EPL Updates: Cole Palmer Ready for The Blues Return; Gueye's Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal Mystery

1. Top Player Palmer Fit for High-Stakes London Derby with Arsenal

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday that Cole Palmer is available for selection for the squad's vital Premier League fixture against London rivals Arsenal.

The 23-year-old England international was out of action due to a fractured toe sustained after an unfortunate incident.

“He is available to start and to play,” Maresca said. “Everyone is happy.”

This season, Palmer has featured in just four games across all competitions, netting two goals.

After joining from City in 2023, he has achieved 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 games for the London club.

“He is our top performer, we are happy he is back, we need to give him time to be 100% fit,” Maresca noted. “His past performances have been excellent and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”

2. The Toffees Receive No Reason for Failed Gueye Dismissal Challenge

Everton were unsuccessful in their protest against Idrissa Gueye's dismissal for a physical confrontation with teammate Michael Keane during the team's 1-0 victory at Manchester United.

The veteran Senegalese player was sent off only 13 minutes into the contest after slapping Keane during a argument over a misplaced pass.

Gueye quickly said sorry, and the teammates appeared reconciled later in a mock social media post.

However, the challenge against the dismissal was denied, and Gueye must complete a three-match ban, leaving Everton short-staffed for their upcoming match against Newcastle United.

“We challenged the decision and it was rejected,” manager the manager revealed. “We haven’t been given any reason why it was turned down but we did appeal it.”

Inquired about any further fallout from the event, Moyes remarked: “It was over immediately, it was done, that was it, we progressed quite quickly and it was all sorted within the team environment.”

Third Story: Yoane Wissa Trains with The Magpies for First Time since Setback

The club's new acquisition Yoane Wissa has practiced with his squad for the first time since suffering a knee problem soon after his move from his former club in September.

Manager Eddie Howe confirmed the news on Friday but did not disclose a potential comeback timeline for the 29-year-old.

Newcastle signed the forward for £55m to fill the void left by Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool for a British record transfer fee.

Regrettably, Wissa was injured while on international service before he could play his first game for Newcastle.

“He is progressing nicely, 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 responds today.”

The manager continued: “We have a target return date, but it’s probably best if I do not share it publicly. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. Naturally, we want to involve him as quickly.”

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

4. Liverpool' Slump ‘Doesn’t Matter’, Says West Ham Boss Nuno

The Hammers head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has claimed that the reigning champions' dip in performance “doesn’t really matter” as his side prepares to face the ailing Premier League title holders.

The Liverpool manager's team has been defeated in six of their previous seven league games, dropping out of the upper half of the table.

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

“Liverpool is a good team and in football, what matters is what you do on the day,” Nuno remarked. “We are preparing to play the title winners, players that are skilled and capable of doing fantastic things, so we have to get ready.

“The past of the results before, the performance of the teams, is not that important. It is about the day. Knowing that we are going to face a high-quality team, that has players capable of doing fantastic things, so we have to prepare thoroughly, to perform.”

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

Fifth Story: Morgan Gibbs-White Could Feature for Forest against Brighton

The club's boss Sean Dyche is optimistic that Morgan Gibbs-White will be fit for the team's at home match against Brighton on Sunday.

The English international was absent for the midweek European match against Malmö due to a back issue.

“Fortunately, it seems to be calming down,” Dyche said as he prepared to face Fabian Hürzeler's team, who have taken a decent haul from their past three outings.

“It’s similar to a sore back, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just rest awkwardly or move improperly. So we’re not expecting, at this point anyway, that it’s too serious and it’s easing already. So we’re confident that it’ll be okay for the weekend.”

The defender was feeling his hamstring muscle after the 3-0 Europa League win, but Dyche indicated the player “should be fine”.

However, the full-back (thigh injury), Douglas Luiz (thigh), the winger (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are likely to miss out.

Sixth Story: Glasner: European Loss Will Not Hinder Palace

Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner believes that the setback of Thursday's European loss to Strasbourg is a sign of how far the club has come in challenging on two fronts.

The FA Cup winners took the lead at the away ground through Tyrick Mitchell's opening period goal but were equalized against by the opposition manager's side, who moved up to runner-up in the group standings.

The Eagles now return to Premier League competition with a at Selhurst Park fixture against Manchester United, and Glasner is optimistic his team can keep up their challenge for a Champions League place.

“Maybe like the late defeat at Everton, it just feels that it was totally avoidable and it is our fault,” Glasner commented. “Alternatively, we have to acknowledge it. The effort was there but it is a game we could have avoided losing.”

Glasner stated that Borna Sosa would be absent for the weekend's match after he stayed behind to Strasbourg, but Will Hughes, who was substituted during the opening period against Strasbourg, is expected to be in the matchday squad.

Kristen Bender
Kristen Bender

A packaging industry expert with over 15 years of experience in sustainable materials and supply chain optimization.