Fantasy Premier League managers face a fresh set of injury concerns ahead of Gameweek 2, with Arsenal and Manchester City both reporting issues among key players. Arsenal's Jurrien Timber and William Saliba are both ruled out for the upcoming match against Aston Villa, while Man City's Jeremy Doku is expected to miss several weeks.
Arsenal double injury blow
Jurrien Timber remains out and will not feature for Arsenal against Aston Villa this week, although manager Mikel Arteta revealed the defender is close to a return. Speaking ahead of the match, Arteta said: "Jurrien is progressing really well. Let's see how he ends up this week. It's the third week in a row that he's been outside and we have increased his load."
"So, he's on the right trajectory. If everything goes well, I think next week we're going to step it up again." William Saliba is also missing for the match, and he is expected to be out for much longer than Timber. Arteta added: "Wilo, obviously not much, he's in conservative load management right now, so that's going to take a while."
Man City fitness concerns
Matheus Nunes helped turn the game around for Man City against Bournemouth, but in his pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca admitted the midfielder was still a doubt. That does not mean he won't be involved whatsoever.
Jeremy Doku, who picked up an injury in the Community Shield against Arsenal, was forced to sit out of the Premier League opener. He is expected to be missing for some time and probably won't be back until later in September.
The average score in Gameweek 1 was around 30 points, with many of the league's big-hitters, including Erling Haaland, failing to contribute. Managers will need to weigh transfer decisions alongside these fitness concerns as they look to get their season up and running.
