Ollie Watkins was back out on the grass in training before Aston Villa’s clash with Ipswich (Image: Getty)
Fantasy Premier League bosses will have the difficult task of picking their squad for the first time in two weeks following the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup action.
There are new injury concerns as ever, while the Assistant Manager chip has proved to be a hit with those who selected the likes of David Moyes and Arne Slot for Double Gameweek 24.
But with some top stars facing injury worries – and others such as Kai Havertz ruled out altogether – some FPL bosses may have to dip into their £100million budget to fix their issues in time for DGW 25.
Express Sport brings you the latest team news and injury updates on those players who face a race against time to be fit.
Ollie Watkins
The Aston Villa striker (£8.9m) was back out on the grass for full training ahead of DGW25 and that will give some hope to the 17.1 per cent of FPL bosses who have selected him already.
For those considering bringing in the 29-year-old, it would be a gamble to assume Watkins will start both games against Ipswich Town on Saturday and then Liverpool on Wednesday. He is currently rated as having a 75 per cent chance of playing on the official FPL website.
However, Villa no longer have Jhon Duran to rely upon from the bench, and Watkins could be rushed back for that reason. Their new recruit Donyell Malen (£5.5m) played up front against West Ham, while Marcus Rashford (£6.6m) could be a decent attacking option too.
Illiman Ndiaye suffered an injury during Everton’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool (Image: Getty)
Illiman Ndiaye
Ndiaye was substituted during Everton’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday and broke down in tears, suggesting his injury could worse than first feared.
Toffees boss David Moyes gave an update on his knee problem after the game and said the attacker would undergo further assessment in due course.
“We think he’s possibly kicked the ground and maybe jarred his knee or opened his knee up, the Scot said. “We don’t know how serious it is yet but we’ll look tomorrow (Thursday).”
Ndiaye, 24, is their top scorer with six goals this season and a cheap forward option at £5.5m. But he looks to be a serious doubt to face Crystal Palace on Saturday and may have to sit out the trip to Selhurst Park.
Anthony Gordon
Gordon missed the 3-2 FA Cup win at Birmingham with a quad problem, prompting fears he could miss the crunch clash with top-four challengers Manchester City on Saturday.
That would give around 2.6m FPL managers a dilemma, as the 23-year-old has been in fine form, racking up six goals and two assists in his last 10 appearances in all competitions. With a price of £7.6m, however, he is no longer considered a cheap option and may need replacing.
However, the Daily Mail report Gordon’s thigh problem has cleared up and he ‘should be fine’ to face Manchester City on Saturday.
Anthony Gordon should be fit to return after recovering from a thigh injury (Image: Getty)
Mark Flekken
The German (£4.4m) missed the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham – his first absence of the season – and is still rated as a doubt for the London derby with West Ham.
Bees boss Thomas Frank’s last update on the 31-year-old stopper came a week ago, where he was optimistic Flekken would be fit in time for their next fixture.
“He had a side strain,” Frank said. “Let’s see, we have two weeks now until the next game. Hopefully, he’ll be back for West Ham.”
Despite those comments, there has been no further update on his recovery suggesting Hakon Valdimarsson may have to step in again.
Dan Burn
Unlike his team-mate Gordon, Burn (£4.4m) made it to start the game at Birmingham only to be forced off in the second half with a groin injury.
The towering centre-back, 32, underwent a scan to determine the damage, leaving Eddie Howe to sweat over his fitness after also seeing Sven Botman (£4.4m) ruled out.
However, the results of scans on both players are thought to be positive, allaying fears that Newcastle could be left short in the lead up to their Wembley date.
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold featured for 30 minutes against Everton (Image: Getty)
Liverpool should be able to welcome back Alexander-Arnold to the starting lineup against Wolves on Sunday after he started on the bench against Everton.
A massive 32.5 per cent of managers own the creative full-back (£7.4m) and with good reason too. He has one goal, six assists and nine clean sheets this season, giving 108 points to his loyal owners.
Arne Slot purposefully gave the right-back a 30-minute cameo from the bench to assess his match fitness and the 26-year-old came through unscathed during Wednesday’s draw. Unless Slot decides to keep him fresh for the midweek game at Aston Villa, he should be in line for a return.
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