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First Story: Star Player Palmer Ready for Crucial London Clash with Arsenal

The Blues head coach Enzo Maresca stated on the final weekday that Cole Palmer is set to return for the squad's important Premier League fixture against London rivals Arsenal.

The 23-year-old English international was out of action due to a broken toe suffered after an unfortunate incident.

“He is fit to begin and feature,” Maresca commented. “All involved are pleased.”

In the current campaign, Palmer has featured in just four games across all competitions, netting two goals.

Since his arrival from City in 2023, he has recorded 45 strikes and 29 setups in 101 matches for the London club.

“He is our best player, we are happy he is back, we need to give him time to be fully fit,” Maresca added. “He has been brilliant historically and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”

2. Everton Get No Explanation for Rejected Idrissa Gueye Red Card Challenge

Everton were unsuccessful in their challenge against Idrissa Gueye's sending off for a fight with teammate Michael Keane during the team's 1-0 victory at Manchester United.

The veteran Senegal midfielder was shown a red card only 13 minutes into the contest after striking Keane amid a argument over a poor pass.

The player promptly expressed regret, and the teammates were seen reconciled afterwards in a light-hearted social media post.

However, the appeal against the red card was rejected, and Gueye must complete a three-match ban, making Everton short-staffed for their next match against Newcastle United.

“We have appealed it and our appeal was turned down,” manager the manager revealed. “We received no rationale for the denial but we did appeal it.”

Inquired about additional consequences from the incident, Moyes added: “The matter was resolved instantly, it was done, that was it, we progressed quite quickly and it was all sorted within the team environment.”

3. Yoane Wissa Trains with Newcastle for First Time since Setback

The club's new signing Yoane Wissa has practiced with his new teammates for the initial occasion since suffering a knee problem shortly after his move from Brentford in the autumn.

Head coach Eddie Howe confirmed the news on Friday but withheld a potential return date for the player.

Newcastle signed the forward for a significant fee to replace Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool for a British record transfer fee.

Regrettably, Wissa was injured while on national team service before he could make his debut for Newcastle.

“He is doing well, he trained with us for the first time on Wednesday, so I was extremely satisfied with how he looked,” Howe stated. “That’s his first time competitively with the group. Let’s see how he reacts today.”

Howe continued: “There is a planned comeback timeline, but it’s likely best if I keep that to myself. We wish to prevent any disappointment. Naturally, we want to involve him as promptly.”

In other news, the defender will be sidelined for a four-week period with a hamstring issue.

4. Liverpool' Slump ‘Irrelevant’, Says Hammers Manager Nuno

West Ham United head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that the reigning champions' current slump “is largely irrelevant” as his side prepares to take on the struggling top-flight champions.

Arne Slot's side has lost six of the last seven league games, dropping out of the top 10 of the standings.

Nevertheless, Nuno emphasized that there can be no room for overconfidence when the teams meet on the weekend at the London Stadium.

“The Reds are a strong team and in football, what counts is what you do on the day,” Nuno commented. “We anticipate facing the league champions, players that are skilled and able of doing great things, so we have to prepare.

“The history of the results before, the form of the teams, is largely insignificant. It is about the day. Aware that we are going to face a high-quality team, that has players able of doing amazing feats, so we have to get ready, to compete.”

West Ham will have available Lucas Paquetá after his suspension, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are progressing in their recovery from fitness issues.

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

The club's manager Sean Dyche is hopeful that Morgan Gibbs-White will be available for the side's at home match against Brighton on Sunday.

The English player missed the midweek European match against the Swedish side due to a back issue.

“Hopefully it’s settling down,” Dyche said as he got ready to face the Brighton manager's side, who have secured a decent haul from their past three outings.

“It’s like a bad back, but a waking-up sort of injury, one where you just rest awkwardly or move improperly. So we’re not anticipating, at this point anyway, that it’s very severe and it’s improving already. So we’re confident that it’ll be fine for the weekend.”

Murillo was feeling his hamstring after the comfortable Europa League victory, but Dyche indicated the player “will likely be available”.

However, Ola Aina (thigh injury), Douglas Luiz (thigh), Dilane Bakwa (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are likely to miss out.

6. Glasner: Conference League Loss Won't Hinder Crystal Palace

The Eagles head coach Oliver Glasner feels that the setback of midweek's European defeat to the French side is a indication of how far the team has advanced in challenging on two fronts.

The FA Cup winners went ahead at the away ground through Tyrick Mitchell's opening period goal but were equalized against by Liam Rosenior's team, who moved up to second in the group standings.

Crystal Palace now switch focus to domestic competition with a home match against Manchester United, and Glasner is confident his team can maintain their challenge for a Champions League spot.

“Comparable to the recent setback at Goodison Park, it just feels that it was totally avoidable and it is our fault,” Glasner commented. “Alternatively, we have to take it on the chin. The effort was there but it is a game we could have avoided losing.”

Glasner confirmed that Borna Sosa would be absent for Sunday's match after he did not travel to France, but Will Hughes, who was substituted during the first half against the opponents, should be in the matchday squad.