Diogo Jota and Son Heung-min are both doubts for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures (Image: Getty)
Time is ticking towards the ‘s Gameweek 7 deadline at 11am (BST) tomorrow (Saturday). And there are a number of big-name players fighting to be back in contention for this weekend’s games.
Approaching the final round of fixtures before the international break, FPL players will be desperate to round off a busy few weeks on a high and put valuable points on the board.
Here, Express Sport takes you through six key players and what we know about their fitness ahead of the deadline…
Diogo Jota
The forward picked up a knock in last weekend’s win over Wolves but recovered in time to make a second-half substitute appearance against Bologna on Wednesday. With only two training sessions missed overall, it seems likely that Jota will be back in from the start at Crystal Palace in the early kick-off.
Son Heung-min
The star played no part in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford or the Europa League victory over Ferencvaros on Thursday. confirmed that the South Korean had stayed in London for ‘rehab’ on an issue he picked up against Qarabag last week. Sunday’s trip to Brighton could come too soon for Son barring a speedy recovery, though his team-mate, Destiny Udogie, could feature as Postecoglou explained the issue which kept him out of the Ferencvaros game is ‘nothing significant’.
Kevin De Bruyne has missed Man City’s last three matches (Image: Getty)
The talisman has not played at all since suffering a thigh issue against Inter on September 18. hopes De Bruyne will be back after the international break, suggesting he won’t recover in time to play Fulham on Saturday.
Joao Pedro
Brighton’s star forward returned as a substitute against Nottingham Forest the weekend before last, only to drop back out of the matchday squad for the defeat at due to an ankle injury. Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler says he is taking it ‘week by week’, adding: “We can’t take any risks.”
Jurrien Timber
Timber was substituted at the half-time interval of ‘s 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. He remains a doubt for Southampton’s trip to the Emirates Stadium, with providing little in the way of specifics. “He felt something muscular and we didn’t want to take any risks,” said the Spaniard. “He has been out a year and played a lot of minutes. We have to manage him.”
Ben White is also a doubt, having missed the last two games with a knee problem.
Though not injury related, Fernandes’ eligibility to face Aston Villa this weekend was in doubt due to the contentious red card he picked up against last time out. His three-match ban has since been overturned on appeal, making the Portuguese playmaker available for ‘s trip to Villa Park.