye on transfers, the deadline for the first gameweek is just over 24 hours away.
The vast majority of FPL managers have opted for Manchester City's Erling Haaland as their star striker, despite his mammoth £15.5million price tag. However, there are concerns over the forward's fitness and whether he will be able to play 90 minutes in City's opening match against Bournemouth.
Arsenal's squad depth also poses questions for FPL users. The Gunners were renowned for their resolute defence last season but begin the new campaign with questions over who will partner Gabriel Magalhaes and whether Riccardo Calafiori will get the nod at left-back.
Express Sport will bring you the latest injury news and updates on key Premier League stars throughout the day, ahead of the GW1 deadline.
Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner and Leeds United manager Daniel Farke have both provided updates on their teams. The two sides are set to meet at the City Ground on Saturday.
Forest boss Glasner said: “Ryan Yates and Savona won’t make the matchday squad. But we still have 23 fit players, which means five can’t make the squad.”
Leeds boss Farke said: “Willy Gnonto will miss this game due to his hamstring injury. I hope he returns to team training soon but he will definitely miss this game. And also, Gabriel Gudmundsson is still out also for this game. Them two will definitely miss this first match. All the others at the moment, as it stands, are available.”
Mikel Arteta has addressed Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice’s fitness ahead of Arsenal’s game against Coventry City on Friday. The England duo were named on the bench for the Community Shield last weekend.
On Rice and Saka, the Arsenal boss said: “They are ready to be involved, yeah.”
On Jurrien Timber's timeline to return to training, Arteta explained: “No, I say in the next few weeks, and he's not done that yet.”
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has given an update on Danny Welbeck’s availability and has also provided clarity on the contingent of players who recently returned from their World Cup breaks. The Blues face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday night.
“Danny can be involved, he just needed a couple of days not training that much because of a little thing,” Alonso said. “We expect him to be back [training] on Saturday. We need to go day by day, but that is the plan at the moment.
“With the other players, let’s see. We will check and assess them, but for sure because of the World Cup they came back a little bit later and will need a little more time. But they are all available and can be selected in the line-up against Fulham, for sure.”
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Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage has offered an update on Dean Henderson, who recently picked up an injury in the club’s final pre-season game. Palace are set to face Everton on Saturday.
“He had a little twist in his ankle," Sage explained.“We want him to play. But we gave him a few days of treatment to allow him to be in his best shape. He will train today with the goalkeeping coaches and we will take the decision tomorrow. But we are hopeful he is able to play.”
On striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, Sage added: “I think he will be involved on Saturday. He didn’t play the last game [in Germany] because he only came at the beginning of that week. It was not a game to take risk. But we can now give him more minutes.”
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic refused to give much away ahead of his side facing Manchester United this weekend. The coach was asked about the possibility of new signings Lucas Herrington and Nobel Mendy starting in defence, given Charlie Hughes remains sidelined with injury.
In his pre-match press conference, the Hull boss said: “You should come to watch the game. Then you will see. I will not tell you this. But they are ready and tomorrow we will decide who will play against Man United.”
While Frank Lampard has confirmed Coventry City will be without Haji Wright, the Sky Blues have still received a double injury boost. The club are set to take on Arsenal on Friday in their first top-flight game since 2001.
When asked about Ephron Mason-Clark and Jack Rudoni’s fitness, Lampard said: “Yeah, they’re in contention for Arsenal. They’re in contention.”
Mason-Clark scored 10 goals in the Championship last season, while Rudoni found the back of the net on seven occasions.
With Erling Haaland leading the way as the most selected FPL player (69.4 per cent at time of writing), here is a look at the other most popular stars.
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro is the nearest to taking Haaland's crown, as he is in 61.8 per cent of teams with a £7.5m price tag. Bruno Fernandes is third in the list, as the Manchester United captain, who carries a £12m price, has been picked by around half of all FPL managers.
The top five is currently completed by Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (41.4 per cent, £7m) and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya (35.9 per cent, £6m). Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) is the most selected defender, being selected in 31.5 per cent of FPL sides.
Ezri Konsa is set to undergo a medical ahead of his move to Arsenal. The Gunners have targeted the Aston Villa defender, who could also prove to be a bargain for FPL bosses.
With William Saliba out injured, Arsenal have sought to bolster their centre-back options. Konsa has consistently starred for Villa, who won the Europa League and finished fourth last season.
The 28-year-old will hope to arrive as the first-choice to partner Gabriel in Saliba’s absence. Konsa is priced at just £4.5m in FPL, making him at least £1m cheaper than any other Arsenal defender.
It has been a question every FPL user has asked themselves in recent seasons: ‘Is it worth not picking Erling Haaland?’ Given that he is currently selected by almost 70 per cent of teams, making the bold decision not to include the prolific Manchester City star is a risk.
However, his £15.5m price leads FPL bosses to wonder if their teams could be stronger by bolstering other positions. He is the most expensive player by £3.5m, with Bruno Fernandes his nearest rival at £12m. The second-most expensive striker is Alexander Isak at £9m.
Haaland's substitution in the Community Shield last weekend could further tempt FPL users to leave him out while he gets up to full speed. The Norwegian was the top-scoring FPL player last season with 239 points, closely followed by Fernandes (235).
With Manchester United working on a deal to sign Carlos Baleba, a reminder that FPL managers can select the midfielder for £5m. The Red Devils have reportedly submitted a £60m offer, plus £5m in add-ons, for Baleba, who is currently recovering from injury.
United have focused their recruitment on a midfield rebuild, already bringing in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. For FPL users, Tielemans is priced at £6m, while Santos is available for £5m. Kobbie Mainoo's value is set at £5.5m.
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has revealed his side could be without striker Haji Wright for up to several months. The Sky Blues have recently signed centre forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Sidiki Cherif, but admitted that Wright faces a spell out on the sidelines.
“Haji Wright won’t be available for the Arsenal game,” Lampard said. “He won’t be available for a little while, he’s got a very serious quad injury, which is disappointing for Haji and for us.
“It’s certainly going to be a number of weeks, could even be up to 12 weeks.”
Manchester United have received an injury boost after Benjamin Sesko returned to training earlier this week.
The striker trained with his teammates at Carrington on Tuesday after not featuring for the club in pre-season. Sesko has been sidelined since picking up an injury against Liverpool on May 3, with Bryan Mbeumo leading the line for United in his absence.
Defender Matthijs de Ligt was also involved in training following his lengthy spell out injured. However, Mason Mount was not part of the group after picking up an issue in United’s recent friendly with PSG. United start their season away at Hull City on Saturday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has selection headaches ahead of his side’s opening match against Coventry City. The Gunners will be without centre-back William Saliba and are working on a deal to sign Ezri Konsa.
However, that still leaves question marks over who will partner Gabriel Magalhaes against Coventry. Cristhian Mosquera recently got the nod in the Community Shield.
There is also fierce competition for the left-back spot. Calafiori started against City, but Piero Hincapie or Myles Lewis-Skelly could take his place for the Premier League opener on Friday.
Erling Haaland is the most selected player ahead of the new season, with the Manchester City star currently in 69.5 per cent of squads at the time of writing.
The 26-year-old offers guaranteed goals, having never scored less than 22 in the league since signing in 2022. The three-time Golden Boot winner netted 27 league goals last term.
However, there are concerns over his ability to play full matches at the start of the new campaign after being substituted in the 52nd minute of the Community Shield last weekend. Ahead of the recent match, City boss Enzo Maresca said of Haaland: “Yes, he was OK. He just had some small things behind his heels but he’s OK”
Stay tuned throughout the day as we bring you the latest injury news and updates from across the Premier League