This post was originally published on this site.
Before the latest round of Premier League fixtures, here is all the key injury news alongside essential Fantasy Premier League statistics.
The gameweek kicks off with Manchester United at home to Manchester City at Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) – here is the full fixture list.
This article will be updated as Premier League managers give their weekly news conferences.
For more FPL help, don’t miss our regular Friday Q&A from 15:30 BST live on the BBC Sport website, with one of our four experts answering your questions
Saturday
Manchester United v Manchester City (12:30 GMT)
Both managers will provide squad fitness updates later on Friday.
Key FPL notes:
-
No midfielder has created more chances than Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) this season, with 56.
-
United’s Matheus Cunha (£8.1m) has racked up more shots than any other Fantasy midfielder in 2025/26 (58).
-
New City signing Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m) has produced four goals and one assist over the last six gameweeks while playing for Bournemouth, amassing 37 points.
Chelsea v Brentford (15:00 GMT)
Chelsea pair Cole Palmer and Reece James will be assessed after returning to training on Thursday. Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens have been ill and kept away from the main group.
Liam Rosenior provided no update on Malo Gusto at his press conference. The new head coach said last week he was “hopeful” the full-back would return for Brentford.
Brentford team news will appear here later on Friday.
Players out: Chelsea – Colwill, Essugo, Lavia, Mudryk
Doubts: Chelsea – Delap, Gittens, Gusto, James, Palmer
Key FPL notes:
-
After blanking in six straight gameweeks, Enzo Fernandez (£6.4m) has found some form. The Argentine has netted two goals in his last three matches and, over the season, is Chelsea’s second-highest FPL points-scorer, with 92.
-
Igor Thiago (£7.1m) has scored five goals and provided an assist across his last four matches for Brentford. This season, only Erling Haaland (£15.1m) has scored more goals than the Brazilian’s 16.
-
No player has amassed more points than the 44 of Brentford’s Nathan Collins (£5.0m) since gameweek 17, thanks to a goal, two assists, three clean sheets, five bonus and four defensive contribution points.
Leeds United v Fulham (15:00 GMT)
Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Gabriel Gudmundsson are all available again for Leeds.
Dan James is their only current injury absentee.
Fulham are still missing Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze due to their Africa Cup of Nations commitments.
Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz are still out with injuries but manager Marco Silva said Josh King “could be” back for the trip to Elland Road.
Players out: Leeds – James Fulham – Bassey, Chukwueze, Iwobi, Muniz, Tete
Doubt: Fulham – King
Key FPL notes:
-
Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) has produced eight goals since gameweek 13, the most of any FPL player.
-
Anton Stach’s (£4.9m) 41 chances created and 29 successful crosses are both team-leading totals for Leeds.
-
Since gameweek 13, only one player has amassed more FPL points than Harry Wilson (£5.9m), with 66. The Welshman also recorded a goal and an assist in Fulham’s FA Cup win last weekend.
Liverpool v Burnley (15:00 GMT)
Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley has been ruled out for the season and Mohamed Salah is still at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Burnley boss Scott Parker said Joe Worrall is close to making his comeback. Zian Flemming is also making progress, but won’t be available at Anfield.
Hannibal Mejbri, Lyle Foster and Axel Tuanzebe have been back with the squad for a week after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Players out: Liverpool – Bradley, Endo, Isak, Leoni, Salah Burnley – Amdouni, Beyer, Cullen, Flemming
Doubt: Burnley – Worrall
Key FPL notes:
-
With Conor Bradley (£5.0m) out for the season, positional rival Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) looks well-placed to benefit at Liverpool. Since returning from injury in gameweek 17, he has averaged 5.0 points per match thanks to three assists and two clean sheets.
-
Florian Wirtz’s (£8.2m) last five appearances for Liverpool have harvested two goals, one assist, nine bonus and 34 points.
-
Since gameweek 17, Josh Laurent (£4.8m) has been Burnley’s highest points scorer (24). The midfielder has delivered eight defensive contribution points during that period.
Sunderland v Crystal Palace (15:00 GMT)
Arthur Masuaku and Bertrand Traore will both be missing for Sunderland after picking up injuries at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Chemsdine Talbi and Habib Diarra are still at the competition but Noah Sadiki and Reinildo Mandava have returned and are in contention to play against Palace. Brian Brobbey is also fit after an ankle knock at Everton in the FA Cup.
Crystal Palace team news will follow later on Friday.
Players out: Sunderland – Alese, Diarra, Masuaku, Talbi, Traore
Key FPL notes:
-
Sunderland’s Robin Roefs (£4.9m) remains the top-scoring goalkeeper in FPL with 95 points. Only one shot-stopper has made more than his 73 saves in 2025-26.
-
Over the last six gameweeks, only three defenders have produced more points than Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele (£4.4m), with 36.
-
Among players in his position, Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) ranks fourth for defensive contribution points (24), with a 61.9% success rate over the season.
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham (15:00 GMT)
Tottenham will be without Richarlison for up to seven weeks because of a hamstring problem.
Lucas Bergvall will “probably” be fit for the visit of West Ham, according to head coach Thomas Frank. Yves Bissouma is back from the Africa Cup of Nations but has not featured for Spurs at all this season.
West Ham full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf is still on international duty.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo said Konstaninos Mavropanos, Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paqueta are all doubts.
Players out: Tottenham – Kudus, Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison, Sarr West Ham – Diouf
Doubts: West Ham – Fernandes, Mavropanos, Paqueta
Key FPL notes:
-
Joao Palhinha (£5.5m) has produced six attacking returns (three goals, three assists) in 2025-26, the third-most of any Tottenham Hotspur player.
-
Since gameweek 18, only three FPL defenders have earned more points than the 24 by Spurs’ Micky van de Ven’s (£4.6m), thanks to an assist, two clean sheets, two defensive contribution points and five bonus.
-
Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) has produced only three goals and an assist in the last eight gameweeks, but only two forwards have registered more shots in the box than the West Ham man’s 21 during that period.
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal (17:30 GMT)
Nottingham Forest welcomed Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare back this week after Ivory Coast’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations but head coach Sean Dyche said the pair are “recovering from travelling”.
Goalkeeper John Victor is out and set for surgery but Ryan Yates is back in training.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, on loan from Arsenal, is ineligible for the game and Dyche has admitted the deal could be cancelled.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera “could be” fit for the trip to Forest.
Arsenal have no new fitness concerns otherwise.
Players out: Nottingham Forest – Victor, Wood, Zinchenko
Doubts: Nottingham Forest – Boly, Sangare, Yates Arsenal – Calafiori, Dowman, Hincapie, Mosquera
Key FPL notes:
-
After going seven gameweeks without a goal, Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m) has now scored in back-to-back matches for Forest, amassing 17 points.
-
Despite missing six matches due to injury, Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.7m) is FPL’s top-scoring defender with 112 points, having produced two goals and two clean sheets for Arsenal in his last three matches.
-
Since gameweek 16, no FPL midfielder has delivered as many assists (five) as Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£10.2m).
