Every week, Daily Fantasy Focus gives you the definitive lowdown on suspension, illness and injury in the Premier League. Here we round up the Hitlist for Gameweek 23.
Arsenal
Next Up: Watford (H)
Per Mertesacker returns to full fitness, for the first time this term but is unlikely to feature ahead of Mustafi and Koscielny. Granit Xhaka meanwhile sits out Gameweek 23 through suspension until Gameweek 25, his ill-discipline resulting in his dismissal last time out.
Injured: Cazorla, Sanogo
50/50: Debuchy
Suspended: Xhaka
N/A: Elneny
Bournemouth
Next Up: Crystal Palace (H)
Simon Francis returns to face Crystal Palace in Gameweek 23 after sitting two games out through suspension. Max Gradel is also a potential return for the Cherries, as he finishes up with the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Injured: Wilson
50/50: Gradel
Burnley
Next Up: Leicester (H)
Wingers Scott Airfield and Johann Gudmundsson are both in line for a return having been sidelined through injury for the past two league fixtures.
Injured: Long, Marney
Chelsea
Next Up: Liverpool (A)
Not only are Chelsea sitting pretty at the top of the league with a healthy eight point gap, but the Blues go into Tuesday’s fixture with Liverpool boasting an entirely clean bill of health.
Crystal Palace
Next Up: Bournemouth (A)
Wilfried Zaha could return to the fold having finished up international duty in the Africa Cup of Nations but with transfer deadline day looming and the winger a reported target for Spurs, Zaha may join the Eagles’ sizeable ranks in the stands.
Injured: Souare, Jonathon Benteke, Wickham
50/50: Mandanda, Speroni, Dann, Schlupp, Zaha, Sako, Campbell
Everton
Next Up: Stoke (A)
The injury situation for the Toffees remains much the same with Yannick Bolasie standing as the primary first team starter struck down with long-term injury.
Injured: Pennington, Besic, Bolasie, Calvert-Lewin
N/A: Gueye
Hull City
Next Up: Manchester United (A)
Ahmed Elmohamady remains on international duty with Egypt for the time being but Mbokani could make the trip back on time to face Manchester United away in Gameweek 23. Ryan Mason meanwhile has been discharged from hospital having sustained a fractured skull last weekend, his full recovery however is some way off.
Injured: Odubajo, Davies, Bruce, Henriksen, Mason, Keane, Luer
50/50: Lenihan, Mbokani
N/A: Elmohamady
Leicester City
Next Up: Burnley (A)
Both Mahrez and Slimani have returned from the AFCON but the latter comes back for duty injured. The striker has sustained a groin injury and could be out of contention for another two weeks at least.
Injured: Ulloa, Slimani
N/A: Amartey
Liverpool
Next Up: Chelsea (H)
Sadio Mane has returned to England an is expected to line-out against Chelsea in what could be the defining fixture of Liverpool’s season. Nathaniel Clyne meanwhile, should likewise shrug off a rib injury to start on Tuesday night.
Injured: Grujic, Ejaria, Ings
50/50: Clyne, Mane
Manchester City
Next Up: West Ham (A)
Fernandinho is available once more having served his three game suspension but Pep Guardiola is sweating on the availability of Sergio Aguero and City newcomer, Gabriel Jesus. Both forwards carry knocks into Gameweek 23.
Injured: Gundogan
50/50: Jesus, Aguero
Manchester United
Next Up: Hull (A)
Timothy Fosu-Mensah was impressive on FA Cup duty, but carrying a knock into Gameweek 23 he is likely to drop to the bench in favour of more experienced heads. Eric Bailly however, could be a doubt having limped out a reserve team game on Monday night.
50/50: Fosu-Mensah, Bailly
Middlesbrough
Next Up: West Brom (H)
Callum Chambers and George Friend drop out first team duties with unspecified injuries but Boro are boosted in Gameweek 23 with the return of defender Daniel Ayala.
Injured: Barragan, Chambers, Friend, Ramirez
Southampton
Next Up: Swansea (A)
The fitness of both James Ward-Prowse or Jay Rodriguez is of major concern as the pair contend with a knock and ankle injury respectively. However, the loss of Virgil van Dijk is the most pressing matter. The Dutchman limped off in Gameweek 22 with an ankle issue and is now scheduled out for the foreseeable future.
Injured: McCarthy, van Dijk, Pied, Targett, Hesketh, Boufal, Austin
50/50: Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez
Stoke City
Next Up: Everton (H)
Facing Everton in Gameweek 23, Mark Hughes can potentially welcome back forward pair Wilfried Bony and Mame Diouf from African Cup of Nations, but perhaps more likely is a full debut for new signing Saido Berahino.
Injured: Butland, Cameron, Ireland, Walters
50/50: Bony, Diouf
N/A: Sobhi
Sunderland
Next Up: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Sunderland sit bottom of the table and likewise boast the worst injury record in the top flight. David Moyes has made signings to alleviate this but he can also welcome back the likes of Khazri and Kone following their international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Injured: Pickford, McNair, Manquillo, Cattermole, Kirchoff, Gooch, Watmore, Anichebe
50/50: Denayer, Kone, Gooch, Khazri, Pienaar
Suspended: Djilobodji
Swansea City
Next Up: Southampton (A)
Swansea’s left flank is particularly bare this weekend as both Neil Taylor and Jefferson Montero bow out of the action through facial and hamstring injuries respectively.
Injured: Taylor, Montero, Britton, McBurnie
50/50: Barrow
Tottenham Hotspur
Next Up: Sunderland (A)
The same familiar faces remain out of contention for the upcoming fixture with Sunderland – Verthongen and Lamela chief among them.
Injured: Verthongen, Trippier, Lamela, Nkoudou
Watford
Next Up: Arsenal (A)
Jose Holebas – the most booked player in the Premier League this season – is unsurprisingly suspended for the next match. However, Watford have a raft of injury concerns at present and a positive result against Arsenal does not seem likely as a result.
Injured: Pereyra, Mariappa, Success, Amrabat
50/50: Pantilimon, Kabasele, Behrami
Suspended: Holebas
West Bromwich Albion
Next Up: Middlesbrough (A)
Leading centre[-half Jonny Evans is likely to be absent for the third consecutive week as he struggles to shake of a niggling calf injury.
50/50: Evans, Galloway
West Ham United
Next Up: Manchester City (H)
Andre Ayew remains away on international duty but Cheik Kouyate could return to the starting XI having departed from the AFCON tournament. New signing Robert Snodgrass meanwhile, is a 50/50 doubt to start for his new club with the Scotsman nursing a muscle injury.
Injured: Ogbonna, Masuaku, Arbeloa, Tore, Sakho
50/50: Snodgrass, Kouyate, Noble, Carroll
N/A: Ayew
