The Premier League ball

Premier League team news and match odds for fixtures on 22 and 23 December

By Sporting Life

Football

Fri December 21, 2018 · 6y ago

A round-up of the team news for every Premier League match taking place this weekend.

Saturday, December 22

Table position in brackets, match odds via Sky Bet...

Home 2/9 | Draw 5/1 | Away 12/1

Head coach Unai Emery may shake things up. Danny Welbeck (ankle), Rob Holding (knee), Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Emile Smith Rowe (hip), Hector Bellerin (calf) and Shkodran Mustafi are out and the fitness of Sead Kolasinac (thigh) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (ankle) will be assessed.
Aaron Lennon will miss out for Burnley after undergoing knee surgery. Fellow wide men Robbie Brady and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are carrying knocks, midfielder Steven Defour's calf injury is likely to keep him out, while defender Stephen Ward (knee) and goalkeeper Nick Pope (shoulder) are also sidelined.

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

Home 17/20 | Draw 5/2 | Away 16/5

Cherries captain Simon Francis is doubtful - the defender has not trained this week after two games out but Callum Wilson (hamstring) and Tyrone Mings (hip) are expected to be available. Midfielders Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling, plus defender Adam Smith, remain sidelined due to long-term knee injuries.
Brighton wingers Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jose Izquierdo are again absent. Jahanbakhsh, out since November 1, has a hamstring issue, while Izquierdo has missed two matches with a knee problem. Centre-back Shane Duffy completes a ban, with Leon Balogun likely to continue alongside Lewis Dunk.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

Home 1/3 | Draw 19/5 | Away 8/1

Eden Hazard is expected to be deployed as Chelsea's 'false nine' for a third straight Premier League game. Andreas Christensen (hamstring) is the only injury absentee, while David Luiz, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Marcos Alonso are set for returns after the Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth.
Jamie Vardy should return for Leicester after groin trouble while Ben Chilwell could also be fit following a knee injury. Jonny Evans is back from suspension after missing the Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City but Wilfred Ndidi (knee) is a doubt and Daniel Amartey (broken ankle) is out.

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

Home 2/1 | Draw 21/10 | Away 6/4

Huddersfield striker Steve Mounie has served a three-game ban and boss David Wagner must decide whether to recall him to the starting line-up or retain Laurent Depoitre. Winger Rajiv van La Parra (back) will be monitored, but Aaron Mooy, Danny Williams, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Tommy Smith are out.
Jack Stephens, Cedric Soares and Mario Lemina will return to contention for Saints - defenders Stephens and Soares and midfielder Lemina missed the win over Arsenal through injury but have since been back in training. However, left-back Ryan Bertrand remains unavailable following back surgery.

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Home 1/7 | Draw 13/2 | Away 14/1

The game comes too soon for City playmaker David Silva (hamstring). Captain Vincent Kompany has a knock, defender Danilo remains a doubt and left-back Benjamin Mendy (knee) and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (Achilles) are sidelined.
Cheikhou Kouyate is a doubt for Palace owing to a knock and defender Martin Kelly is expected to miss the Etihad Stadium clash due to an adductor muscle strain. Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has not recovered from a back spasm.

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

Home 19/20 | Draw 5/2 | Away 14/5

Ciaran Clark (ankle) is out but fellow defender Federico Fernandez (calf) is fit. Jonjo Shelvey continues to recover from a thigh problem, DeAndre Yedlin returns from a ban and Florian Lejeune is available after a knee injury, leaving keeper Karl Darlow (elbow) as the only other other name on the casualty list.
Fulham winger Ryan Sessegnon will miss out with a groin strain but could be fit in time for the Boxing Day clash with Wolves. Midfielder Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa remains sidelined with a knock.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Home 13/10 | Draw 5/2 | Away 14/5

Jack Wilshere (ankle) is again missing from the West Ham squad and Marko Arnautovic, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini, Ryan Fredericks, Carlos Sanchez and Winston Reid remain sidelined. However, striker Lucas Perez could return from a foot injury.
Etienne Capoue returns from suspension for Watford - the midfielder is available after serving a three-game ban following his red card at Leicester on December 1. Will Hughes (hip), Andre Gray (leg), Sebastian Prodl (knee) and Adalberto Penaranda (foot) remain sidelined for the Hornets.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)

Home 19/4 | Draw 3/1 | Away 3/5

Cardiff defender Joe Bennett is doubtful - he has not trained this week after being forced off in the second half of the defeat at Watford. Lee Peltier and Greg Cunningham are on stand-by to deputise, while Jazz Richards will be checked after a recent hamstring problem.
Romelu Lukaku looks set to miss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first match as United boss - the striker has been given time off and has yet to return. Alexis Sanchez is also out and Chris Smalling is a doubt but Luke Shaw hopes to return.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

Home 2/1 | Draw 12/5 | Away 5/4

Key Everton players Richarlison and Andre Gomes are both fit - the pair were both forced to miss training sessions this week with illness but will both be in the squad on Sunday. However, midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, who missed the defeat at Manchester City with a groin injury, faces a late fitness test.
Jan Vertonghen (thigh), Eric Dier (appendicitis), Mousa Dembele (ankle), Serge Aurier (groin) and Victor Wanyama (knee) miss out for Spurs, who have no new injury concerns. Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris are set to be restored to the starting line-up.

Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)

Odds correct as of 2100 GMT on 21/12/18