As we enter the Christmas period, the weekend when Premier League games will be held at a dizzying pace is approaching. The much-anticipated Tyne Wear derby took center stage on Sunday afternoon as Sunderland took on rivals Newcastle. All 20 teams will be playing over the next three days, but many of the top players have injury concerns, creating a dilemma for FPL managers.
Express Sport provides a list of popular players who may not be available for Gameweek 16…
julian timber
Arsenal could be without Timber for the second consecutive game when they take on struggling Wolves at the Emirates Stadium. The defender picked up a bruise in last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa and missed midweek’s Champions League win over Club Brugge.
Mikel Arteta was asked about Timber’s fitness on Friday and admitted he was doubtful to play against Wolves. However, there is still a possibility that he will be involved in some way.
“It depends on how he feels today,” Arteta said. “That was a knock he picked up and he wasn’t comfortable. Again, I think it’s a matter of a few days. We’ll see if it’s tomorrow.”
Daniel Muñoz
Crystal Palace will be looking to find a way to replace Munoz, who is sidelined with a mid-term knee injury. He will require surgery and is expected to be out for four to six weeks.
Manager Oliver Glasner admitted the club would need to be careful with the 29-year-old’s return to fitness, but the injury was not too serious.
“The prognosis is he should be able to play in four to six weeks, but we don’t know when he’ll have to have surgery. He’s had a few surgeries in his career, so we’re always a little bit cautious, but it doesn’t seem too serious.”
Declan Rice
The midfielder missed Arsenal’s win over Brugge due to illness but is expected to recover in time for the game against Wolves.
Asked about Rice’s fitness, Arteta said: “Let’s see how he is today. Obviously he was sick. It’s a disease. Usually it gets better in a few days. We’ll have to wait and see how far he can go.”
As it stands, almost one in four FPL players have Rice in their squad and they will be forced to bet on his availability this weekend.
Gabriel Magalhães
The defender has been sidelined since the November international break after picking up the injury during Brazil’s win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium.
He is expected to remain on the treatment table until late December at the earliest, and there is a possibility that he will be out until the new year.
Arteta gave an update on Gabriel earlier this month, saying: “Big Gabi is doing very well but it will take a few weeks.”
Cody Gakpo
Liverpool will be without Gakpo as they aim for a Premier League win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The winger missed midweek’s Champions League match against Inter Milan and could be out for a while, although Arne Slott has refused to confirm exactly when he will recover.
In a press conference on Friday, the Reds manager said only that Gakpo would be out for “a few weeks”.
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Crystal Palace hope the Frenchman will be available for this weekend’s game against Manchester City after missing the Conference League win over Shelbourne in midweek.
Asked about his fitness ahead of the game in Ireland, Glasner said: “He came back from the French national team with a slight injury. We had to manage the knee the whole time. It was always a little swollen and I didn’t feel well so I stayed at home.”
“No, we don’t expect[Mateta to be out much longer]but we were hoping that Dani[Munoz]would be out for a few days. So the plan is that JP will be back in training on Friday and then he will be available.”
