Fantasy Premier League Game Week 20 Injury Updates Inform Player Selection

Fantasy Football Scout - FPL Tips · January 03, 2026 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

The podcast focuses on providing essential Fantasy Premier League (FPL) injury news from 20 manager press conferences, aiming to inform player selection decisions for Game Week 20.
Aston Villa may see Pau Torres or Tyrone Mings return from injury, while Matty Cash and Boubacar Traore are back from suspension, bolstering their squad.
Brighton's Mitoma is being assessed for a dead leg but has clear scans, though his start is not guaranteed, and Matty Wefer is out with a toe injury.
Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina is back from injury and eligible for the Premier League squad, but Dan Burn remains a doubt with a calf injury.
West Ham will assess Mo for tightness after he came off midweek, while Fabianski is still out with a back problem, and Wan-Bissaka and Joff are on international duty.
Bournemouth's Semenyo is expected to be available for this game and potentially the next, but Ryan Christie is out injured, and Lewis Cook will be assessed.
Arsenal's Declan Rice is a doubt due to knee swelling, and while Gabriel came off early, it's not believed to be serious; Calafiori and Muscara are out.

Deep Dive

This episode of the Fantasy Football Scout podcast provides essential team news for Game Week 20, drawing from extensive press conference summaries. The core implication for fantasy managers is the immediate impact of player availability and fitness on potential team selections and strategies.

Key updates reveal that Aston Villa's squad is strengthening with the return of two players from suspension (Matty Cash, Boubacar Traore) and potentially one from injury (Pau Torres or Tyrone Mings). Nottingham Forest sees Ola Aina return from injury and eligible for the Premier League squad, though Dan Hennessey remains a doubt. Brighton faces uncertainty with Mitoma's dead leg, though scans are clear, and Matty Webster is out with a toe injury; however, Pascal Gross is nearing a transfer completion. Burnley will be without Maxwell for a short period due to re-injury, while Wolves anticipate Santiago Bueno's return. West Ham will assess Michail Antonio's tightness, while Arsenal's Declan Rice remains questionable with knee swelling, and Calafiori and Zinchenko are confirmed out. Bournemouth faces significant absences with Semenyo's potential departure and Christie out, while Arsenal has no concrete updates on Rice but has ruled out Calafiori and Zinchenko. Leeds will miss Ampadu due to suspension, while Manchester United expects no major returns, with Mount and Maguire still sidelined. Everton faces uncertainty with Michael Keane and Tarkowski's chances of playing, while Brentford has no fresh concerns beyond absentees due to AFCON.

The second-order implication is that the detailed injury and availability news directly influences player selection decisions, potentially leading to unexpected lineup changes and requiring managers to adapt their fantasy teams on short notice. The varied nature of injury updates--from definite absences to late assessments--creates a layer of strategic uncertainty, forcing managers to weigh the risks of selecting players with questionable fitness against the potential rewards. Furthermore, the mention of players returning from international duty (AFCON) and potential transfers (Pascal Gross) adds another layer of complexity, requiring managers to stay updated on evolving squad dynamics.

Action Items

Track player injury statuses for 5-10 key players across the league to inform tactical decisions.
Analyze manager press conference transcripts for recurring phrases indicating player availability (e.g., "chance," "doubt," "assessed") to refine injury prediction models.
Develop a standardized template for capturing player injury and availability data, including source and date, to ensure consistency.
Cross-reference manager statements with actual matchday squad selections for 3-5 teams to validate information accuracy.

Key Quotes

"We've got to be careful with them. Sevilla he's all booked and rolled, he came off last night and Doku replaced him, and he said that we're going to miss Sevilla, so it seems like he's out."

Pep Guardiola indicates that a player named Sevilla has been injured and will be unavailable for upcoming matches. This suggests a potential impact on team selection and strategy for Manchester City.

"He did mention about Rodri and Doku, they're just back from injury, they came on as subs last night. He said we've got to be careful with them."

Pep Guardiola is cautious about the immediate return of Rodri and Doku from injury. This highlights the importance of managing player fitness to avoid re-injury, especially after a period of absence.

"Caicedo is definitely out for this one though, he's banned. One match ban for yellow card accumulation."

Callum McFarlane states that Caicedo is unavailable for the upcoming match due to a suspension resulting from accumulating yellow cards. This means Chelsea will be without a key player for this fixture.

"Minter is being assessed before starts but should be okay but whether he starts or not is another matter."

This quote indicates that Minter is currently undergoing assessment for fitness. While he is expected to be available, his starting status for the match remains uncertain, depending on the outcome of the assessment.

"Keane has a chance, which we think is positive, but I think I think the well as a Keane owner I'm going to play him and make sure I've got a good first sub."

The speaker believes that Keane has a positive chance of playing, despite a potential injury. As a fantasy football owner, they plan to select Keane but will have a backup player ready in case he is unable to play or is substituted.

Resources

External Resources

Articles & Papers

"GW20: FPL Team News" (Fantasy Football Scout) - Mentioned as the episode title and topic of discussion.

Organizations & Institutions

NFL (National Football League) - Mentioned in relation to data analysis and performance.
Aston Villa - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Nottingham Forest - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Brighton - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Burnley - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Wolves - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
West Ham - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Bournemouth - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Arsenal - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability, and as title contenders.
Leeds - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Manchester United - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Everton - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Brentford - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Manchester City - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability, and as title contenders.
Chelsea - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Sunderland - Mentioned in relation to team news and player availability.
Sevilla - Mentioned in relation to player availability.
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) - Mentioned in relation to players being away on international duty.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Mentioned as a data source for player grading.
Sky - Mentioned as a source for live press conference streams and commentary.
The Athletic FC Podcast - Mentioned as a source of information.
Auto Trader - Mentioned in relation to buying cars online.
Blue Apron - Mentioned as a meal delivery service.

People

Neil - Co-host and Fantasy Football Scout editor.
Joe - Host of the podcast.
Emery - Manager mentioned in relation to Aston Villa press conference.
Pau Torres - Aston Villa player mentioned in relation to potential return from injury.
Tyrone Mings - Aston Villa player mentioned in relation to potential return from injury.
Matty Cash - Aston Villa player returning from suspension.
Boubacar Traore - Aston Villa player returning from suspension.
Ross Barkley - Aston Villa player confirmed out due to Ivory Coast duty.
Amadou Onana - Aston Villa player who came off at halftime with a suspected hamstring issue.
Fash - Nottingham Forest manager.
Ola Aina - Nottingham Forest player returning from injury and eligible for Premier League squad.
Dan and Doyle - Nottingham Forest player doubtful with a calf injury.
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest player out for months after surgery.
Ryan Yates - Nottingham Forest player still out.
Bolly and Sangare - Nottingham Forest players away at AFCON.
Minti - Brighton player with a dead leg, scans are clear but start not guaranteed.
Matty Wefer - Brighton player definitely out with a toe injury.
March - Brighton player closing in on a return.
Webster - Brighton player with a longer-term injury.
Simas - Brighton player with a longer-term injury.
Lallana - Brighton player on international duty.
Pascal Gross - Brighton player being discussed for potential FPL asset status and Premier League return.
Maximilian Stie - Burnley player re-injured after returning from absence.
Roberts - Burnley player out due to AFCON.
Beyer - Burnley player out due to AFCON.
Duni - Burnley player out due to AFCON.
Flemings - Burnley player not expected back soon.
Worrall - Burnley player not expected back soon.
Liam King - Mentioned in relation to Wolves team news.
Mo - West Ham player to be assessed due to tightness.
Fabianski - West Ham player still out with a back problem.
Hugo - West Ham player available again.
Wan Bissaka - Player on international duty.
Juff - Player on international duty.
Semenyo - Bournemouth player expected to play, possibly leaving after next two games.
Ryan Christie - Bournemouth player missing out again due to injury.
Lewis Cook - Bournemouth player to be assessed for a neck problem.
Adams - Bournemouth player still out.
Miller - Bournemouth player still out.
Saville - Bournemouth player still out.
Galan - Bournemouth player still out.
Dork - Bournemouth player still out.
Will Dennis - Bournemouth player suffered a serious looking ankle injury.
Fraser Forster - Bournemouth player signed as a free agent backup goalkeeper.
Boruc - Bournemouth goalkeeper.
Declan Rice - Arsenal player with a questionable knee issue.
Gabriel - Arsenal player who came off early, status uncertain.
Arteta - Arsenal manager.
Calafiori - Player confirmed out by Arteta.
Muscara - Player confirmed out by Arteta.
Bueno - Wolves player to be back available.
Minetti - Wolves player on the grass but not close to team training.
Bellagard - Wolves player still out.
Totti - Wolves player still out.
Ampadu - Leeds player out due to suspension.
Grujev - Player who came off, hopefully just cramp.
Borna - Center half who came off on debut, hopefully just cramp.
Longstaff - Player still out.
Rodon - Player out for three weeks.
Daniel James - Player still out.
Ruben Amari - Player fit to play.
Bruno - Player potentially seen for the game, but unlikely.
Mount - Player on the injury list.
Maguire - Player on the injury list.
Ahmad - Player at AFCON.
Mazraoui - Player at AFCON.
Michael Keane - Everton player with a chance to play.
Tarkowski - Everton player banged with a dead leg.
Duzbury Hall - Player confirmed out.
Alcaraz - Player confirmed out.
Coleman - Player available for Brentford.
Di and Ghana - Players still at AFCON.
Grealish - Player much better and looked fresher in training.
Thiago - Player mentioned in relation to FPL ownership.
Maresca - Chelsea interim boss, reportedly in talks with Man City.
Guardiola - Manager of Man City.
Rodri - Man City player back from injury.
Doku - Man City player back from injury.
Sevilla - Player who came off, seems to be out.
Nico Gonzalez - Player to be assessed after coming off at interval.
Nico O'Reilly - Player taken off, reason unclear (potential niggle or performance issue).
Edgar Topmox - Mentioned in relation to assessing a game.
Cucurella - Chelsea player trained but fitness for the game uncertain.
Caicedo - Chelsea player definitely out due to suspension.
Perdue - Player out due to suspension.

Other Resources

Fantasy Football Scout co.uk - Website mentioned for membership offers and access to tools.
Sport Social Podcast Network - Mentioned as part of the podcast network.
FPL (Fantasy Premier League) - Mentioned as a game and asset consideration.
Premier League - Mentioned in relation to player eligibility and team news.
FPL asset - Concept discussed in relation to Pascal Gross.
Bonus point monster - Term used to describe Pascal Gross's FPL performance.
Mini leagues - Mentioned in relation to climbing up rankings.
Press conference themes - Mentioned as a regular feature of the podcast.
Interim boss - Role of Callum McFarlane.
Yellow card accumulation - Reason for Caicedo's suspension.
Muscle problem - Injury type for Calafiori.
Toe injury - Injury type for Wefer.
Knock - Injury type for Stie.
Hamstring - Injury type for Tete.
Knee problems - Injury type for King.
Clean sheet points - Mentioned in relation to Nico O'Reilly.
Niggle - Term used for potential minor injury.
Illness - Reason for Grealish's absence.