EPL Updates: Palmer Poised for Chelsea Return; Gueye's Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal Mystery
1. Star Talent Palmer Fit for High-Stakes London Clash with Arsenal
The Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday that Cole Palmer is set to return for the team's vital top-flight encounter against London rivals Arsenal.
The young England international was unavailable due to a fractured toe suffered after an unfortunate incident.
âHe is fit to begin and feature,â Maresca declared. âEveryone is happy.â
This season, Palmer has made only four appearances in all tournaments, scoring twice.
After joining from City in the previous year, he has recorded 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 games for the London club.
âHe is our best player, we are happy he is back, we need to give him time to be fully fit,â Maresca continued. âHe has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do exceptionally well for this club in the future.â
Second Story: The Toffees Receive No Explanation for Rejected Gueye Red Card Challenge
Everton were unsuccessful in their appeal against Idrissa Gueye's red card for a fight with fellow player Michael Keane during the team's narrow win at Manchester United.
The veteran Senegalese midfielder was shown a red card just early on into the contest after striking Keane amid a dispute over a misplaced pass.
The player promptly expressed regret, and the pair were seen making up later in a light-hearted social media video.
However, the appeal against the red card was rejected, and Gueye must serve a three-game suspension, leaving Everton short-staffed for their next fixture against Newcastle United.
âWe have appealed it and our appeal was turned down,â coach David Moyes stated. âNo explanation was provided for the rejection but we did appeal it.â
Inquired about more issues from the event, Moyes continued: âIt was over immediately, it was done, that was it, we progressed rapidly and it was all sorted within the team environment.â
Third Story: Wissa Practices with Newcastle for First Time since Setback
Newcastle United's recent acquisition Yoane Wissa has trained with his squad for the first time since suffering a knee problem soon after his arrival from his former club in the autumn.
Head coach Eddie Howe announced the development on Friday but kept private a potential comeback timeline for the player.
Newcastle signed the forward for a significant fee to replace Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for a record-breaking transfer fee.
Unfortunately, Wissa was injured while on international duty before he could play his first game for his new club.
âHis recovery is going smoothly, he trained with us for the first time on Wednesday, so I was very happy with how he looked,â Howe stated. âThatâs his first time competitively with the group. Letâs see how he responds today.â
Howe continued: âWe have a target return date, but itâs likely best if I do not share it publicly. We aim to avoid letting people down. Of course, we want to utilize him as quickly.â
In other news, the defender will be sidelined for a four-week period with a hamstring issue.
Fourth Story: Liverpool' Slump âDoesnât Matterâ, Insists Hammers Manager Nuno
West Ham United manager Nuno EspĂrito Santo has stated that Liverpool' recent poor form âshould not be a focusâ as his team prepares to face the struggling top-flight champions.
The Liverpool manager's side has suffered six losses in seven recent league games, dropping out of the top 10 of the standings.
Nevertheless, Nuno emphasized that there can be no taking it easy when the sides clash on Sunday at the London Stadium.
âThe Reds are a strong team and in football, what matters is what you do on the day,â Nuno remarked. âWe anticipate facing the league champions, players that are skilled and capable of doing great things, so we have to prepare.
âThe history of the results before, the performance of the teams, is largely insignificant. It is about the match day. Aware that we are going to face a high-quality team, that has players capable of doing wonderful things, so we have to get ready, to challenge.â
West Ham will welcome back Lucas PaquetĂĄ after his suspension, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are stepping up their return from injury.
Fifth Story: Morgan Gibbs-White Could Feature for Nottingham Forest against The Seagulls
Nottingham Forest's boss Sean Dyche is optimistic that Morgan Gibbs-White will be fit for the side's home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend.
The English player was absent for Thursday's Europa League game against the Swedish side due to a back issue.
âHopefully itâs settling down,â Dyche stated as he got ready to face the Brighton manager's team, who have secured a decent haul from their last three outings.
âItâs comparable to back pain, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just sleep funny or twist funny. So weâre not expecting, at this stage anyway, that itâs too serious and itâs settling down already. So weâre hopeful that itâll be fine for the weekend.â
The defender was experiencing discomfort in his hamstring after the 3-0 Europa League victory, but Dyche indicated the player âshould be fineâ.
Meanwhile, the full-back (thigh injury), the midfielder (thigh), Dilane Bakwa (hamstring), the striker (knee), and the defender (hip) are likely to miss out.
6. Oliver Glasner: European Loss Won't Hinder Palace
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner feels that the setback of Thursday's Conference League loss to Strasbourg is a sign of how much progress the team has come in competing on multiple fronts.
The FA Cup winners took the lead at the away ground through Tyrick Mitchell's first-half goal but were equalized against by the opposition manager's side, who moved up to runner-up in the table.
Crystal Palace now switch focus to Premier League competition with a at Selhurst Park fixture against Manchester United, and Glasner is optimistic his side can keep up their push for a top four place.
âSimilar to the late loss against Everton, it just feels that it was totally avoidable and it is our fault,â Glasner remarked. âOn the other side, we have to accept it. The effort was there but it is a game we could have avoided losing.â
Glasner stated that Borna Sosa would miss out for Sunday's game after he did not travel to France, but Will Hughes, who was substituted during the opening period against the opponents, is expected to be in the team selection.