The Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday that Cole Palmer is ready to play for the squad's significant Premier League match against London rivals Arsenal.
The 23-year-old England midfielder was out of action due to a broken toe incurred after an accidental occurrence.
“He is available to start and to play,” Maresca declared. “Everyone is happy.”
This season, Palmer has been limited to four outings across all competitions, scoring twice.
Following his transfer from City in 2023, he has notched 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances for the London club.
“He is our top performer, we are delighted he is back, we need to provide him with time to be completely ready,” Maresca continued. “He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”
Everton have failed in their protest against Idrissa Gueye's red card for a physical confrontation with teammate Michael Keane during the team's narrow win at Manchester United.
The 36-year-old Senegal midfielder was dismissed only 13 minutes into the game after striking Keane during a dispute over a poor pass.
The player immediately apologized, and the teammates appeared reconciled afterwards in a light-hearted online post.
However, the challenge against the dismissal was rejected, and Gueye must serve a three-game suspension, leaving Everton depleted for their next match against Newcastle United.
“We lodged an appeal and it was unsuccessful,” manager David Moyes revealed. “We received no rationale for the denial but we did appeal it.”
Inquired about additional consequences from the event, Moyes continued: “It ended right away, it was done, that was it, we moved on swiftly and it was all sorted within the team environment.”
Newcastle United's new acquisition Yoane Wissa has trained with his new teammates for the first time since sustaining a knee injury shortly after his arrival from Brentford in the autumn.
Manager Eddie Howe announced the news on Friday but withheld a potential comeback timeline for the player.
Newcastle signed the striker for £55m to fill the void left by Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for a British record transfer fee.
Unfortunately, Wissa was hurt while on international duty before he could make his debut for his new club.
“His recovery is going smoothly, he trained with us for the first time on midweek, so I was extremely satisfied with how he looked,” Howe commented. “That’s his first time competitively with the group. Let’s see how he reacts today.”
The manager added: “There is a planned comeback timeline, but it’s probably best if I do not share it publicly. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. Naturally, we want to include him as promptly.”
Additionally, the defender will be sidelined for a four-week period with a hamstring issue.
The Hammers manager Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that the reigning champions' dip in performance “is largely irrelevant” as his team prepares to face the ailing Premier League title holders.
The Liverpool manager's team has suffered six losses in seven recent Premier League games, dropping out of the upper half of the table.
Nevertheless, Nuno emphasized that there can be no room for overconfidence when the teams meet on the weekend at the their home ground.
“The Reds are a strong team and in football, what counts is what you do on the day,” Nuno said. “We anticipate facing the league champions, players that are skilled and able of doing good things, so we have to be ready.
“The past 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 very good team, that has players able of doing wonderful things, so we have to be fully prepared, to challenge.”
West Ham will welcome back Lucas Paquetá after his ban, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are stepping up their return from injury.
Nottingham Forest's manager Sean Dyche is hopeful that Morgan Gibbs-White will be available for the side's home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend.
The English player missed Thursday's European game against the Swedish side due to a back injury.
“We hope it is improving,” Dyche stated as he got ready to face Fabian Hürzeler's side, who have taken a decent haul from their last three outings.
“It’s like a bad back, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just sleep funny or move improperly. So we’re not expecting, at this point anyway, that it’s too serious and it’s improving already. So we’re confident that it’ll be right for the weekend.”
The defender was feeling his hamstring after the 3-0 Europa League victory, but Dyche indicated the player “should be fine”.
Meanwhile, the full-back (thigh injury), Douglas Luiz (thigh), Dilane Bakwa (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are expected to be unavailable.
The Eagles head coach Oliver Glasner feels that the disappointment of midweek's European loss to the French side is a indication of how far the club has come in competing on multiple fronts.
The domestic cup holders took the lead at the away ground through Tyrick Mitchell's opening period goal but were pegged back by Liam Rosenior's side, who climbed to runner-up in the group standings.
The Eagles now switch focus to Premier League competition with a at Selhurst Park match against the Red Devils, and Glasner is confident his team can maintain their push for a top four place.
“Similar to the late loss against Everton, it just feels that it was completely unnecessary and it is our fault,” Glasner commented. “However, we have to take it on the chin. The commitment was there but it is a game we shouldn’t definitely lose.”
Glasner confirmed that Borna Sosa would be absent for Sunday's match after he stayed behind to Strasbourg, but Will Hughes, who went off during the first half against Strasbourg, is expected to be in the matchday squad.
