Premier League news live updates: Today’s press conferences, injury latest, build-up to weekend fixtures

Two of the country's biggest clubs meet at Old Trafford on Sunday. Given their FA Cup classic just a few weeks ago, Manchester United against Liverpool in the Premier League should make for compelling viewing.

It would be even better if the action was not overshadowed by tragedy chanting - an issue both managers have addressed before the game:

• Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp urged supporters to “show a bit of class”
• United manager Erik ten Hag called on fans to “focus entirely on backing their team”

That really should be achievable.

To read the thoughts of Klopp and Ten Hag in full, give our piece from James Pearce and Dan Sheldon below a read.

Tottenham forward Richarlison is out of Sunday’s home game against Nottingham Forest.

Head coach Ange Postecoglou has also confirmed Brennan Johnson is available, having coming off late in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham. Postecoglou said:

💬 “The only one is Richy, had a bit of a niggle with his knee the last few weeks and better he takes his week off to try and totally recover for Newcastle next week.

“Everyone else (barring long-term absentees Manor Solomon, Fraser Forster and Ryan Sessegnon) is fine.”

Richarlison has not started for Tottenham since sustaining a knee injury in February, missing two games with that problem and appearing as a substitute in their last three — including the West Ham draw.

Following Sunday’s visit of Forest, Spurs travel to Newcastle United the following Saturday.

Liverpool are not the only ones, but they are the latest ones.

The Premier League leaders have confirmed a two per cent rise in ticket prices for next season - the first of the post Jurgen Klopp era, of course.

There was also a two per cent rise for this season, which ended an eight-year price freeze. Liverpool have said the rise is due to the “significant” increase in operating costs.

Supporters groups had hoped Liverpool would hold off on another rise and have also stated their disappointment at not being inolved in discussions from the start of the process.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City are among those to have already confirmed price increases for next season and have subsequently received a backlash from supporters.

You can read more on this from Ali Rampling below.

No points for guessing the player most used by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta since he took over in December 2019. That would be Bukayo Saka and a total of 16,637 minutes playing time across all competitions.

He's probably the most kicked player too.

Arsenal will assess Saka's fitness today ahead of tomorrow's trip to Brighton, having missed the midweek win over Luton.

But whenever Saka does return, Arteta believes his forward will produce a big impact on the run-in - which is probably why he plays him so much. Here's Arteta:

💬 "We will know with our training session in a few hours...whether he is fit or not.

"I am super positive. I think he is going to fly (over the run-in) and be so decisive...because he is so strong, how much he wants it when you talk to him and how excited he is about what is coming.

"He wants to be there and he is getting better and better. It is normal, you have little niggles, you have kicks. He has gone through a lot of that in the last two or three years, and look at the way he is performing."

You can read more from Arteta, including on the reemergence of Emile Smith Rowe, with the link below.

We've already heard from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Newcastle's Eddie Howe this morning - you'll soon find those updates if you scroll below.

We'll have the latest from West Ham and David Moyes in a moment too. Then it's 10 Premier League bosses speaking over the course of an hour or so later today. Here's who we're currently expecting and when (BST):

• 1pm: Fulham (Silva), Tottenham (Postecoglou), Wolves (O'Neil)
• 1.30pm: Aston Villa (Emery), Brighton (De Zerbi), Crystal Palace (Glasner), Luton (Edwards), Man City (Guardiola), Nottingham Forest (Nuno), Sheff Utd (Wilder)

Given we've just had a round of midweek Premier League fixtures - and they only ended last night - you'd be entitled to wonder who on earth is playing who in the coming days.

So let me help - here's this weekend's Premier League schedule (times in BST) including who plays when in the title and relegation battles:

Tomorrow

• Crystal Palace v Manchester City (12.30pm)
• Aston Villa v Brentford (3pm)
• Everton v Burnley (3pm)
• Fulham v Newcastle (3pm)
• Luton Town v Bournemouth (3pm)
• Wolves v West Ham (3pm)
• Brighton v Arsenal (5.30pm)

Sunday

• Manchester United v Liverpool (3.30pm)
• Sheffield Utd v Chelsea (5.30pm)
• Tottenham v Nottingham Forest (6pm)

I’m here to steer us through the day - but I don't want to stop there. If there is something you want to know about your club, favourite player or the weekend ahead, I want to help you find the answer.

So ask away!

Whether it's the latest on future points deductions, the inner feelings at the Premier League title rivals, how Brentford are hoping to avoid any end of season nervousness or something more pertinent to you…

Email me your questions and I'll see if our team of correspondents can source you an answer.

The email address you need for this or anything else you wish to sling my way: [email protected]

Good day to you all from The Athletic HQ. It’s Michael Bailey here to steer us through the day’s football news and build-up to the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

Not that it feels like we’ve had long to process the previous action, given it only wrapped up last night. I’m pretty sure those at Manchester United could do with a little longer to deal with what happened at Stamford Bridge.

Anyway, there’s plenty going on and our team of correspondents are out and about, bringing all the quotes and context we could wish for.

Meanwhile, I'll bring you as many behind the scenes tidbits as I can muster.

So buckle up and keep this page open or bookmarked. We’ve got you covered from here.

Mikel Arteta remained coy on Bukayo Saka's potential fitness for Arsenal's trip to Brighton tomorrow, but is hopeful of his availability.

Saka was not included in Arsenal's matchday squad for their 2-0 victory against Luton on Wednesday, with Arteta confirming the 22-year-old had been carrying a problem following their 0-0 draw at Manchester City.

He had initially withdrawn from the England squad as a precaution after reporting to St George’s Park with an injury. Arteta confirmed he will need to be assessed in training later today to determine whether he will feature on Saturday:

💬 "We will know with our training session in a few hours. We will know whether he is fit or not."

Saka is his side’s top scorer and assist provider this campaign with 16 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances.

Arsenal face Brighton looking to close the gap on current league leaders Liverpool at the top of the table.

Eddie Howe is hopeful Lewis Hall will be available for Newcastle United's trip to Fulham tomorrow.

Hall, 19, started in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Everton but was substituted in the 79th minute after appearing to be in discomfort. The left-back was replaced by Paul Dummett. Howe said:

💬 "We hope he's fine. He'll be back training today. We anticipate he'll be part of the group."

Howe also confirmed captain Jamaal Lascelles has undergone surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) sustained in the 4-3 victory against West Ham.

Lascelles will miss between six and nine months, aiming to return to action between September and December this year. Howe added:

💬 "A big blow for us and for Jamaal. He's been excellent this season. Behind the scenes he's been a key part of our leadership team. His standards have been exceptional and I feel for him because he's been in really good physical shape this year.

"He's had his operation, that was quickly done and it was successful. So that's good news. He faces a long road ahead. He has Sven (Botman) in a similar situation so they can support each other."

Manchester United want to recruit a chief business officer to report into their incoming chief executive Omar Berrada.

United are scouring the market for someone to come in and lead business operations, which would see them oversee the club’s revenue-generating departments.

This means their remit would include all commercial-related activity, such as sponsorships and e-commerce.

The Athletic revealed in January that United were appointing Berrada, who was then serving as City Football Group’s — the multi-club model that includes Manchester City — chief operations officer, to become their new chief executive, replacing Richard Arnold, who left in December.

Although Berrada won’t officially start until the summer, he will ultimately be responsible for overseeing the football and commercial activities.

In line with The Athletic’s previous reporting that Berrada has already started to meet a series of the club’s senior figures, it is reasonable to expect him to have an input on who becomes United’s chief business officer.

Berrada will be responsible for delivering success, both on the pitch and off it, and to achieve that there is an acceptance that United need to appoint best-in-class leaders.

FIFA representatives travelled to Madrid to meet with the Spanish government and Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following a number of recent scandals at Spanish’s football governing body.

FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafstrom and FIFA legal director Emilio Silvero were in Madrid on Thursday for a meeting with Spain’s Superior Sports Council (the CSD) — the government agency responsible for the country’s sporting policy — with the aim of stabilising the situation at the RFEF.

Spain’s role at the 2030 World Cup, which the country is co-hosting alongside Morocco and Portugal, is also expected to be discussed.

Read the full story.

Wednesday was another dramatic day in the saga involving former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, as an investigation into alleged corruption during his term from 2018 to 2023 gathers pace.

The 46-year-old was detained by police officers and questioned about his role in potential crimes of money laundering and misuse of RFEF funds. Investigators believe Rubiales and a number of his associates were involved in a number of different schemes linking Spain, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia and China.

Rubiales resigned as RFEF president in September, having already been provisionally suspended by FIFA for his behaviour after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup, when he held his crotch in celebration just a few seats down from Queen Letizia and the 16-year-old Princess Sofia of Spain, before grabbing star forward Jenni Hermoso by the head and kissing her on the lips during the medal ceremony.

Read our full report below.

England defender Lucy Bronze has called for alterations to the women’s football calendar to ease the physical demands on the players.

Bronze, speaking ahead of England’s European Championship qualifiers against Sweden and Republic of Ireland, echoed the comments of a number of teammates and managers, who have raised concerns over whether the schedule is contributing to long-term injuries.

England captain Leah Williamson has just returned into the squad following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and there has been a spate of similar injuries in the women’s game.

“Obviously, the demands are getting higher,” Bronze says.

“I think even when I was at Lyon it was quite hard for me personally. I had two days off from the Champions League final and went straight into World Cup preparations. So it's not something that I'm not used to.

“For me, personally, I'm part of FIFPro and I have joined discussions, along with Sarina (Wiegman, England manager) with FIFA and UEFA, but ultimately, it's down to them to help programme the calendar better, not just for the good of the game, but the wellness of the players involved.

“There is a lot of back and forth. Everyone has their different opinions, everybody has their way of wanting to work, but I think, hopefully, there are ideas that people can come up with to maybe alter a few things.

“I think a few alterations could make a huge difference for the players especially."