Henderson and Kanté ruled out: weekend football countdown – live!

12.14pm EST12:14

Thanks for your company â€" have a good weekend. I’ll leave you with a spiffing Robert Lewandowski interview:

Robert Lewandowski: 'I still believe Bayern will win the Champions League final'

12.00pm EST12:00

Essential weekend reading:

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

11.47am EST11:47

Saturday’s Premier League action

Chelsea v Tottenham, 12.30pm (GMT)Burnley v BournemouthCrystal Palace v NewcastleSheffield United v BrightonSouthampton v Aston VillaLeicester v Man City

Sunday

Manchester United v Watford, 2pmWolves v Norwich City, 2pmArsenal v Everton, 4.30pm

Monday

Liverpool v West Ham, 8pm

Leicester v Manchester City: match preview

11.40am EST11:40

Storm Ciara Dennis Ellen is moving in and one fixture has already bitten the dust. St Mirren’s Scottish Premiership meeting with Hearts on Friday has been postponed after heavy rain. After an inspection in Paisley at 3.30pm, the referee Alan Muir decided the match would not go ahead. There will also be Saturday morning inspections before Partick Thistle v Dunfermline in the Championship and Stirling v Stenhousemuir in League Two, and doubtless elsewhere in the coming days, too.

Updated at 11.48am EST

11.14am EST11:14

Who is gonna snaffle fifth place? According to this, Chris Wilder and Sheffield United will be traipsing round Europe next season:

Which club will take Manchester City's place in the Champions League?

Updated at 11.15am EST

11.04am EST11:04

Some light reading as the weekend nears:

“I took my girlfriend to Luton away on Boxing Day â€" that was her Christmas present,” says Charlie Cooper, outlining his fondness for Fulham before conversation belatedly moves to fishing and filming the third and final series of the Bafta-winning mockumentary This Country. “You look into people’s back gardens [upon entry into Kenilworth Road]; it’s so strange but I do love it and it’s so English. The way we support, it is that island mentality. I’ve been to Ajax, games in France, Germany, and places like Dortmund are amazing, and the ultras … but it’s not the same. When Crystal Palace did that whole ultras bit, it was sort of laughable. It’s just not what we do.”

Cirencester Juniors to 1860 Munich: Charlie Cooper's football odyssey

Updated at 11.05am EST

10.59am EST10:59

BREAKING! Breaking transfer news ... Sunderland have signed former Ipswich defender Tommy Smith on a short-term deal until the end of the season. The 29-year-old last played for Colorado Rapids and joins Phil Parkinson’s side to provide defensive cover following an injury to on-loan Bristol City defender Bailey Wright, who suffered ankle ligament damager last weekend. “I am delighted to be a part of it and hopefully I can help push the team up towards the Championship,” Smith said.

10.50am EST10:50

Get your hands on the big-match preview:

Chelsea v Tottenham: match preview

10.46am EST10:46

Burnley will return to home comforts against Bournemouth on Saturday, after Sean Dyche revealed how the Southampton matchday programme inspired his players to victory on the road at St Mary’s last weekend. Matej Vydra scored the winning goal in filthy conditions. Dyche said his squad thrived on “disparaging remarks”, which pinpointed left-back Charlie Taylor as a weakness and highlighted that only Sheffield United have played more long balls per game. “And they are definitely not long ball,” Dyche said.

I told the lads: ‘There you go, that’s what they think of you.’ They read it, disparaging remarks about Charlie Taylor of all people. I think his form’s probably worth mentioning with the national side â€" not just yet â€" but I think he’s one they’ll be keeping a background check on. It’s always lovely when they give you that little edge; I love that. It was the usual: ‘They only do this, they only do that.’ It’s like fuel â€" you beauty!”

Updated at 10.47am EST

10.42am EST10:42

Fulham can up the ante on Leeds with victory at Derby this evening. Scott Parker’s side sit third in the Championship, three points behind Leeds and seven off the summit but will be desperate to see a reaction from his team, who lost 3-0 to bottom club Barnsley last time out. “It confirms the league we play in can be so unpredictable and also confirms that there are no easy games,” said Derby’s manager, Phillip Cocu. “They play good football, they like to have the ball, they dominate, play out from the back, have good players, not only the first 11 but I think if you look at their squad they have good options. That is why they are fighting for promotion, but we have confidence at home.”

Updated at 10.42am EST

10.33am EST10:33

Roll up, roll up! Get yer match previews:

Crystal Palace v Newcastle: match preview

Burnley v Bournemouth: match preview

10.26am EST10:26

A news line out of the Championship: Barnsley have been fined £20,000 and ordered to implement an action plan following sectarian abuse directed at Stoke City midfielder James McClean. The player reported chants to the referee Jeremy Simpson when the clubs met at Oakwell on 9 November. The FA said: “Barnsley FC admitted failing to ensure that its spectators, and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers, conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using abusive and/or insulting words which included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or religion and/or beliefs while attending the fixture.”

10.18am EST10:18

What reception is Mourinho expecting at Stamford Bridge? “The usual,” he says, smiling. Mourinho has also played down the significance of duelling with his former player, Frank Lampard, on the touchline. “Seeing him is always nice,” he said. “If I meet him in the street, if I meet him in a restaurant, if I meet him in a corridor of a football stadium even as an opponent is always nice but [it is] not special to play his team. It is not [myself] against him. It is my team against his team. Nothing special.”

Glory days. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Updated at 10.20am EST

10.16am EST10:16

It is time for José Mourinho to have his say, and he reckons, believe it or not, that getting Tottenham in the top four would rank as his best managerial achievement. “In these circumstances, yes,” said the Portuguese. “If we manage to finish fourth without Harry and Sonny it will be something incredible, an incredible achievement for the boys so we have to give everything.”

Mourinho: top-four finish with Spurs would be my greatest achievement

Updated at 10.48am EST

10.11am EST10:11

West Ham will again be without Andriy Yarmolenko on Monday. David Moyes has said that the Ukraine winger, who has been bogged down by a thigh injury, has not been able to train fully. “He’s done a little bit of training and joined us a little bit during the week, but not really the main sessions. He’s probably still a bit off from joining in,” said Moyes. “I don’t think we came away from the Manchester City game with injuries. Apart from the Ryan Fredericks injury, everybody else is fine.”

Updated at 10.11am EST

10.03am EST10:03

Ancelotti has been trumpeting Jordan Pickford’s ability, after the England goalkeeper made an error against Crystal Palace last time out. “To be England’s number one is a responsibility,” the Italian said. “He deserves it as I think he is the best keeper that England has. I am not afraid about the critics. Unfortunately you can make a mistake but after that you need to have the personality to move on quickly, and he did. For this reason, not just his quality, he is the goalkeeper of the national team.”

10.00am EST10:00

Ancelotti reckons André Gomes is “ready to play” against Arsenal on Sunday â€"just 112 days after suffering a fractured dislocation to his ankle. “He trained well, properly, with confidence and without problems,” he said. “Before the game we are going to talk together and decide if he can start or if he goes on the bench.” Meanwhile Ancelotti also confirmed that Theo Walcott is a doubt to face his former club, but Brazilian forward Bernard is ready to rumble.

9.57am EST09:57

Thanks, Dave. Indeed, but we will endeavour to move on. Now, let’s touch base with Carlo Ancelotti on all things Everton, including André Gomes’ return and his thoughts on Tom Davies’ get-up in New York during the winter break. “I said to them: ‘next time I want to come with you.’ It could be good. I am old style but sometimes it is good to know a new style of dress, no?”

Updated at 10.20am EST

9.51am EST09:51

It’s back to Ben, who probably won’t be using the term “park the bus” after a recent injustice. A harsher fine than the time I left my car next to a shop closed for Christmas whilst picking up a parcel from the post office.

Updated at 9.52am EST

9.49am EST09:49

A few more Opta stats to delight friends and family with ahead of this weekend’s Premier League games. Raise eyebrows or mutter “fancy that” at your leisure:

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 23 home Premier League games against Everton (W19 D4) since a 2-1 defeat in January 1996 at Highbury under Bruce Rioch.

Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 11 Premier League goals this season; the last English player to score more in a single campaign for the Toffees was Kevin Campbell in 1999-00 (12).

Norwich’s Emiliano Buendía has created 69 goalscoring opportunities for his teammates in the Premier League this season, with only Kevin de Bruyne creating more in the competition.

Watford manager Nigel Pearson is looking to become the fourth English manager to complete a Premier League double over Man Utd, after Glenn Hoddle (1993-94, Chelsea), Alan Curbishley (2006-07, West Ham) and Garry Monk (2014-15, Swansea City).

Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers has never beaten Man City manager Pep Guardiola in any of his previous four meetings (D2 L2) â€" he’s only faced José Mourinho more often without winning in his managerial career (six games).

9.38am EST09:38

The table never lies. Kenny Dalglish trotted that one out time after time and so have many other managers down the years. But are they being too glib? Louise Taylor suggests they may be ...

Newcastle defy statistics and show Premier League table can lie

9.30am EST09:30

Name the player who has scored nine goals in Europe but just three in the Premier League this season ...

Yep, it’s Diogo Jota, who bagged a hat-trick in Wolves’ 4-0 romp against Espanyol on Thursday night. That took his tally in the main stage of the Europa League to six while he also netted thee times in the qualifying stage. “When we talk about the Premier League, we are talking about the best league in the world, the most competitive one, so we have to realise it’s not easy to score goals,” said the 23-year-old.

His three Premier League goals have all come on the road although he hasn’t gone to the extreme lengths of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino whose 10 goals for the Reds in all competitions this term were all netted away from home. Jota has two hat-tricks at Molineux in the Europa League this season.

9.18am EST09:18

Leicester will again be without Wilfred Ndidi for the Saturday’s home game with Manchester City. Here’s Brendan Rodgers: “He’s still in a process to try and get fit, so we’ll see how he is next week. There’s no timeline on it, we just have to see how he progresses. He’s virtually weight-bearing and he’s doing his work inside, and then you have to progress that to going outside and then it’s when can he join the team. There’s a different intensity when training with the team and then of course there’s another intensity to play. So we just want to make sure he’s absolutely right. He’s such an important player for us, but it’s his well-being as well.We want to ensure, not just the short-term but the long-term as well, that he’s right and can come back into the team with no recurrence.” With Hamza Choudhury suspended and Papy Mendy (knee) injured, Leicester’s defence will likely be somewhat anxious ab out the lack of a defensive shield when City’s forward players run at them.

9.08am EST09:08

A couple of Opta stats on the Chelsea v Tottenham clash which kicks off the weekend Premier League action (Saturday 12.30 GMT).

Tottenham have won just one of their last 33 away games against Chelsea in all competitions (D11 L21), a 3-1 win in April 2018 in a Premier League fixture.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard â€" who made 140 Premier League appearances under José Mourinho â€" beat him in their first league managerial meeting back in December 2019. Only one manager has ever won his first two league games against Mourinho â€" Boavista’s Jaime Pacheco in September 2001.

9.04am EST09:04

Thanks Ben. Dave Tindall will steer the ship for a little while.

9.01am EST09:01

So, positive news for Palace in terms of Hodgson, but how are they shaping up for Saturday’s date with Newcastle at Selhurst Park? “If all goes well tomorrow, we will have 16 senior outfield players and two goalkeepers available,” Hodgson says. “That’ll be the first time in a while. [James] Tomkins is added to the injury list we had. Cenk Tosun is now back fit again. Unfortunately we’ve had a few ill players as well, so we might need to monitor that.”

8.56am EST08:56

Crystal Palace have offered Roy Hodgson a new contract, the 72-year-old manager has confirmed. The former England boss’ current contract runs until the summer. “Roy said himself in the press the other day that he is very relaxed about the whole thing,” said Paalce chairman Steve Parish. “We are very relaxed about it, I think we will get that done in the fullness of time.”

8.50am EST08:50

Lampard on Mourinho. “I have got huge respect for him, but I am not considering so much the personal battle between me and him,” says the Chelsea manager about his old boss. “It changes [his relationship with Mourinho. I wished him well when he got the job and he wished me well. We are amicable but we want to win.”

8.49am EST08:49

More from Chelsea HQ, with Lampard providing an update on how he views his goalkeeping conundrum. “It isn’t a final decision, the keepers need to train,” he says of Kepa and Caballero. “We all want the best. I am paid to make decisions. It has been a decision to make on form with the goalkeeping situation.”

8.47am EST08:47

Right, all the big hitters are coming out to play. Frank Lampard says N’Golo Kanté is not fit for Chelsea’s showdown with Spurs â€" the midfielder is expected to miss three weeks of action â€" and nor is Christian Pulisic. Ruben Loftus-Cheek will, however, be back in the fold against Tottenham. Tammy Abraham is also set to play a part after training the last couple of days. “There’s competition in that [forward] area. Olivier [Giroud] is fit. Michy [Batshuayi] is there.”

8.39am EST08:39

More from Guardiola, wearing a City hoodie straight out of the club shop. “I’m completely sure about the commitment of our players, because it is not about yesterday or today, but many, many years. At the end of the season nobody knows what’s going to happen. I don’t have any doubts.” Manchester City try to shutdown a journalist asking Guardiola about the implications of the FFP noise, but eventually gets his question away. “I cannot change what people think. I know how hard we work and I’m so proud what we have done, all these years together.”

8.35am EST08:35

A wonderfully grouchy Pep Guardiola speaks â€" and gives his verdict on Sterling’s gushing words about Real Madrid. “The players are free to talk and say what they believe and think,” he says. “We are not here to tell them what to say. He makes an interview with Madrid and speaks about Madrid â€" that’s normal.”

Sterling 'really happy' at Manchester City but does not rule out Real move

Updated at 8.40am EST

8.29am EST08:29

A hammer blow for West Ham? Ryan Fredericks will see a specialist after suffering ligament damage to his right shoulder. The full-back collided with Rodri at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Jarrod Bowen could be promoted to David Moyes’s starting lineup against Liverpool on Monday. “There is a tough run of games but the pressure is not on us at Anfield as no-one expects us to get anything from the game,” said Bowen, a £22m January signing. “So we can use that to our advantage before going into the final run when we play a lot of teams in the bottom half and we expect to pick up points and get ourselves out of this position.”

8.12am EST08:12

A bit of breaking news regarding the Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who will miss three weeks’ of action owing to a hamstring injury, Jürgen Klopp has confirmed. “Could have been worse,” Klopp said. “He will be out I think for three weeks or so. Not cool but we were still lucky.” As for the 1-0 defeat to Atlético in midweek, he says: “The difference in feeling is massive â€" sunshine to [the] hardest rain â€" that’s how it felt to lose.”

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson out for around three weeks with injury

Updated at 8.42am EST

8.06am EST08:06

A nugget of Championship news while we wait for Herr Klopp and co. The Wigan manager Paul Cook will serve a one-match touchline ban against Millwall on Saturday after being charged with improper conduct by the Football Association. Cook admitted using “abusive and/or insulting words towards the match referee in the tunnel area at full time”, as well as in the match officials’ dressing room, against Middlesbrough, a 2-2 draw during which Chey Dunkley was sent off earlier this month. The FA have also fined Cook £4,000.

Updated at 8.08am EST

7.58am EST07:58

Norwich team news: Ben Godfrey is available again following a knee injury and suspension. Sam Byram will miss the rest of the season after surgery, while Christoph Zimmermann and Onel Hernández are major doubts owing to hamstring and knee complaints respectively. Timm Klose is close to a first-team return.

7.50am EST07:50

Get yer Farke fix! “We’re not raising the white flag and already focusing on the Championship,” insists the Norwich manager. “We’re not tempted to just talk about next season. We’re focused on what we have to do now. Wolves play a really good role in the Premier League and have clean sheets in the last three games. It’s a huge task, but we have to be good in our topics. Performance-wise, we’re definitely on the right path. Losing 1-0 to Liverpool isn’t the end of the world, it’s actually got a lot of positives. The away games in recent weeks have also been good. If we can do this again, we have the chance to stay in this league.”

7.44am EST07:44

Farke life! Norwich City’s sporting director Stuart Webber this week confirmed the club received no concrete bids for Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey or Todd Cantwell. “We were pretty clear within our office that we wouldn’t sell any player in the transfer window,” Farke says. Webber was not best pleased with some of the noise surrounding Norwich’s young pups. “If Tottenham or Arsenal or whoever want them they will come and get them,” he said. “They don’t need to mess around. Manchester United wanted Dan James. They went and got him [last summer]. They’ve got that much power and money to do it. If Manchester United want one of our players they can afford them and attract them.”

Updated at 7.45am EST

7.35am EST07:35

We’ll be hearing from a flurry of managers shortly, including Jürgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti but first, here’s Daniel Farke, ahead of Norwich’s trip to Wolves on Sunday. “It’ll take six or seven wins for safety, we know we need to come as close to 40 points as possible,” Farke says. “It’s not like we pray for other teams to draw or get beat, it’s in our hands. We need to win more points, so we need to concentrate on our games.” Norwich haven’t won on the road in the Premier League since November.

Updated at 7.36am EST

7.16am EST07:16

Shokdran Mustafi is very much back in business â€" but the defender insists he never felt his Arsenal career was done and dusted. “If you think things are over for you, then you should retire,” Mustafi said after another respectable showing in Thursday night’s 1-0 win at Olympiakos. “That’s not like you should think as a professional. You always get the opportunities and a team has more than 20 players for a reason. The main thing for me was to be professional because as long as you stay professional, you have no fault for anything. Stay professional, wait until you get your next opportunity and then obviously you have to take it.”

Mustafi admits he found it difficult at Arsenal but says he never gave up

7.05am EST07:05

Roll up, roll up! Get yer match-preview fix:

Sheffield United v Brighton: match preview

7.01am EST07:01

Let’s have a quick Rooney love-in. If Rooney features for Derby against Fulham this evening, it will be his 500th appearance in English league football. Rooney’s first league goal was the winner against Arsenal for Everton. At the time, he was the youngest ever player to score in the Premier League (16 years 360 days). And here’s one more stat, courtesy of Opta: in his 476th league appearance, Rooney scored his last-ever Premier League goal. His strike v Swansea on 18 December 2017 means only Alan Shearer (260) has scored more goals in the competition than Rooney (208).

Updated at 7.03am EST

6.57am EST06:57

Lewes FC have been crunching the numbers since highlighting the disparity between men and women’s prize money in the FA Cup â€" and the results are in! The £2,000 earned by each of the 16 victorious women’s teams in the fourth round was dwarfed by the £180,000 each successful men’s team pocketed. Last season Manchester City’s men’s team received £3.6m for winning the final, whereas their women’s team collected £25,000 for doing likewise in a Wembley final watched by 43,264 fans. In 2017 Lewes became the first club to pay their women’s and men’s teams equally.

‘Right the wrongs’: FA faces demand to end huge Cup gender pay gap

Updated at 7.07am EST

6.36am EST06:36

Steven Gerrard has showered Ianis Hagi in superlatives after he scored twice to secure an extraordinary Europa League win in front of his father, Gheorghe, at Ibrox. Hagi was mustard at the European Under-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino last summer, earning a move to Genk, who loaned the Romanian to Rangers last month. The Daily Record described Rangers’ win as the ‘Daddy Of All Comebacks’. “Ianis is an outstanding talent and that stage was made for him,” said Gerrard. “It’s not just talent, it’s fight. He wants to win. It was him who provided the magic and spark to get us back into the game. The first goal is outstanding â€" to cut in on his left foot, which I think is his weak one.”

Rangers' Ianis Hagi completes thrilling Europa League comeback against Braga

Updated at 6.39am EST

6.31am EST06:31

Down in League One, a blow for Ipswich Town. Paul Lambert has confirmed the striker James Norwood will be sidelined until April after undergoing thigh surgery. Norwood, the club’s joint-top scorer, has scored 11 goals this season since sealing a summer move from Tranmere Rovers, where he scored 55 goals in two seasons to help the club win back-to-back promotion from the National League to League One. “It’s a blow for us and for James,” Lambert said. “It has been niggling away at him for a while. He’ll be back before the end of the season.”

6.27am EST06:27

Who is looking forward to Southampton v Aston Villa?

Southampton v Aston Villa: match preview

6.25am EST06:25

We need to talk about Martin Braithwaite. The 28-year-old spent a forgettable two years on Teeside with Middlesbrough, scoring eight goals in 36 appearances after a £9m move from Toulouse, but this week he became Barcelona’s latest signing. As Lionel Messi says, weird things are happening in Catalonia:

Barcelona's Braithwaite move shows up inequality of a broken system

Lionel Messi admits he sees 'weird things happening' at Barcelona

6.17am EST06:17

Only a smattering of days ago, Raheem Sterling’s agent said his client was solely focused on all things Manchester City, but the man himself has opened the door to a future switch to Real Madrid. In an interview with Spanish outlet AS, the 25-year-old was asked whether he would, one day, fancy a move to Madrid: “How do I answer that one? Is the camera live or is it just taking pictures? No one knows what the future will hold. I am a player and I am always open to challenges but right now my challenge is at City and I’m really happy. I have a contract with City now and I have to respect this. Real Madrid are a fantastic club. When you see the white shirt you know exactly what the club stands for, it’s massive.”

Asked about speculation linking him with a move to the Bernabéu, Sterling said: “It’s something that you see all the time, but I’m a City player and I’m enjoying it at the moment, even if things haven’t gone quite planned in the league. We now have a massive opportunity in the Champions League.”

City play Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the first leg at the Bernabéu on Wednesday and the return game at Etihad Stadium on 17 March. Sterling is facing a race to be fit in time for the tie after suffering a hamstring injury against Tottenham at the beginning of February.

AS English (@English_AS)

Good morning! Today's cover star is Raheem Sterling, who spoke exclusively to AS ahead of City's clash with Madrid. Check out the orginal English interview here... https://t.co/3OLAEUyG1X pic.twitter.com/7rzoczvCHx

February 21, 2020 Raheem Sterling: ‘I’m a City player and I’m enjoying it at the moment, even if things haven’t gone quite planned in the league.’ Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated at 6.37am EST

6.02am EST06:02

Bury AFC will begin life in the 10th tier of the English pyramid:

Bury phoenix club will begin life in 10th tier of English football

6.00am EST06:00

Own up, how many times have you replayed Rúben Neves’s delicious and, frankly, preposterous volley last night?

Neves does not score that many goals but when he does they tend to be spectacular. Adama Traoré ran at Dídac Vilà and crossed towards the far post but Victor Gómez could not have suspected what was to follow as he headed away. Neves got in front of his man, chested the ball gently down and unleashed such an aesthetically-pleasing volley that many Wolves fans were on their feet celebrating even before the ball reached the back of the net.

Wolves' Diogo Jota hits Europa League hat-trick to leave Espanyol flailing

Updated at 6.00am EST

5.56am EST05:56

If Monk v Clotet round two does not steal the show at St Andrew’s, then ludicrously good 16-year-old Jude Bellingham probably will:

Technically, he is a first-year scholar earning £145 a week, unable to sign a professional contract until he turns 17 in June. Those who work with Bellingham highlight his work ethic and notably the physical strides he has made over the past months â€" his manager revealed Bellingham had grown 2.4cm since August â€" and there is a sense he will end up as a No 8, though he has thrived on both flanks.

Why Jude Bellingham is already on the radar of football's powerhouses

Updated at 5.57am EST

5.53am EST05:53

New balls please. Phwoar, just listen to this. The Premier League are set to give Nike’s latest hot prospect ‘Tunnel Vision Merlin’ a debut this weekend at Stamford Bridge, for Chelsea’s showdown with Tottenham. As if the fare was not exhilarating enough already, the league have laid on a real treat with news that Merlin, which frankly sounds like a club mascot, will be given its first runout. Nike say the ‘tunnel-vision’ aspect “highlights the balance of clarity and disorder with bright orange circles amid a flurry of graphics”. Cute. Oh, and one of the panels features the Premier League trophy, as if the teams needed reminding.

5.45am EST05:45

The Championship is hotting up, with Wayne Rooney’s Derby™ taking on Fulham on Friday evening before a whole host of intriguing ties on Saturday afternoon, notably promotion-chasing Brentford against in-form Blackburn, who are lurking just outside the play-off places under Tony Mowbray, who will celebrate three years in charge this weekend. Elsewhere, Leeds host Reading and Garry Monk returns to Birmingham with Sheffield Wednesday, inevitably stirring memories of his stinging verbal attack on former assistant Pep Clotet before the sides met in November, when Monk refused to shake hands with the Spaniard.

I don’t speak with him. I think what’s most important to me when I’m assembling a staff around me is to give them opportunity. You show them complete trust and you hope they repay that trust with hard work and loyalty. Sadly not everyone has those values in their character. Some choose to pursue their own opportunities in the worst possible way. I think the most important thing for me is you live and you learn. I didn’t listen to a lot of people in football circles who warned me about the type of character he is. It was an error in judgment by me, but it’s an error I won’t make in the future.”

Garry Monk refuses to shake the hand of Pep Clotet before a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough in November. Photograph: George Wood/Getty Images

Updated at 5.46am EST

5.31am EST05:31

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been bigging up Anthony Martial after the Frenchman’s star turn in Brugge, backing the Manchester United forward to break the hallowed 20-goal barrier. “I think Anthony can step up, get a few more and get to the 20 mark,” Solskjær said. Definitely. He’s got quality of course, he’s a very good finisher. He takes his chances really well. There’s good technique in his finishing. He’s good receiving the ball at times and dropping off. He can play almost like a false nine as well. Sometimes I’d like him to be stronger physically.”

Solskjær backs Martial to get 20 goals for Manchester United for first time

5.25am EST05:25

Now then, could Olivier Giroud return to haunt José Mourinho? Will Emi Buendía come up trumps for Norwich? And does Ismaïla Sarr hold the key to Watford’s survival hopes?

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Updated at 5.26am EST

5.18am EST05:18

Roll up, roll up! Get yer rumours:

Football transfer rumours: Leicester to sign Liverpool's Adam Lallana?

5.15am EST05:15

Steve Bruce has welcomed the walking wounded back into the fold at Newcastle United this week and says Jonjo Shelvey, Emil Krafth and Big Andy Carroll are not too far away from action either. “It’s the first time we’ve had 18 or 19 players training for weeks so it’s a welcome boost,” he said. “Dwight Gayle has trained all week and puts himself in contention, so does Yoshi Muto. Christian Atsu is sick and we’ve got a slight doubt about Joelinton, who has a bit of a sore thigh, but we expect him to be OK.”

Eddie Howe is also an early bird, and there’s a mini-boost for Bournemouth in the sense that David Brooks is edging back to fitness, though this weekend’s trip to Burnley still comes too soon for the Wales winger. “No one will return [from injury] for this game but there is a group of four who are making good progress,” said Howe, who remains without Charlie Daniels and Arnaut Danjuma. “David has had his best week in terms of his recovery, but there is still a way to go.”

Updated at 5.17am EST

5.05am EST05:05

Preamble

We are in for a blockbuster. Not only will we chew over every last word from the Arsenal, Wolves and Rangers camps following a jolly good night’s work in the Europa League, and doubtless a healthy dosing of Manchester United reaction after their outing to Brugge, but there is also the small fry of Chelsea v Tottenham, aka Lampard v Mourinho, and Leicester v Manchester City to look forward to. And that’s before we get stuck into the chaos of the Championship and beyond, namely Middlesbrough’s Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite and Fulham’s trip to Derby tonight.

Saturday’s Premier League action

Chelsea v Tottenham, 12.30pm (GMT)Burnley v BournemouthCrystal Palace v NewcastleSheffield United v BrightonSouthampton v Aston VillaLeicester v Man City

Sunday

Manchester United v Watford, 2pmWolves v Norwich City, 2pmArsenal v Everton, 4.30pm

Monday

Liverpool v West Ham, 8pm

Updated at 5.27am EST