Soccer

Premier League weekend team news, kick-off times, TV details

Chelsea look to keep up their dominance over Manchester City in the key weekend clash

Edinson Cavani could return to the Manchester United side for the game against Aston Villa. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Fri Sep 24 2021 - 18:36

Saturday (3pm unless stated)

Chelsea (1) v Manchester City (5), 12.30pm – Live BT Sport
Mason Mount will miss out for Chelsea due to a minor injury. The England midfielder picked up a knock in Chelsea's 4-3 Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Edouard Mendy has shaken off a hip problem to start in goal, but Christian Pulisic is still sidelined with ankle trouble.

Manchester City could have John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Rodri back in contention as some of Pep Guardiola’s injury problems begin to subside. The trio have returned to training this week and will be assessed on Saturday morning, but Ilkay Gündogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko are expected to again miss out. Nathan Ake missed the midweek Carabao Cup win over Wycombe to attend his father’s funeral, but is expected to return against his former club.

Last season: Man City 1 Chelsea 2, Chelsea 1 Man City 3
Last five league matches: Chelsea W W D W W; Man City L W W W D
Top scorers: Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) 4; Riyad Mahrez (Man City) 4
Match odds: H 17-10 A 13-8 D 23-10
Referee: Michael Oliver

Manchester Utd (3) v Aston Villa (10), 12.30pm
Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani is back in the squad having not played since the end of August because of a muscle strain. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær made 11 changes for the Carabao Cup third-round defeat by West Ham in midweek – defender Alex Telles made his first appearance of the season – and his big names are likely to return, although striker Marcus Rashford (shoulder) and midfielder Amad Diallo (thigh) are still out.

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Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey is sidelined for a number of weeks with a quad problem. The forward injured himself scoring in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Everton and is out until after October’s international break. Morgan Sanson (hamstring) is also unavailable while United loanee Axel Tuanzebe cannot play against his parent club and Trezeguet (knee) is a long-term absentee.

Last season: Aston Villa 1 Man Utd 3, Man Utd 2 Aston Villa 1
Last five league matches: Man Utd W D W W W; Aston Villa L W D L W
Top scorers: Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 4; Cameron Archer (Aston Villa) 4
Match odds: H 2-5 A 7-1 D 19-5
Referee: Mike Dean

Everton (6) v Norwich (20)
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is set to return to action following the shoulder injury he sustained against Burnley on September 15th. Full back Lucas Digne, who sustained a calf issue in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at QPR, is back in training. Andre Gomes also picked up a calf problem in the cup tie and will not be involved, and the Toffees still have Dominic Calvert-Lewin (quadriceps), Richarlison (knee), Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (quadriceps) and Fabian Delph (shoulder) unavailable. James Rodriguez has left to join Al-Rayyan.

Norwich will again be without defender Christoph Zimmermann and midfielder Todd Cantwell on Merseyside. Centre back Zimmermann is carrying an ankle problem, while Cantwell remains unavailable because of personal reasons. Winger Milot Rashica (abductor) faces a late fitness test, while midfielder Mathias Normann (knee) and American forward Josh Sargent (calf/abductor) should return having sat out the midweek cup defeat by Liverpool. Przemyslaw Placheta is stepping up his recovery from a pre-season coronavirus infection, with full back Sam Byram (hamstring) also still not fit.

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Everton W D W W L; Norwich L L L L L
Top scorers: Andros Townsend (Everton) 3; Josh Sargent (Norwich) 4
Match odds: 8-13 A 11-2 D 27-10
Referee: David Coote

Leeds Utd (17) v West Ham (8)
Leeds will be without Patrick Bamford and possibly five more first-team players. Bamford has not recovered from the ankle injury that ruled him out of the midweek penalty shoot-out Carabao Cup win at Fulham, while Diego Llorente (muscle strain) and Robin Koch (pubis) remain sidelined. Fellow defender Patrick Struijk serves the final game of his three-match ban and Luke Ayling (knee) and Jack Harrison (Covid) face late fitness tests.

West Ham full back Ryan Fredericks misses out with a groin problem after suffering the injury early on during the midweek cup win at Manchester United – he needs a scan to assess the extent of the damage. Michail Antonio returns in attack after being rested on Wednesday along with the likes of Lukasz Fabianski, Kurt Zouma, Declan Rice, Thomas Soucek and Said Benrahma.

Last season: West Ham 2 Leeds 0, Leeds 1 West Ham 2
Last five league matches: Leeds L D D L D; West Ham W W D D L
Top scorers: Jack Harrison and Raphael Raphinha (Leeds) 2; Michail Antonio (West Ham) 5
Match odds: H 9-5 A 7-5 D 13-5
Referee: Kevin Friend

Leicester (12) v Burnley (19)
Ayoze Perez is available for Leicester after serving his three-game ban. The forward could return having been sent off in the 4-1 defeat at West Ham in August. Jonny Evans is fit after a foot problem and could make a Premier League start for the first time since April but James Justin (knee) and Wesley Fofana (broken leg) remain out.

Burnley will have Josh Brownhill available again after the midfielder shook off a dead leg to return to training on Thursday. Kevin Long has also returned to training but manager Sean Dyche indicated the weekend fixture would come too soon. Dale Stephens, Wayne Hennessey and Connor Roberts remain sidelined.

Last season: Burnley 1 Leicester 1, Leicester 4 Burnley 2
Last five league matches: Leicester W L W L L; Burnley L L D L L
Top scorers: Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 3; Jay Rodriguez (Burnley) 4
Match odds: H 4-7 A 5-1 D 3-1
Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Watford (11) v Newcastle (18)
Full back Kiko Femenia could be fit for Watford. The Spaniard has endured a stop-start campaign due to a thigh injury sustained at the end of last season but featured in the win at Norwich last time out and, although he was forced off with a niggle, he has returned to training. Goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann is not expected to feature due to a knee injury and, while Joao Pedro has recovered from a similar issue, this game is set to come too soon for him.

Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles and key midfielder Joe Willock are ruled out. Defender Lascelles damaged a thigh muscle in last Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Leeds, while summer signing Willock suffered a freak toe injury in training, and both men are likely to be sidelined until after the forthcoming international break. Striker Callum Wilson (thigh) also remains in the treatment room, as do keepers Martin Dubravka (foot) and Freddie Woodman (hip), defender Paul Dummett and midfielder Jonjo Shelvey (both calf).

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Watford W L L L W; Newcastle L L D L D
Top scorers: Ismaila Sarr (Watford) 3; Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle) 2
Match odds: H 13-10 A 9-4 D 9-4
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)

Brentford (9) v Liverpool (2), 5.30 – Live Sky Sports
Shandon Baptiste could return after suspension for Brentford after the midfielder sat out Tuesday's 7-0 Carabao Cup win over Oldham following his red card in last weekend's 2-0 Premier League victory at Wolves. The Bees have no new injury issues, but Mads Sorensen and Josh Dasilva are long-term absentees.

Liverpool will be without midfield pair Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita, but several players could return to action. Thiago is likely to be out until after the international break with a calf injury suffered in last week’s home win against Crystal Palace and Keita hurt his foot in the midweek Carabao Cup victory at Norwich. Trent Alexander-Arnold (illness), Roberto Firmino (hamstring), James Milner and Neco Williams are all expected to be back in contention.

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Brentford W D D L W; Liverpool W W D W W
Top scorers: Marcus Forss (Brentford) 5; Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 5
Match odds: H 6-1 A 1-2 D 16-5
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Sunday

Southampton (15) v Wolves (16), 2pm – Live Sky Sports
Southampton will be without defender Jack Stephens, who is set to be sidelined for up to three months after suffering a knee tendon injury in last weekend's goalless draw at Manchester City. Theo Walcott has returned to training following a calf problem but is unlikely to feature, while midfielder Stuart Armstrong remains out with a similar issue.

Wolves duo Rayan Ait Nouri and Yerson Mosquera are missing after joining the club’s injury list during the midweek Carabao Cup defeat by Tottenham. Ait Nouri is following concussion protocols, while Mosquera faces more than a month out with a hamstring injury suffered just minutes into his debut. Jonny and Pedro Neto remain out with knee problems, while Daniel Podence, Willy Boly and Leander Dendoncker performed well enough against Spurs to give manager Bruno Lage options.

Last season: Southampton 1 Wolves 2, Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Last five league matches: Southampton L D D D D; Wolves L L L W L
Top scorers: Mohamed Elyounoussi (Southampton) 4; Daniel Podence (Wolves) 2
Match odds: H 17-10 A 7-4 D 11-5
Referee: Andrew Madley

Arsenal (13) v Tottenham (7), 4.30pm – Live Sky Sports
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a fully-fit squad to choose from as Granit Xhaka is available having served a three-match ban following his red card at Manchester City before the international break. Fellow midfielder Mohamed Elneny (hamstring) is fit with Arteta likely to recall his big hitters having made 10 changes for the midweek Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon.

Tottenham are still without Steven Bergwijn. The Dutch international has an ankle injury and boss Nuno Espirito Santo does not know how long he will be out. Lucas Moura returns after a knock but Ryan Sessegnon’s hamstring injury keeps him out.

Last season: Arsenal 2 Tottenham 1, Tottenham 2 Arsenal 0
Last five league matches: Arsenal L L L W W; Tottenham W W W L L
Top scorers: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) 4; Son Heung-min (Tottenham) 2
Match odds: H 13-10 A 9-4 D 9-4
Referee: Craig Pawson

Monday

Crystal Palace (14) v Brighton (4), 8pm – Live Sky Sports
Crystal Palace will have Jeffrey Schlupp back in contention. The versatile midfielder suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with Ghana but has recovered and is back in training. Nathan Ferguson and Ebere Eze (both Achilles) remain absent but are making good progress ahead of an anticipated return later in the year.

Brighton are monitoring midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Enock Mwepu and Yves Bissouma. Mac Allister suffered a knock in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Swansea and Mwepu pulled out of that game due to a groin issue, while Bissouma sustained a knee injury in Sunday’s win over Leicester. Defender Adam Webster (hamstring) is still sidelined.

Last season: Brighton 1 Crystal Palace 2, Crystal Palace 1 Brighton 1
Last five league matches: Crystal Palace L D D W L; Brighton W W L W W
Top scorers: Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace) 5; Neal Maupay (Brighton) 3
Match odds: H 2-1 A 8-5 D 21-10
Referee: Andre Marriner