The clock is ticking for Gameweek 29, and Fantasy managers are on the edge of their seats, desperately seeking crucial team news! Today brings a fresh wave of updates, with key players like Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, and Harry Wilson all under the microscope. Will they be fit to play? Let's dive into the latest intel!
We're expecting a flurry of press conferences today, with seven Premier League managers set to face the media. This follows yesterday's extensive briefings, giving us a clearer picture of who's in and who's out for the upcoming fixtures. However, it's worth noting that Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Tottenham Hotspur's Igor Tudor might not be available for comment until Wednesday, after the Gameweek 29 deadline. Their sides are scheduled to face each other on Thursday night, so their team news will likely be the last to emerge.
Tuesday's Essential Gameweek 29 Team News Highlights:
- Manchester City: All eyes are on Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly, who will be assessed for fitness after training today.
- Newcastle United: Jacob Ramsey has recovered from illness, but Nick Woltemade is currently unwell. Tino Livramento is progressing ahead of schedule, though he might not be ready for this match.
- Brighton and Hove Albion: Yasin Ayari is a potential option, and manager Fabian Hurzeler plans to freshen things up in the squad.
Tuesday's Press Conference Schedule:
Get your notepads ready! Here's when the managers will be speaking:
- 9:00 AM: Hurzeler (Brighton)
- 9:30 AM: Howe (Newcastle)
- 12:30 PM: Guardiola (Manchester City)
- 1:30 PM: Arteta (Arsenal)
- 1:30 PM: Silva (Nottingham Forest)
- 1:45 PM: Carrick (Middlesbrough)
- 2:00 PM: Emery (Aston Villa)
Deep Dive into Team Updates:
Manchester City: As anticipated, Pep Guardiola was tight-lipped about the fitness of Erling Haaland (knee) and Nico O’Reilly (ankle). Haaland sat out the recent win against Leeds, while O’Reilly was forced off with an ankle issue. Guardiola stated, "[Haaland] feels much better but yesterday we didn’t train. Now we have training, we will decide today. The same [for O’Reilly], we’ll decide after training." Josko Gvardiol (leg) and Mateo Kovacic (ankle) are still unavailable.
Newcastle United: Eddie Howe confirmed that Jacob Ramsey has made a swift recovery from the bug that saw him substituted at halftime. "Jacob was in yesterday, trained fine, so a quick recovery from him," Howe reported. However, Nick Woltemade is currently sidelined with an illness and has missed training for a couple of days. "There’s obviously something, an illness, potentially there in the squad because Nick Woltemade has gone down ill and we haven’t seen him for a couple of days. Let’s see [if Woltemade is available], we will give him every chance," Howe added. On the injury front, Tino Livramento (hamstring) is making excellent progress and is ahead of schedule. Despite this, Howe suggested that this upcoming match might be too soon for the defender's return. "Possibly [too soon]. I think he is getting closer and closer. We’re desperate for him to be back available, but it has to be at the right time. And every injury situation is not always as simple as you give a return date and the player comes back. There’s always little things that can happen either way. I think he’s slightly ahead of the schedule initially given, but yeah, he’s in the last little bits of his rehab now," he explained. Lewis Miley (dead leg), Fabian Schar (ankle), Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring), and Emil Krafth (knee) remain out.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Manager Fabian Hurzeler is optimistic about Yasin Ayari (shoulder) being available for Wednesday's match, especially after his return to training. "He trained yesterday. So, hopefully, he reacts fine to the first training session and then we have another one today and then I’m quite confident that he will be an option for tomorrow," Hurzeler said. Long-term absentees Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are still unavailable. Regarding other players, Hurzeler mentioned, "Nothing new, nothing big. Some small issues. So, we have to test the players today. We have to get them feeling who’s 100% fit for tomorrow but there are no new big injury concerns."
But here's where it gets interesting: Despite fielding the same starting eleven for their last two victorious league matches, Brighton will not be going with an unchanged lineup against Arsenal. Hurzeler explained, "Connections always help on the pitch and to have like a stable starting XI always helps. Unfortunately, we only could do it once this season and we won’t do it tomorrow. So, that’s what I can say, because one or two players might not be recovered for the game tomorrow and we need fresh legs. We need players who can run a lot. We need players who can bring an energy on the pitch because I think that’s the main thing for tomorrow." Veterans Danny Welbeck and James Milner are prime candidates for rotation. "I think [Welbeck] might be an option to rotate, yes, but also it’s more regarding James Milner. I think he had two really good performances. He invested a lot and therefore in this position, we might do a change and give him more time to recover," Hurzeler noted.
And this is the part most people miss: There's also discussion surrounding Yankuba Minteh's game-time prospects, as he hasn't started a league game in 2026. Hurzeler elaborated on the competition, highlighting the strong form of Diego Gomez on the right wing. "It’s about competition at the moment. A lot of players available. Diego Gomez is doing really well on the right side. He’s scoring goals, he’s attacking the box, and that’s what I demand from the wingers, to create chances, to be alive at the second post, to defend together with your teammates. We know that Yankuba Minteh already proved it this season. We know that he can be a very important part of us. He has an element we don’t have again in our squad. He has a physicality that is outstanding. But now it’s about him accepting the situation like it is, to get an understanding what he needs to do to get back and therefore we are in exchange with him. Most of times it’s quite simple. It’s hard work. It’s showing it in every training session. It’s showing, no matter how many game minutes you [get], two minutes, three minutes, 20 minutes, that, ‘I want to get back in the team’," he stated.
So, what are your thoughts on these team news updates? Are you making any last-minute transfers based on this information? Let us know in the comments below!
