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Bradley, Wirtz and Frimpong all out for Liverpool
Liverpool: Hurzeler and Howe must be watching the cricket, because it’s Arne Slot who is the first managerial cab off the rank. He comes bearing mixed tidings for Liverpool fans ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest at Anfield tomorrow.
A quick summary: Alisson has fully recovered from his hamstring injury, but Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong will be out for at least three weeks. Florian Wirtz is also unavailable, while Joe Gomez missed training yesterday but should be OK for today. However, Slot is reluctant to risk him for 90 minutes. “Maybe one or two players have to play in positions they normally don’t do,” he says.
Premier League press conferences: I don’t have today’s schedule to hand but it’s normally a toss-up between early birds Fabian Hurzeler and Eddie Howe to see who is first out of the traps. It’s a state of affairs that ensures football reporters on the Brighton and Newcastle beats have to be up with the lark on Friday mornings.
Brighton’s form this season has been up and down like an Eiffel Tower elevator but their home form is good, so you’d fancy their chances this weekend against a Brentford side who aren’t great on the road under Keith Andrews.
If you haven’t been paying close attention to Newcastle, it may come as a shock for you to learn they could finish this weekend in the relegation zone if they lose at home to Manchester City and results elsewhere don’t go their way. It’s an unlikely scenario but not one that’s totally inconceivable.
The omens for the Mags aren’t great because Howe’s record against Pep Guardiola in the Premier League is little short of dismal. In 18 attempts to mastermind a league win against him as Bournemouth or Newcastle manager, he’s drawn twice and lost 16 times.
Not football: They’re still playing in the final session of the Ashes series opening day in Perth, where England’s seam bowlers have helped their team mount a stirring recovery following a depressingly chaotic and kamikaze first innings with bat in hand. The doyen of over-by-over reporting that is Rob Smyth has the latest from Western Australia, mate …
Premier League fixtures
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Burnley v Chelsea (Sat 12.30pm GMT)
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Liverpool v Nottingham Forest (3pm)
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Bournemouth v West Ham (3pm)
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Wolves v Crystal Palace (3pm)
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Brighton v Brentford (3pm)
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Fulham v Sunderland (3pm)
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Newcastle v Man City (5.30pm)
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Leeds v Aston Villa (Sun 2pm)
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Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (4.30pm)
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Man United v Everton (Mon 8pm)
Preamble
And just like that, a chaotic, emotionally charged and often wild international break is over. Selected highlights: Troy Parrott knocking Portugal and Hungary off their respective perches, Erling Haaland propelling Norway to the World Cup, a magnificent seven from Wales, and Scotland sealing their place in the tournament courtesy of a bonkers, late-night, six-goal Hampden Park thriller against Denmark.
After all that excitement it’s back to the weekly grind. The Premier League returns this weekend, kicking off its twelfth match-week with all the glorious, high-stakes drama we love. The big questions, as always: whose star players have survived the past fortnight unscathed.
We’re here to filter through the noise so you don’t have to. The Guardian’s Friday Football blog is open for business, bringing you all the pithiest quotes, rambling monologues and pertinent team news from today’s pre-match press conferences. We’ll be flagging up every significant injury scare, tactical hint, and managerial mood swing ahead of kick-off tomorrow.
