🔗 Share this article

First Story: Top Player Palmer Fit for High-Stakes London Derby with The Gunners

The Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed on the final weekday that Cole Palmer is ready to play for the team's important top-flight match against local rivals Arsenal.

The young English international had been sidelined due to a broken toe sustained after an unfortunate incident.

“He is available to start and to play,” Maresca commented. “All involved are pleased.”

This season, Palmer has made only four appearances in all tournaments, scoring twice.

Since his arrival from City in the previous year, he has notched 45 strikes and 29 setups in 101 matches for the London club.

“He is our most valuable asset, we are happy he is back, we need to provide him with time to be 100% fit,” Maresca noted. “His past performances have been excellent and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”

2. The Toffees Get No Explanation for Rejected Gueye Dismissal Challenge

Everton were unsuccessful in their appeal against Idrissa Gueye's dismissal for a fight with teammate Michael Keane during the squad's single-goal triumph at Manchester United.

The veteran Senegal midfielder was shown a red card just early on into the match after slapping Keane during a dispute over a misplaced pass.

The player immediately apologized, and the teammates were seen reconciled afterwards in a mock social media video.

However, the appeal against the dismissal was denied, and Gueye must serve a three-game ban, making Everton shorthanded for their next match against Newcastle United.

“We challenged the decision and it was rejected,” manager David Moyes stated. “We received no rationale for the denial but we did appeal it.”

Inquired about additional consequences from the incident, Moyes remarked: “It ended right away, it was done, that was it, we progressed rapidly and it was all sorted within the team environment.”

Third Story: Wissa Practices with Newcastle for Initial Session since Injury

Newcastle United's recent acquisition Yoane Wissa has trained with his new teammates for the initial occasion since sustaining a knee injury shortly after his arrival from Brentford in September.

Head coach Eddie Howe confirmed the news on the end of the week but kept private a possible return date for the 29-year-old.

The team brought in the striker for £55m to replace Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for a British record sum.

Unfortunately, Wissa was injured while on national team duty before he could make his debut for his new club.

“He is progressing nicely, he trained with us for the first time on Wednesday, so I was extremely satisfied with how he looked,” Howe said. “It was his initial competitive session with the team. Let’s see how he reacts today.”

Howe added: “We have a target return date, but it’s probably best if I withhold that information. We wish to prevent any disappointment. Naturally, we want to involve him as promptly.”

Additionally, the defender will be sidelined for a month with a hamstring issue.

4. The Reds' Slump ‘Irrelevant’, Insists Hammers Boss Nuno

The Hammers manager Nuno Espírito Santo has claimed that Liverpool' current slump “should not be a focus” as his side prepares to take on the struggling Premier League title holders.

Arne Slot's side has suffered six losses in seven recent league matches, dropping out of the upper half of the standings.

However, Nuno emphasized that there can be no taking it easy when the sides meet on the weekend at the their home ground.

“Liverpool is a good team and in football, what counts is what you do on the day,” Nuno remarked. “We are preparing to play the title winners, players that are skilled and able of doing good things, so we have to prepare.

“The history of the outcomes 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 be fully prepared, to compete.”

West Ham will welcome back Lucas Paquetá after his suspension, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are progressing in their recovery from injury.

5. Morgan Gibbs-White Could Feature for Nottingham Forest against The Seagulls

The club's boss Sean Dyche is optimistic that Morgan Gibbs-White will be fit for the side's at home fixture against Brighton on the weekend.

The England player missed Thursday's European game against Malmö due to a back injury.

“We hope it is improving,” Dyche commented as he prepared to face the Brighton manager's team, who have secured a decent haul from their last three outings.

“It’s comparable to back pain, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just sleep funny or move improperly. So we’re not anticipating, at this stage anyway, that it’s very severe and it’s improving already. So we’re hopeful that it’ll be right for the weekend.”

The defender was experiencing discomfort in his hamstring muscle after the comfortable European win, but Dyche indicated the player “should be fine”.

Meanwhile, the full-back (thigh injury), Douglas Luiz (thigh), the winger (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are expected to miss out.

Sixth Story: Oliver Glasner: European Defeat Won't Set Back Palace

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner feels that the disappointment of midweek's European loss to the French side is a sign of how far the club has advanced in competing on multiple fronts.

The domestic cup holders took the lead at Stade de la Meinau through Tyrick Mitchell's opening period goal but were equalized against by the opposition manager's team, who moved up to runner-up in the table.

Crystal Palace now return to Premier League competition with a at Selhurst Park match against Manchester United, and Glasner is optimistic his side can maintain their push for a Champions League place.

“Maybe like the late defeat at Everton, it just feels that it was totally avoidable and it is our fault,” Glasner remarked. “Alternatively, we have to acknowledge it. The effort was there but it is a game we ought not to have lost.”

Glasner stated that Borna Sosa would not be available for Sunday's game after he did not travel to Strasbourg, but Will Hughes, who was substituted during the opening period against Strasbourg, should be in the team selection.