The injury list reads like the World Cup table
The World Cup final was played on 19 July. The Premier League starts on 21 August. Thirty-three days between a tournament that went to extra time and a league that has to last ten months, and the Gameweek 1 injury list looks exactly as you would expect.
Across the league, 75 players are being tracked as out or doubtful going into the opening round. Forty-three are definitively out, twenty-nine are listed as doubtful. Tottenham and Manchester United share the bottom on eight affected players each, Chelsea have seven and Liverpool six.
The link to the World Cup is not a guess. Four of the heaviest absences trace straight back to the tournament. William Saliba of Arsenal has a back injury from the World Cup with no confirmed return date. Rodri of Manchester City had back surgery afterwards. Amadou Onana of Aston Villa tore his ACL and is out for six to nine months, which in practice means the season. Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United injured his knee on international duty and has no date.
Out for the long haul
- Xavi Simons, Tottenham, ACL, out for the season
- Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool, ACL, around a year
- Conor Bradley, Liverpool, knee, reports vary but he misses the autumn
- Wilson Odobert, Tottenham, knee, late November at the earliest
- Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester United, back surgery, around 6 September
The marginal calls that decide your squad
Three players have listed return dates falling on or just after opening day, which is the worst possible outcome for anyone picking a squad. Jurrien Timber of Arsenal is expected back on 21 August, matchday itself. Dejan Kulusevski of Tottenham and John McGinn of Aston Villa are both listed for 22 August, the day after the deadline. Gambling on any of them in your starting eleven means paying full price for zero points.
Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United is the most disputed case. The club says it is confident the summer signing will be available against Hull, but he has aggravated a shin problem and these forecasts have been wrong before.
Suspensions carried over from last season
Ryan Christie of Bournemouth is banned until 29 August and misses the first two rounds. Joachim Andersen of Fulham has a three-match ban and returns on 30 August. Wesley Fofana of Chelsea misses the opener, with sources listing either 30 August or 6 September for his return. Mateo Kovačić of Manchester City is suspended with no confirmed end date.
One warning about the numbers above. Injury situations change daily in pre-season, and for several players the listed return dates differ between sources by weeks. This was compiled on 12 August. Check it against the clubs' press conferences in the days before the deadline.