Isak, Raya & João Pedro: Latest FPL injury news for Gameweek 38 before Liverpool v Brentford
The latest Fantasy Premier League injury updates heading into Gameweek 38.
The end is nigh. After a long and often rather bizarre Fantasy Premier League season, it’s time to pick our final squad and pray for the luck required to win our mini-leagues before we get a couple of blissful months free from transfer planning – but as always, there are a number of awkward injuries which will make our decisions rather more difficult in Gameweek 38.
Alexander Isak, David Raya and João Pedro are among the notable FPL assets with worrying yellow warning signs next to their names in the app, so we’ve collected all the latest relevant injury information after the managers’ pre-match press conferences to help out.
Isak, Raya & João Pedro among key FPL doubts for Gameweek 38
Alexander Isak: The Swedish striker missed yet another game due to injury when he was absent for last Friday’s 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa, with Arne Slot blaming a “minor” muscular issue. The Dutchman told the press that there is “definitely a chance” that Isak plays against Brentford and he has returned to training in the build-up, but Slot added that he “cannot give any guarantees.” We suspect he plays but perhaps doesn’t get the full 90.
Jeremie Frimpong & Alisson Becker: Full-back and occasional winger Frimpong is in a similar position and faces a late fitness test, while we still don’t know whether Alisson Becker will be involved despite returning to team training last week. We wouldn’t gamble on either, quite frankly, although Slot did make some broadly positive noises about the Brazilian during his press conference.
David Raya: Raya went down in apparent agony towards the end of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday, providing a potential headache for over a third of FPL players. The Spaniard confirmed in a press interview after the match that he had suffered “a dead back, a dead glute and a dead shoulder,” but added that he expected to be “fine” for the final day of the season. There’s always a chance that Mikel Arteta will rest him, however, with the title won and a Champions League final to prepare for, and Raya missed training on Wednesday - along with Bukayo Saka - hinting that they’ll take a breather this Sunday.
Jurriën Timber & Mikel Merino: Both Timber and Merino are said to be progressing well through their respective rehab processes, with Arteta telling the press on Friday that Merino would return to training on the weekend, giving him a chance to be involved in some capacity this weekend. Timber is apparently further behind and won’t be involved as the Gunners try to get him fit again in time for the PSG match next weekend.
João Pedro: The Brazilian forward missed the win over Tottenham Hotspur due to what interim Chelsea coach Calum McFarlane described as a “slight knock.” He added that the issue was “nothing that we’re massively concerned about” but did also say that it was a “wait and see” situation in terms of whether he could play Sunderland. We suspect he’ll be involved given that Chelsea need a win to ensure European qualification, and he has trained for at least part of this week.
Casemiro & Benjamin Šeško: Casemiro has been something of a revelation in the FPL this season, but his fine year of points scoring is over - Michael Carrick told the press that the Brazilian won’t feature against Brighton. His Manchester United career has come to a close. Šeško, meanwhile, has missed the last two matches due to a shin injury which Michael Carrick initially downplayed the severity of – and The Sun (not our favourite source, admittedly) reported that he wouldn’t be risked on the final day. That has now been confirmed.
Spurs & Crystal Palace injuries also giving FPL managers headaches
Dominic Solanke: Robert De Zerbi had hinted that Solanke was close to coming back from a hamstring injury prior to the defeat to Chelsea, but in the end the striker missed out – but during his press conference, the Spurs manager said that Solanke was “available” but that a decision had not yet been made on whether to start him.
Chris Richards & Maxence Lacroix: Crystal Palace defenders are often popular budget picks for FPL managers, but two of their best are doubts heading into the game against Arsenal. Richards, it now transpires, tore two ligaments in his ankle against Brentford and has been ruled out this weekend, but Oliver Glasner did say that Lacroix’s injury was “not a problem” so he may well be involved. Chadi Riad should be fit too, with his substitution last weekend put down to cramp.
Anton Stach, Noah Okafor, Pascal Struijk, Jayden Bogle & Gabriel Gudmundsson: Leeds have a host of players carrying minor injuries into the final weekend, and going through them all in detail would take an age, so by way of a quick round-up: Stach, Okafor and Gudmundsson won’t play, while Struijk and Bogle are doubts but have returned to training, the former somewhat unexpectedly. Daniel Farke had already hinted that he’ll give players going to the World Cup some rest given that Leeds have ensured their safety, but that doesn’t include Struijk.
Omar Alderete: The Sunderland centre-back was hauled off after just 20 minutes during the eventual win over Everton, with Régis Le Bris later telling reporters that the Paraguayan had suffered a minor injury during training before the game and was thus taken off as a precaution. The Black Cats head coach has since said that it will be “difficult” for Alderete to play this weekend, so we assume he’ll be out.