Friday's Premier League news conferences

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers also provided an injury update: "Timothy Castagne should be OK, Ayoze Perez as well. He wasn’t feeling great for a few days, but he trained today and looked very good and strong, so that’s a bonus for us.

"Marc [Albrighton] had a horrendous challenge in the game against Moscow. He’s probably going to be two to three weeks out, which is a shame for him, because he’s such an important player for us.

"Youri Tielemans had a spasm towards his lower back, but he looks fine."

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You've heard from the managers, now it's time to make your fantasy football team selections.

Romelu Lukaku fans, how are you going to deal with the striker's absence for gameweek nine after he suffered an injury.

Here are Alistair Bruce-Ball's tips... and don't forget to catch the latest edition of the Fantasy 606 podcast.

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers on striker Patson Daka, who scored all four goals in the Europa League win over Spartak Moscow on Wednesday: "I think his strengths are what you saw the other night. He has a natural ability to smell out a goal.

"His goals will have given him huge confidence and, as a manager, that’s what you want.

"We have shown, on the attacking front, we are a huge threat. We can score goals. We’re in a great position in that part of the field, whatever the combination is and however we want to work it. All three [strikers] are in great form and in a great place."

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Finally from Graeme Jones, Newcastle's interim boss provided some team news ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park.

He said: "It's the same as last weekend, Martin Dubravka has trained but it's early, and Jonjo Shelvey is suspended.

"Its getting to the point where we will have a full quota to choose from."

Wolves boss Bruno Lage will be without defender Willy Boly for Saturday’s game following a bout of sickness and said he has to manage the workload of striker Raul Jimenez, who is getting used to playing regular football again after suffering a fractured skull and has been away on international duty with Mexico.

“That’s the balance we need to find," said Lage. "We both agreed, me and the Mexican national coach, we don’t want an injured Raul. He managed it well, Raul played 90 minutes, after 60 and after 30, but my concern is about the travel.

“He travelled and arrived on Friday, and when you look at him, he needs to recover and sleep. On Saturday, I looked at him and he said he feels OK, but I need to make my decisions. When I sent him to warm up, every time I looked, he said he was OK, but inside I want to help the team. We need to take the best decisions and manage him.

“Let’s see [about playing Jimenez against Leeds]. He’s training, he feels OK, so tomorrow I take my decision. But he will travel with us.”

Lage added: "Trincao, Daniel [Podence], Adama [Traore], Hwang [Hee-chan] - every one of them has his own profile, and the most important thing for me is to find what we need for that game.

“I’m very happy with these solutions because these guys give us a lot. I’m happy with all of them and that’s why the last two weeks, we’re talking about, ‘Why is Adama not playing?’ But it’s because the other three guys are also doing very well. Not just the guys who start, like Hwang and Trincao, but the guys who come on like Daniel.”

Newcastle's interim boss Graeme Jones on the takeover from a supporter's perspective: "It gives you a chance, because we all know in the game that if you want to win leagues or FA Cups, you have to have the best players and only money buys that so you have a chance to be competitive long term.

"There is hope. I go back to the Kevin Keegan era, when he came in as a player and then a manager, there was hope. That's what he transmitted and that's back, and the long-term future of the club looks rosy."

Everton boss Rafael Benitez has confirmed that striker Richarlison (knee) is fit and available again but defender Yerry Mina (hamstring) will miss Saturday's game after picking up a problem in training this week.

England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a quadriceps injury this week so remains out, along with Abdoulaye Doucoure (foot) and Andre Gomes (calf). Fabian Delph returned to first-team training this week but is unlikely to feature on Saturday.

"We have some issues but, little by little, we are bringing back some players," Benitez said. "Hopefully we have more coming soon.

"Richarlison has been training, he has been okay. Obviously, the match fitness is an issue. But he is happy and he is available."

Graeme Jones on having any thoughts on becoming Newcastle's permanent manager: "I'm not thinking about that, I'm just doing my best for my football club in whatever role I've got because I want us to be as good as we can be and I want to influence people.

"Whether I was assistant manager or manager or interim manager, I believe in having your standards high. I know what elite looks like and that's the direction the club's going to go in.

"I'm talking about peripheral staff, I'm talking about football staff, I'm talking about everybody being as good as we can be because only at that point we'll be successful."

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira on facing a Newcastle team boosted by the club's takeover: "I don't think there is an easy time to play any team. They will have their problems but, at the same time, when you are in this situation as a player you will want to perform because you want to show you can be part of the new project.

"We will be ready to perform, to work hard and to give ourselves the best shot to take the three points."

Former Luton Town boss Graeme Jones was born in Gateshead so he knows a thing or two about Newcastle United.

"My ambition is simply to do the best I can for my football club," he said. "I am motivated in a totally different way to anywhere I have ever been.

"I came to the football club as a four-year-old watching 'Supermac' (Malcolm Macdonald) then I was a supporter watching Kevin Keegan in the Gallowgate End.

"I know the culture of this football club, whether I was here or not, I am interested in the club's results."

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has given fitness updates on forward Wilfried Zaha and midfielder Eberechi Eze.

“Wilf is good – he started training with the team a couple of days ago,” he said. “He will be in the squad tomorrow. We are looking good.

“I think we are all excited to see him (Eze) coming back from a long injury, and he is doing really well," Vieira added. "He has started training with the team but he is still a couple of weeks away from getting involved.

“We have to be realistic with the injury that he had and the time he needs to get fit [enough] to be involved.”

So, Steve Bruce has left and Graeme Jones takes charge as Newcastle's interim head coach. Here's Jones in his first news conference as manager, beginning on how he felt after Bruce's departure.

"Initially, it was one of upset to be honest," he said. "I had a great working relationship with Steve, he is a good man. You never want to be in and around that in football because it means it has not worked.

"So, initially with Wednesday it was difficult, but we all know the speed of football, we had to move on because if you miss a session you're behind. We had to get the boys ready for the game."

Jones added that he spoke to the club's new owners on Wednesday and they asked him to take charge of the team on a interim basis for the next two games, against Crystal Palace and at home to Chelsea.

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Finally from Thomas Tuchel, he spoke about his compatriot, Norwich boss Daniel Farke.

"I like him a lot as a person firstly, he is very humble," said the Chelsea boss. "We had close exchanges and a very good manager as well, in terms of as a person.

"I'd have liked to have been a player under him as he gives you lots of confidence and trust. I hope we have the better end tomorrow. We will do everything we can to get the win."

Thomas Tuchel indicated that Kai Havertz could now lead the Chelsea attack.

"Without Romelu [Lukaku], we can play with Kai as a number nine," he said. "For me, it’s not so much of a false nine. Kai is also very strong in the last line and behind the last line, arriving in the box. When he plays as a number nine we want this from him, and he did that against Malmo.

"The game will be a bit different without Romelu, but we want the same power, the same amount of people in the same spaces when we finish our attacks."

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Asked if the abuse directed towards managers is worse in the Premier League than abroad, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said: "No, here it is nicer. It is the same but more intense in Spain than in other countries. There is more radio and television [coverage]. They're more involved. I don’t see journalists every day here.

"Maybe I am wrong. Everywhere is quite similar but when it is abuse it is not about the media itself. In the media, if you win it's OK. If you don't win it's bad, and everyone is treated on the results. When you lose, what a disaster, what a failure.

"If Steve [Bruce] gets more [positive] results he would not be treated this way but today with the social media, everyone goes quick on Twitter. People underestimate me a lot but if you don’t accept it, don’t be a manager."

So, with Chelsea having two strikers out, does Thomas Tuchel regret letting Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi go?

"No, football does not work like this," he said. "You cannot keep a squad of 40 players.

"Do you think Tammy, Oli and Michy would be in perfect shape now? It's a lot of bad luck that we have two injured players in the same position."

Now here's Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on having to play without his injured forwards Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this weekend.

"To make the question a longer one, how is Christian Pulisic too? They are all out tomorrow and probably the Southampton game and then we will see," said Tuchel.

"What I can tell you for sure is they are both in treatment. I'm positive and not worried, but they're out of the next two games for sure."

Interesting stat alert... Manchester City have failed to win their next game the last four times they've played in the Champions League. The Blues won 5-1 at Club Bruges on Tuesday and return to Premier League action against a Brighton side just one place and two points below them.

"I don't take notes," said manager Pep Guardiola. "If you want to involve all the stats this team has in the last four years you are going to lose.

"On statistics, no-one can beat us. I don’t pay any attention to stats [on] before and after the international break, or before and after the Champions League. I pay attention to the team. The opponent we are going to face tomorrow is different to Bruges and Chelsea, and we try to be there and play a good game."

This is the t-shirt Pep Guardiola wore in honour of the Manchester City fan attacked in Belgium on Tuesday.

Guardiola spoke wjth optimism about the fan, Guido de Pauw, who remains in a coma, but expressed his incredulity about why such incidents should occur.

Manchester CityCopyright: Manchester City