We’re coming down the stretch and teams are firmly in the mode of prioritizing the competitions that will most benefit them. Manchester City is looking to the Champions League having essentially locked down the Premier League title. Manchester United and Arsenal are pretty well locked in to their Premier League fates as well and would be wise to shift resources to the Europa League (although Manchester United don’t really rotate much or are they in much danger in their return leg against Roma after racing out to a 6-2 advantage in the first leg). Leicester City, West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Everton are focused on the race for European places (although Chelsea will also be focused on the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid next week). The mid-table clubs, all the way down to Newcastle and Southampton, can start experimenting with their squads comfortable in the knowledge that they are pretty well safe from the drop. Brighton are pretty close to being in the same boat but probably want one more win to feel like another season in the big time is locked in. With all that in mind, here is what we’ve heard from the teams and what it means for your fantasy squads:
Southampton vs. Leicester City
The Saints are without Danny Ings, Oriel Romeu, and Ryan Bertrand which should help the Foxes secure the three points. Brendan Rodgers will likely go with what has become his preferred line-up now that James Maddison is healthy again. Only Harvey Barnes is missing among fantasy-relevant Foxes players.
Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City
Not much relevant injury news for either side in this one. John Stones is still suspended so you can probably count on a Dias/Laporte pairing as City look to lock up the title this weekend. The BBC are suggesting that Pep will rotate and bring Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Ferran Torres into the line-up but it’s always dangerous trying to predict what Pep will do with his rotations.
Brighton vs. Leeds United
Ben White returns from suspension for the home side while Liam Cooper continues to serve his for the visitors. The big miss is Raphinha who remains out for Marcelo Beilsa’s side. Expect both sides to look similar to how they lined up last weekend.
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Chelsea vs. Fulham
The West London Derby will be contested between largely healthy sides. Mateo Kovacic is still out for Chelsea but they are otherwise healthy. As with Pep above, predicting how Thomas Tuchel is going to rotate given how deep his squad is isn’t an exercise that is likely to reveal anything more than an educated guess at who starts. Reece James would be my choice if I were to be looking for a good bet though.
Everton vs. Aston Villa
Both sides are healthy beyond the long-term absentees on either side. The most important ones to note for those that haven’t been paying attention are Jack Grealish for the visitors and Abdoulaye Doucouré for the home side.
Newcastle United vs. Arsenal
Recent goal-scoring star Joe Willock will not feature in this one due to the terms of his loan deal. Steve Bruce has provided a rare bit of definitive news on the starting line-up as well indicating that Callum Wilson will return to the eleven after a few weeks as a substitute. Arsenal’s team news was fairly vague coming off of their Europa League semi-final in Spain on Thursday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be in the squad but is highly unlikely to start as he continues to build fitness after his bout with malaria.
Manchester United vs. Liverpool
Anthony Martial continues to be absent for the Red Devils while Dean Henderson will start in net for the Red Devils as he and David De Gea juggle the starting assignment. None of Liverpool’s long-term absentees are set to return and they may well be joined by, surprise, another center back as Nathaniel Phillips faces a fitness test on his hamstring ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.
Tottenham vs. Sheffield United
Not much injury news to report in this one other than that Harry Kane and Sander Berge are both set to be available after some uncertainty over both.
West Bromwich Albion vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Baggies are largely healthy but the visitors continue to be without Pedro Neto, Raúl Jiménez, and Jonny from among their starters and Joao Moutinho is only 50/50 to return from his own injury. That quartet is joined by Nelson Semedo who faces his own late fitness test. Wolves have been a shadow of their former selves due to the injuries so the replacements for the injured and questionable group has extremely limited value.
Burnley vs. West Ham United
The big news here is that there’s at least a non-zero chance that Mikael Antonio will return for the Hammers. There’s no news yet concerning Declan Rice or Aaron Cresswell but Antonio returning would be a big deal as the Hammers look to secure a Champions League spot for next season.
Enjoy the matches and be sure to keep checking in here at NBC Sports EDGE for the latest injury news as it breaks.
