Saturday’s briefing: Palmer in from the cold and Pep accuses City

Cole Palmer is set for a timely Chelsea comeback after being sidelined for two months in their top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City “didn’t try” in their Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, while Manchester United’s new stadium has been named among the venues to stage matches at the 2035 Women’s World Cup.

Palmer fit to face Arsenal

Cole Palmer is available to start for Chelsea against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday after recovering from a fractured toe, head coach Enzo Maresca announced.

The England forward has not featured since September 20 due to a groin injury and had his return delayed by over a week after stubbing his toe in an accident at home.

“He is available,” said Maresca, whose second-placed side can cut the gap at the top to three points with a win at Stamford Bridge. “Everyone is happy, his team-mates are happy. The most important thing is that Cole is happy.

“Players want to play games. He is our best player. We’re happy he is back but we need to give him time to be 100 per cent.”

Guardiola accuses City of not trying in Leverkusen loss

Pep Guardiola claims his much-changed Manchester City team “didn’t try” in midweek and has learnt a lesson from their surprise loss to Bayer Leverkusen.

The City manager paid the price for making 10 changes to his starting line-up as the German side won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Guardiola, whose side face struggling Leeds on Saturday, said: “Because of my decisions and because we didn’t try, it’s as simple as that. In football when you play on the green you have to try things and we didn’t try.

“I think they played not to make mistakes, not to play to do something. It was a good lesson for me.”

New Manchester United stadium included in 2035 Women’s World Cup bid

Manchester United’s proposed new 100,000-capacity stadium and Wrexham’s redeveloped ground are among 22 venues set to host matches at the 2035 Women’s World Cup in the United Kingdom.

The four UK associations officially submitted their bid to stage the 48-team finals to FIFA on Friday, with no other bidders in the running for the tournament. In all, 22 stadiums in 16 cities across the four nations have been included in the submission.

Old Trafford as it currently stands has been included, but the bid team intend to put the new Manchester United stadium forward for consideration once plans for it are confirmed.

United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche said on Friday: “We are proud to be part of the rich sporting and cultural fabric of Trafford, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035 is a brilliant opportunity for us to showcase our home to the rest of the world.”

Howe defends Pope after Marseille blunder

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has praised keeper Nick Pope’s ability as a shot-stopper as he faces a difficult decision over whether to drop him amid a series of high-profile errors.

A clamour among fans for loanee Aaron Ramsdale to be given a chance has grown in intensity since the misjudgement by Pope which handed Marseille an equaliser just seconds after half-time in Tuesday night’s 2-1 Champions League defeat.

However head coach Howe, who backed the England international in the immediate aftermath of the game, renewed his support as he prepared for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Everton.

He said: “There’s always two sides, isn’t there? I actually think his goalkeeping has been very good. His shot-stopping has been incredible.”

What’s on today

Manchester City can move to within four points of top-flight leaders Arsenal by beating Leeds. Brentford welcome Burnley and Bournemouth travel to Sunderland, while Newcastle visit Everton in the teatime kick-off and Tottenham host Fulham at 8pm.

Championship leaders Coventry play Charlton while fellow high-flyers Middlesbrough and Stoke are also at home, against Derby and Hull respectively.