Premier League: Match Previews
A round-up of Wednesday’s Premier League action as Sheffield United travelled to Aston Villa and Man City played hosts to Arsenal.
Norwich vs Southampton
June 19, 2020, 5:00pm
Norwich have announced defensive trio Grant Hanley, Christoph Zimmermann and Sam Byram will miss the remainder of the Premier League season ahead of their restart against Southampton. Hanley will undergo surgery on his hamstring this weekend, sidelining the club captain for 12-16 weeks, while Zimmermann (back and hamstring) and Byram (hamstring) also face long stints on the sidelines.
Marco Stiepermann will not be involved after the midfielder tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week. However, he has returned two negative tests since then and returned to training on Thursday. Timm Klose will be available but is unlikely to start.
Winger Moussa Djenepo is the only Southampton player certain to miss the trip to Carrow Road due to suspension. The 22-year-old was sent off for a crude tackle on Isaac Hayden in their 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle in their final match before the coronavirus lockdown and begins a three-match ban.
Shane Long, who signed a new two-year contract during the enforced break, is a major doubt with a muscle problem for an otherwise full-strength Saints side.
Stat of the match: The last five Premier League meetings between Norwich and Southampton have been won by the home side, a run stretching back to August 2013.
Tottenham vs Man Utd
June 19, 2020, 8:00pm
Tottenham will hand a fitness test to Giovani Lo Celso ahead of their Premier League resumption against Manchester United. Lo Celso has been suffering from an injury since March but was unable to get proper treatment during the lockdown.
Dele Alli is banned, but manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Moussa Sissoko will all start.
Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba will be available for United’s trip to London. Long-term injury victims due to back and ankle problems respectively, the coronavirus suspension has allowed the pair time to return to fitness.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones will miss the trip to north London through injury, while 18-year-old defender Teden Mengi has recently linked up with the first-team squad.
Stat of the match: This will be Manchester United’s first Premier League visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. United have so far won at every London ground in which they have played in the Premier League, one of just four clubs to have done so (along with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham).
Watford vs Leicester, Saturday – 12:30pm
Watford will be without a trio of players as they return to Premier League action at home to Leicester. The relegation-threatened Hornets will be missing Daryl Janmaat and Gerard Deulofeu (both knee).
Striker Isaac Success is also absent having suffered an Achilles injury since returning to training.
Leicester hope to have striker Ayoze Perez and defender Ryan Bennett available for the trip to Vicarage Road. Both men have been nursing knocks, but have returned to training in recent days and are expected to be fit.
However, midfielder Dennis Praet remains a doubt with a calf problem and he will undergo a late fitness test.
Stat of the match: Watford have won just one of their last seven Premier League games (D2 L4), though that victory was in their last home game and came against runaway leaders Liverpool (3-0).
Brighton vs Arsenal, Saturday – 3pm
Long-term absentee Jose Izquierdo will be the only player unavailable to Brighton boss Graham Potter for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal. Colombia winger Izquierdo, who has been sidelined with a knee problem, has not featured for Albion since April 2019.
Seagulls striker Aaron Connolly is fit to feature after undergoing a knee operation during the suspension of fixtures.
Arsenal will be without Pablo Mari for the trip to the south coast, with the club fearful he will not feature again this season. The defender suffered a “significant” ankle injured during Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, as did Granit Xhaka – who is also ruled out having sprained his ankle.
With Mari missing, the Gunners will have limited defensive options as Sokratis Papastathopoulos (thigh), Cedric Soares (nose) and Calum Chambers (knee) are all out, while Lucas Torreira (ankle) is absent. David Luiz is also suspended.
Stat of the match: Brighton lost their first Premier League meeting against Arsenal in October 2017 but are unbeaten in four games against the Gunners.
Domestic Super 6 returns this weekend, with £250,000 to be won. Despite Arsenal’s heavy defeat at Manchester City on Wednesday, over 80 per cent of Super 6 players are backing Arsenal to bounce back, with 34 per cent of players hoping for a 2-0 victory for Mikel Arteta’s men. Play for free, entries by 12:30pm.
West Ham vs Wolves
June 20, 2020, 5:00pm
West Ham have an almost fully fit squad for the visit of Wolves. There were some doubts surrounding defender Angelo Ogbonna but he has resumed training and could be available. Long-term absentees Jack Wilshere, Ryan Fredericks and Andriy Yarmolenko are also in contention.
Wolves have no fitness concerns, with Jonny available after an ankle injury. The wing-back was injured before the season was halted in March but will make the trip to London. Forward Adama Traore has also used the break to strengthen his shoulder having dislocated it several times this season and is fit.
Stat of the match: West Ham United have lost their last three Premier League games against Wolves.
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace, Saturday – 7:45pm
Bournemouth will be without wantaway winger Ryan Fraser after Eddie Howe confirmed Fraser had played his last game for the club after rejecting the opportunity to extend his contact beyond the end of June.
David Brooks could make his first appearance for almost 14 months after overcoming a long-term ankle problem but Charlie Daniels (knee) is not expected to be involved.
Crystal Palace will be without injured trio James Tomkins, Jeffrey Schlupp and Martin Kelly at the Vitality Stadium. Schlupp, who has not played since December, suffered an injury in training, while Tomkins has not recovered from a previous issue and Kelly has picked up a calf problem.
Eagles boss Roy Hodgson has no other selection concerns.
Stat of the match: Crystal Palace have won their last three Premier League games, each by a 1-0 scoreline. They last won four in a row in August 2018, while they have never won four consecutive top-flight games without conceding.
Newcastle vs Sheff Utd
June 21, 2020, 1:00pm
Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce is likely to be without midfielders Sean and Matty Longstaff. Sean is nursing a knock while younger brother Matty, who is currently in contract talks amid interest from Udinese, has a thigh problem.
Striker Dwight Gayle is out with a knee injury and midfielder Matt Ritchie is a doubt with a knock, but goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is available after recovering from a knee problem which looked to have ended his season, while Danny Rose,
Valentino Lazaro and Nabil Bentaleb have had their loan deals extended.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is waiting on the fitness of John Fleck and Jack O’Connell. Both missed the goalless draw at Aston Villa but Wilder has not ruled them out against the Magpies.
David McGoldrick and Luke Freeman impressed off the bench and are pushing for inclusion from the start.
Stat of the match: In all competitions, Newcastle have won five of their last six home games against Sheffield United, losing the other in November 2006 in the Premier League. The Magpies have scored 14 goals across those five victories.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea
June 21, 2020, 4:00pm
John McGinn will be assessed ahead of Aston Villa’s clash with Chelsea on Sunday. The midfielder played 76 minutes of Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Sheffield United, his first game since December after recovering from a fractured ankle and boss Dean Smith is wary of overloading him.
Danny Drinkwater cannot feature under the terms of his loan from Chelsea, Bjorn Engels (Achilles), Wesley (knee) and Tom Heaton (knee) are out but Frederic Guilbert (knee) has returned to training.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek could make his first Chelsea appearance of the season at Villa Park. The England midfielder’s campaign has been ravaged by the protracted recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, but he is now ready for Premier League action.
Fikayo Tomori will miss out with a muscle injury sustained in training, with Callum Hudson-Odoi also not ready for competitive action, but N’Golo Kante should be available.
Stat of the match: Aston Villa have lost nine of their last 10 Premier League games against Chelsea, winning the other at Villa Park in March 2014.
Everton vs Liverpool
June 21, 2020, 6:00pm
Everton will be without several big names for Sunday’s Merseyside derby with Yerry Mina and Fabian Delph joining Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Theo Walcott on the sidelines.
Gbamin was close to a return from long-term injury before suffering an Achilles problem which will rule him out for a further four to five months, while Walcott is out for around four weeks after surgery on an abdominal problem. Mina and Delph have both suffered injuries since the return to training to rule them out of the first game back.
Jurgen Klopp has not ruled out Mohamed Salah or Andy Robertson despite neither playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week. Robertson has at least been pictured in training this week but Salah was not present in any of the images published by the club, although Klopp insists no one is yet unavailable for the game.
Alisson Becker will return in goal having been out with a hip injury immediately prior to the suspension of the season.
Stat of the match: Everton are winless in 18 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D10 L8) since a 2-0 win back in October 2010 at Goodison Park.
Everton and Liverpool will meet at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby
How to watch: Follow the match on Sky Sports Premier League without crowd noise and Sky Sports Main Event with crowd noise, as well as Sky Pick, from 6.30pm; kick-off at 7pm. Also keep up-to-date in our dedicated live blog with in-game clips, with highlights published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after full time.
Man City vs Burnley
June 22, 2020, 7:30pm
Manchester City will be without Eric Garcia for the visit of Burnley on Monday night while fellow defender John Stones and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo are doubtful. Garcia suffered a concussion after a nasty accidental collision with team-mate Ederson in the closing stages of the 3-0 midweek win over Arsenal on Wednesday and protocol dictates he will be sidelined for at least a week.
Stones (ankle) and Bravo (hamstring) were absent at the Etihad Stadium after sustaining minor injuries in the build-up to the Premier League resumption and they are unlikely to be back for the Clarets visit.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche expects to have several players missing for Monday’s trip as the Clarets resume their Premier League campaign. Johann Berg Gudmundsson (calf), Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood (both groin) will miss out with injuries, while Dyche remains unsure if he will be able to call on players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the month, with no short-term extensions yet agreed.
Phil Bardsley, Aaron Lennon, Jeff Hendrick, Joe Hart and Adam Legzdins are all in the final fortnight of their deals, while Ben Gibson continues to train away from the club with his Burnley career seemingly over.
Stat of the match: Burnley are looking to become just the fourth team to win away at both Manchester clubs in a single Premier League season, after Liverpool in 2008-09, Middlesbrough in 2003-04 and Everton in 1992-93.
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