It’s the Graham Potter Cup as West Ham United head to Chelsea FC. Potter addressed the media earlier today, and during his session he gave updates on Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta.
Let’s get you up to speed with the latest on this trio, and reiterate the rest of the availability situation.
London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Feb. 3, 8pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea West Ham
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea West Ham
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 71% Draw 17% West Ham 12%
Premier League Standing: Chelsea 6th, 40 pts West Ham 14th 27 pts
West Ham Team News at Chelsea FC
We start with Jarrod Bowen, and his ankle injury situation. “With Jarrod, we’re more positive,” said Potter. “He’s obviously got a few more days to train, but it’s looking hopeful. He’s had more time [to recover].”
Bowen looks likely to be available, while Lucas Paqueta could feature as well.
Said Potter of Paqueta and his injury situation:
“With Lucas, we’re just monitoring and looking after him. We’re hopeful that he can train at the back end of the week as well. Obviously, we’ll have to see. He hasn’t trained so far this week.”
With Crysencio, however, the outlook is much less favorable. It is highly unlikely that he features here.
“Summerville is very doubtful and taking a bit longer than we anticipated,” said Potter.
Finally, Nicklas Fullkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo and Michail Antonio remain out as long-term injury absentees
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.