FPL GW9 injury news: every flagged player, playing chances and return dates

João Pedro's expected absence of several weeks puts him near the top of the GW9 transfer agenda. Arsenal have three doubts to manage alongside Bukayo Saka's absence, while Florian Wirtz has returned to cup action and cleared his FPL injury flag. Chelsea’s post-cup concern is Maxence Lacroix, whose hamstring injury still needs assessment.

The length of each absence matters as much as the flag. A player expected to miss several weeks may need replacing, while reliable bench cover can buy time for a short-term doubt. Below, we assess the most consequential updates before listing every player currently marked injured, doubtful or suspended in the official FPL database.

2026/27 GW9 deadline: Saturday 31 October, 11:00 GMT / 19:00 Singapore. FPL data was read on 30 October at 14:14 UTC, after Wednesday’s cup matches. The post-cup reports below are dated separately from this fresh database check. Availability may still change before the deadline; a refreshed FPL flag is not a new manager statement.

The injuries that could change your transfers

João Pedro: plan for more than one missed match

Chelsea have confirmed a thigh injury and Xabi Alonso expects Pedro to miss “a few weeks”, without giving a fixed recovery date. FPL still lists his return date as unknown, which fits the club update: there is a broad recovery window, but no confirmed comeback fixture. Chelsea team news

Pedro's 56.6% ownership in this snapshot makes this a decision facing a large share of FPL managers. Owners with another unavailable forward have a stronger reason to move than those with a dependable first substitute. Chelsea's confirmation that Emmanuel Emegha is back in squad contention does not settle who will start up front in the league. Our Pedro replacement comparison weighs Jackson against Isak, including the cost of upgrading.

Arsenal: Saka is out; Calafiori, Rice and Madueke remain doubts

Saka is still injured with a 0% FPL availability indicator and no official FPL return date. Reports of a six-to-eight-week absence should not be converted into a confirmed comeback fixture. His return date therefore remains unknown in the table below.

Calafiori, Rice and Madueke each carry a 75% indicator. Arteta said after the Fleetwood cup defeat that all three had injury problems, rather than being absent solely because of rotation. The published press-conference transcript identifies Madueke's ankle problem and links Rice's issue to his substitution against Everton, but gives no return date for the trio. Owners will need the next team-news update to judge whether any of them are ready for the weekend. Arteta's post-match comments, reported by football.london via AOL

For Calafiori owners in particular, a playable substitute matters: his 75% figure is not a 75% probability of starting at Liverpool. Saka owners can revisit our Arsenal replacement analysis, but must check the newer Madueke flag before treating him as a straightforward replacement.

Liverpool: encouragement over Wirtz, more concern elsewhere

Wirtz came on in the 59th minute of Liverpool’s 1–1 cup draw with Chelsea and scored in the shootout as Liverpool advanced 6–5. The latest FPL feed now lists him as available with a 100% next-round indicator. He therefore no longer appears in the flagged-player table. That supports holding him, but it does not confirm a GW9 start. Official cup report and line-ups

Victor Munoz remains doubtful at 25%, while Dominik Szoboszlai remains injured at 0%. Wirtz’s return should not be treated as evidence that either team-mate has also recovered.

Chelsea: Lacroix needs assessment; substitutions are not diagnoses

Lacroix left the cup tie with a hamstring problem. Alonso said the club needed a couple of days to assess its seriousness; the 30 October FPL snapshot now lists him as doubtful at 50%, without a confirmed return date. Owners should wait for the assessment rather than infer that he is either ruled out or ready for United. Chelsea’s post-match fitness update

Caicedo and Gusto were also replaced in that cup match. Alonso’s immediate post-match assessment was hopeful, but the newer FPL snapshot now flags both as doubtful at 75%, alongside Hato at 75%. These database changes warrant a fresh team-news check: they neither establish that all three will miss United nor guarantee they will be fit. All three now appear in the table.

Semenyo: the club has given a longer recovery estimate

Manchester City expect Antoine Semenyo's knee injury to keep him out for roughly eight weeks, with Maresca pointing towards December. FPL still gives no exact return date. December is a broad recovery estimate; his readiness for a particular fixture will still need to be confirmed. Manchester City's injury update

An absence of that length makes a stronger case for using a transfer than a short-term doubt. Anyone looking to another City attacker as the replacement will still need to assess his likely minutes: Semenyo’s absence alone cannot settle the selection.

Suspensions: Palmer is not a GW9 league absentee

The Premier League's suspension list, updated on 29 October, confirms that Max Dowman misses GW9–11, while Yehor Yarmoliuk, Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Bentancur miss GW9.

Cole Palmer’s one-match ban applied to Chelsea’s EFL Cup tie at Liverpool on 28 October, which has now been played. He has served that suspension and is listed as available with a 100% next-round indicator in the latest FPL snapshot. There is no suspension-based reason to sell him for the league fixture. Official suspension list

Full club-by-club injury and suspension list

This is a complete snapshot of the 94 FPL players flagged injured, doubtful or suspended: 63 injured, 27 doubtful and four suspended. It is not a claim to cover every medical issue at every club. Players marked unavailable for transfers, loans or other registration reasons are excluded; an available flag is not proof of a guaranteed start.

How to read the tables: the percentage is FPL’s exact chance of playing next round indicator, not our forecast or a starting probability. The status and news columns reproduce the official feed rather than turning estimates into medical clearance. ‘Expected back’ and ‘Suspended until’ dates are FPL estimates or suspension-end dates, not guarantees of match fitness. The 2 January entry refers to 2027; the other dates refer to 2026. No date means the return remains unknown. A missing probability would be shown as ‘Not provided’, never zero; none is missing in these 94 rows.

All table entries come from the official FPL player feed at the snapshot time above. The total remains 94 compared with the 29 October snapshot, but the identities and flags have changed. Chelsea’s Caicedo, Gusto and Hato are among the new doubts, while Lacroix’s indicator has fallen to 50%. A stable headline count does not mean the underlying list is unchanged.

Arsenal

Aston Villa

Bournemouth

Brentford

Brighton

Chelsea

Coventry City

Crystal Palace

Everton

Fulham

Hull City

Ipswich Town

Leeds

Liverpool

Man City

Even an available player can have uncertain minutes: our Foden and Cherki assessment covers that separate decision.

Man Utd

For Bruno, Cunha and Mbeumo, the main concerns are selection and transfer priority rather than an injury flag. See our United squad assessment before deciding who to sell first.

Newcastle

Nott'm Forest

Spurs

Sunderland

Before you confirm a transfer

Start with the XI you can actually field. In My Team, check whether your first substitute has a credible route to minutes and whether several doubts could leave you short in the same position. A healthy bench can buy time for Wirtz or Calafiori. Cover becomes harder to rely on when one player faces a multi-week absence and another starter is already missing.

If a second transfer costs points, use the transfer-hit calculator to compare the replacement with the player who would otherwise come off your bench—not automatically with zero points. Judge the move over the fixtures you expect to own the replacement, while leaving room for uncertain minutes.

Then check the price-change tracker. Price pressure can affect which replacement you can afford, although a projected rise or fall is never guaranteed. An early move may protect the budget, at the cost of acting before the next team-news update.

Patrick Dorgu’s entry now gives an unknown return date rather than the old 25 October estimate, while he remains injured at 0%. Elsewhere, a date such as 31 October beside a 0% flag is still an estimate, not clearance. Read the latest status and club update together rather than assuming an expected date means a player has recovered.

Before Saturday, look for the developments that could change your XI: a manager ruling a player in or out, confirmed involvement after an injury, or an update to the league suspension position. A training appearance alone does not establish match fitness, and a place in a cup squad does not settle the weekend's starting XI.