Here’s the preliminary team news for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 26, offering an early look at expected lineups and injury updates across all 16 Premier League teams as Liverpool, Luton Town, Chelsea and Tottenham will have a blank gameweek. While more clarity will emerge after the pre-match press conferences on Thursday and Friday, this initial rundown provides an overview of what to expect for the upcoming weekend fixtures.
Aston Villa Vs Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, and Emi Buendia for the rest of the season due to knee injuries. Additionally, Diego Carlos, Ezra Konsa, and Jhon Duran are not expected to be fit for their upcoming clash against Nottingham Forest. Konsa, although closest to a return, is likely to miss out as he continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained on February 6, with a projected absence of 3-4 weeks.
Chris Wood remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Gonzalo Montiel is unlikely to feature this month due to a similar issue. There’s also a slight concern over Taiwo Awoniyi’s fitness after his mid-game withdrawal in Forest’s previous match. On the positive side, Ibrahim Sangaré, Willy Boly, and Ola Aina are expected to be available after returning from international duty, although they were not considered for selection in Gameweek 25.
Aston Villa Predicted XI:
Martinez; Cash, Torres, Lenglet, Moreno; Tielemans, Luiz; Bailey, McGinn, Ramsey; Watkins
Nottm Forest Predicted XI:
Sels; Williams, Monteiro, Murillo, Tavares; Dominguez, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Odol; Awoniyi
Brighton Vs Everton
Joao Pedro continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, with a return expected in two to three weeks, while Julio Enciso eyes a comeback for Gameweek 27 as he deals with a knee issue. Jack Hinshelwood and Solly March remain sidelined with foot and knee injuries respectively, while James Milner’s return from a muscle injury appears imminent, although updates from Roberto De Zerbi have been somewhat vague. Everton’s Arnaut Danjuma and Dele Alli remain sidelined with ankle and groin injuries respectively. Andre Gomes is progressing well from a calf injury and could return soon, although caution has been advised by manager Sean Dyche. Seamus Coleman missed Everton’s last match due to illness.
Brighton Predicted XI:
Verbruggen, Webster, van Hecke, Dunk, Lapmtey, Gross, Gilmour, Mitoma, Buonanotte, Adingra, Welbeck
Everton Predicted XI:
Pickford; Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Garner, Gueye, McNeil, Doucoure, Young, Calver-Lewin
Crystal Palace Vs Burnley
Crystal Palace’s new manager, Oliver Glasner, will hold his debut press conference later this week, though initial briefings tend to offer limited team news. There’s optimism surrounding Eberechi Eze’s potential return from a hamstring issue to face Burnley, while Marc Guehi’s knee problem, initially feared to be severe, may not keep him out for long. Michael Olise, Cheick Doucoure, and Rob Holding are among Palace’s longer-term absentees. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Will Hughes are also sidelined, with concerns over Aaron Ramsey after his injury against Arsenal.
Burnley’s Lyle Foster, Luca Koleosho, and Nathan Redmond face extended spells on the sidelines, with doubts over Aaron Ramsey’s fitness. Jordan Beyer has been absent since the start of the year due to a muscle problem, with no clear return date set by his manager.
Also Read: FPL top captain picks for Gameweek 26
Crystal Palace Predicted XI:
Sam Johnstone(GK), Joel Ward(C), Joachim Andersen, Chris Richards, Daniel Muñoz, Jefferson Lerma, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell, Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta
Burnley Predicted XI:
James Trafford(GK), Vitinho, Dara O’Shea, Charlie Taylor, Hannes Delcroix, Jay Rodriguez, Sander Berge, Josh Brownhill(C), Wilson Odobert, David Datro Fofana, Zeki Amdouni
Manchester United Vs Fulham
Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw will be absent for Manchester United against Fulham following his early substitution in the previous match, with concerns over his injury extending potentially for the remainder of the season. Erik ten Hag expressed uncertainty about Shaw’s prognosis. Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Anthony Martial remain sidelined for United.
Fulham’s Raul Jimenez is out with a hamstring injury until after the March international break, while Kenny Tete’s Achilles issue could keep him sidelined. Armando Broja missed the last match due to illness but should be available. Joao Palhinha is suspended for the next two Gameweeks after accumulating his tenth booking of the season.
Man United Predicted XI:
André Onana, Diogo Dalot, Raphaël Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Kobbie Mainoo, Scott McTominay, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes(C), Marcus Rashford
Fulham Predicted XI:
Bernd Leno(GK), Timothy Castagne, Issa Diop, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Tom Cairney(C), Saša LukiÄ, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Andreas Pereira, Willain, Rodrigo Muniz
Bournemouth Vs Manchester City
Bournemouth are likely to have Romain Faivre back after his absence due to illness for the Newcastle trip. However, Max Aarons, James Hill, Tyler Adams, and Ryan Fredericks remain sidelined, with Adams nearing a return. Philip Billing will miss the game, serving the final match of his three-game suspension.
Manchester City will be without Josko Gvardiol due to an ankle injury, while Jack Grealish is also expected to miss out with a muscle issue, despite being around ten days away from a return as of last Saturday. Kevin De Bruyne was notably unused in Tuesday’s win over Brentford due to a reported hamstring niggle, as confirmed by Pep Guardiola post-match.
Bournemouth Predicted XI:
Neto, Lloyd Kelly, Marcos Senesi, Illia Zabarnyi, Adam Smith, Lewis Cook, Ryan Christie, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier, Dominic Solanke, Antoine Semenyo
Manchester City Predicted XI:
Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez
Arsenal Vs Newcastle
Arsenal saw Fabio Vieira back in action against Porto, while Thomas Partey didn’t travel due to a muscle issue. Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu were absent from training and also missed the midweek fixture. Jurrien Timber continues his recovery from a knee injury with a return expected later in the season. Newcastle remains without Callum Wilson, Elliot Anderson, Joelinton, Sandro Tonali, Nick Pope, and Matt Targett for the upcoming match. Fabian Schar, despite suffering a wrist injury, was seen training during the week. There’s optimism that Alexander Isak and Joe Willock could return for the trip to the Emirates, according to reports from Craig Hope.
Arsenal Predicted XI:
David Raya (GK), Benjamin White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior, Declan Rice, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard (C), Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard.
Newcastle Predicted XI:
Martin Dubravka (GK), Kieran Trippier (C), Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Miley, Miguel Almiron, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes.
Wolves Vs Sheffield United
Wolverhampton Wanderers had only Matheus Cunha absent last weekend due to a hamstring injury, which could sideline him for an extended period after sustaining a significant injury in Gameweek 24. Max Lowe and Rhys Norrington-Davies have been ruled out for the season, while Chris Basham, Ryan Jebbison, and John Egan continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Ben Brereton Diaz and Cameron Archer missed out recently due to hamstring and calf issues respectively. There’s hope for their return this weekend, along with George Baldock, who has been dealing with an unspecified problem, according to reports from the Sheffield Star. However, Mason Holgate will miss out as he serves a three-match suspension following his red card in Gameweek 25.
Wolves Predicted XI:
Jose Sa; Maximilian Kilman, Craig Dawson, Toti; Nelson Semedo, Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Pedro Neto, Pablo Sarabia; Hwang Hee-chan
Sheffield United Predicted XI:
Wes Foderingham; Jayden Bogle, Mason Holgate, Anel Ahmedhozic, Jack Robinson, Max Lowe; James McAtee, Vinicius Souza, Gustavo Hamer, Ben Osborn; Cameron Archer.
Also Read: Best Goalkeeper picks in FPL Gameweek 26
West Ham Vs Brentford
West Ham United’s Lucas Paquetá is nearing a return from a calf injury, though his availability for the Brentford clash remains uncertain as the club exercises caution. Kalvin Phillips will definitely miss Gameweek 26 due to suspension after his red card against Nottingham Forest. Brentford will be without several key players, including Josh Dasilva, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade, and Rico Henry. Ethan Pinnock is the latest addition to the injury list, with an ankle problem expected to keep him out until after the March international break, sustained in Gameweek 24.
West Ham Predicted XI:
Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Emerson, Álvarez, Phillips (Kalvin), Kudus, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Bowen
Brentford Predicted XI:
Flekken, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilón, Toney, Maupay