All games 3pm unless stated

Saturday

Birmingham City v Reading

Damien Johnson, the Birmingham City midfielder, is in contention to start his first Barclays Premier League game of the season. The Northern Ireland international has shaken off long term hamstring problems and could replace Mehdi Nafti who has to serve a one-game ban for incurring five bookings.

Alex McLeish, the manager, has to decide whether to give the captain’s armband to Johnson, who was skipper last season, or Liam Ridgewell who has occupied the role during the first four months of the campaign. Central defender Johan Djourou is still struggling to overcome a pelvic problem and has only a slim chance of being sufficiently fit.

Michael Duberry, the Reading defender, is available again having suffered a rib injury. Fellow defenders Ibrahima Sonko (knee) and captain Graeme Murty (shoulder) are doubtful but both are expected to start having received treatment.

Winger John Oster has had surgery on an ankle problem, so joins long-term absentee Glen Little (Achilles) on the sidelines.

Birmingham City (from): Taylor, Kingson, Doyle, Kelly, Ridgewell, Schmitz, Sadler, Larsson, De Ridder, Muamba, Johnson, McSheffrey, Kapo, Jerome, Forssell, O’Connor, Queudrue, Danns, Parnaby, Djourou.

Reading (from): Hahnemann, Federici, Murty, De la Cruz, Rosenior, Ingimarsson, Sonko, Duberry, Bikey, Shorey, Convey, Harper, Gunnarsson, Fae, Cisse, Hunt, Doyle, Kitson, Lita, Long.

Derby County v Middlesbrough

Paul Jewell, the Derby County manager, has almost a fully fit squad to choose from other than defenders Andy Todd (back) and Marc Edworthy, who has a calf injury. Paul Jewell, the Derby County manager, has almost a fully fit squad to choose from other than defenders Andy Todd (back) and Marc Edworthy, who has a calf injury.

Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, will make a late decision on goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. The Australia international has missed the last two games with a broken thumb, but has been back in training for more than a week and is in line for a return. Midfielder Julio Arca is also pushing for a start after managing 10 minutes as a substitute in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, but striker Mido (groin) is out until the New Year.

Derby County (from): Bywater, Mears, Davis, Moore, McEveley, Griffin, Leacock, Barnes, Oakley, Pearson, Lewis, Fagan, Howard, Miller, Teale, Earnshaw, Feilhaber, Jones, Price.

Middlesbrough (from): Schwarzer, Turnbull, Steele, Young, Taylor, Woodgate, Wheater, Riggott, Pogatetz, Huth, Hines, Cattermole, Rochemback, O’Neil, Boateng, Arca, Aliadiere, Downing, Tuncay, Lee, Hutchinson, Craddock.

Fulham v Newcastle United, 5.15pm

Claudio Cacapa, the Brazil international defender, is expected to return having been missing since November 3 with a hamstring injury. He came through a behind-closed doors friendly unscathed yesterday.

The game comes a week too soon for Michael Owen (knee), Damien Duff (foot) and Abdoulaye Faye (calf), while long-term absentees Stephen Carr (hamstring) and Peter Ramage (knee) remain sidelined.

Alexei Smertin (muscle problem), the Russia international midfielder, and German right back Moritz Volz (shoulder, groin and foot) are not ready to return for Fulham despite having resumed training this week.

Long-term absentee Jimmy Bullard, the popular midfielder, is back training with the first team but lacks match fitness having dislocated his kneecap against Newcastle United in September last year. Kasey Keller (bicep) and Brian McBride (knee), the US internationals, and Ian Pearce (calf), Lee Cook and Phillipe Christanval (knees) remain sidelined.

Newcastle United (from): Given, Harper, Beye, Enrique, Rozehnal, Taylor, Cacapa, Edgar, Butt, Milner, Geremi, Emre, N’Zogbia, Barton, Smith, Viduka, Martins, Ameobi.

Fulham (from): Niemi, Warner, Baird, Omozusi, Hughes, Stefanovic, Bocanegra, Konchesky, Davies, Davis, Murphy, Dempsey, Kamara, Kuqi, Healy, Bouazza, Leijer, Seol.

Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers

Manchester City are likely to be boosted by the return of their influential midfielder Elano as they attempt to maintain the only 100 per cent home record in the Premier League. The Brazilian has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and sat out the defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. Dietmar Hamann is available again after suspension, but Stephen Ireland is ruled out after being sent off at White Hart Lane.

Gary Megson, the Bolton Wanderers manager, is set to name an unchanged team this weekend. Having made four changes from the side that lost 4-0 to Liverpool, his reshaped team beat Wigan Athletic 4-1 to move clear of the relegation zone.

After coming through that game unscathed, Andy O’Brien and Nicky Hunt should remain in defence, while Kevin Nolan and Danny Guthrie, the English midfielders, should retain their places.

Manchester City (from): Isaksson, Corluka, Dunne, Richards, Garrido, Etuhu, Hamann, Fernandes, Johnson, Petrov, Elano, Vassell, Bianchi, Samaras, Geovanni, Hart, Onuoha, Jihai.

Bolton Wanderers (from): Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Hunt, A O’Brien, Meite, Cid, Gardner, Giannakopoulos, Guthrie, McCann, Nolan, Alonso, Speed, Teymourian, Wilhelmsson, Davies, Anelka, Diouf, Samuel, Al Habsi, Michalik, Braaten.

Portsmouth v Tottenham Hotspur

Pedro Mendes, the Portugal midfielder, may keep his place for Portsmouth despite the return of Sean Davis from a hamstring injury. Right back Glen Johnson misses the game through illness.

Fellow right back Lauren should be available after a hamstring injury while reserve goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown (ankle) returns to reclaim his place on the bench.

Ledley King is still a week short of a return to the Tottenham first-team. Anthony Gardner, Ricardo Rocha (both ankle), Gareth Bale (foot) and Benoit Assou-Ekoto (knee) are all long-term injury absentees. Robbie Keane, the stand-in captain, is still suspended following his sending off at Birmingham two weeks ago, but Juande Ramos, the coach, has the same squad to choose from that beat Manchester City last weekend.

Portsmouth (from): James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Pamarot, Utaka, Pedro Mendes, Diop, Muntari, Kranjcar, Benjani, Kanu, Davis, Nugent, Lauren, Taylor, Hreidarsson, Ashdown.

Tottenham Hotspur (from): Robinson, Cerny, Chimbonda, Lee, Stalteri, Dawson, Kaboul, Zokora, Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Lennon, Bent, Berbatov, Defoe, Tainio, Boateng, Taarabt.

Sunderland v Aston Villa

Roy Keane, the Sunderland manager, is without Irish midfielder Liam Miller, who is serving the first of a three-game suspension following his sending off in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea. Kieran Richardson has returned to training after a back injury but is still a number of weeks away from a first-team return, as is Nyron Nosworthy (hamstring) and Carlos Edwards (broken leg).

Keane must decide whether to stick with Darren Ward in goal or bring back expensive summer signing Craig Gordon, who has been out of the team for the last two matches.

Stiliyan Petrov, the Bulgaria international midfielder, will be missing for Aston Villa as he still has not recovered from the hamstring injury which ruled him out of the home defeat to Portsmouth last Saturday.

Martin O’Neill, the manager, has no fresh injury worries ahead of the busy festive period. Villa will hope to continue their impressive away form following successive losses at Villa Park to Portsmouth and Arsenal.

Sunderland (from): Gordon, Ward, McShane, Halford, Harte, Higginbotham, Collins, Yorke, Etuhu, Leadbitter, Wallace, Whitehead, Kavanagh, O’Donovan, Jones, Chopra, Connolly, Murphy, Stokes, Cole.

Aston Villa (from): Carson, Taylor, Sorensen, Mellberg, Laursen, Knight, Davies, Bouma, O’Halloran, Gardner, Barry, Osbourne, Reo-Coker, Moore, Carew, Berger, Harewood, Agbonlahor.

West Ham United v Everton

Nolberto Solano, the Peruvian winger, returns to the West Ham United starting line-up as Everton visit Upton Park for the second time in three days. Solano was cup-tied for Wednesday's Carling Cup quarter-final defeat.Carlton Cole is struggling with a hip problem picked up on Wednesday, meaning Dean Ashton could be the home team’s only recognised striker with Bobby Zamora (knee) and Craig Bellamy (abdominal) long-term casualties.

Winger Matthew Etherington and defender James Collins are both struggling with groin injuries, Luis Boa Morte is doubtful having picked up a thigh injury on Wednesday, but his fellow midfielder Lee Bowyer could return after a hernia operation.

James Vaughan and James McFadden, the Everton forwards, are in contention to return to a fully-fit Everton squad having missed the trip to Upton Park through injury. David Moyes, the manager, also welcomes back Portugal international defender Nuno Valente.

West Ham United (from): Green, Wright, McCarthy, Gabbidon, Upson, Collins, Neill, Spector, Pantsil, Etherington, Boa Morte, Parker, Mullins, Noble, Ljungberg, Reid, Solano, Cole, Ashton.

Everton (from): Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Yobo, Lescott, Carsley, Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar, Yakubu, Wessels,Hibbert, Johnson, Gravesen, Anichebe, McFadden, Vaughan, Valente.

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Julius Aghahowa, the striker, is set to return to the Wigan Athletic squad for the first time since the end of October. The Nigerian international is yet to score for Wigan since signing from Shakhtar Donetsk last January but will add to manager Steve Bruce’s attacking options after recovering from an infected toe. Antoine Sibierski is again doubtful with a thigh injury but Emile Heskey has shaken off a minor knock and Titus Bramble has recovered from a virus to play.

Blackburn Rovers are boosted by the return of David Bentley and Ryan Nelsen. Midfielder Bentley served a one-match ban during last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat against West Ham, while defender Nelsen is also available again after suspension. But Dutch defender Andre Ooijer is set to miss the Christmas and new year schedule after sustaining a hamstring injury in the West Ham defeat.

Wigan Athletic (from): Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Taylor, Kilbane, Valencia, Scharner, Landzaat, Koumas, Bent, Heskey, Brown, Granqvist, Skoko, Cotterill, Aghahowa, Pollitt.

Blackburn Rovers (from): Friedel, Emerton, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Tugay, Mokoena, Reid, Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Roberts, Brown, Savage, Berner, Derbyshire, Khizanishvili, Treacy.

Sunday

Arsenal v Chelsea, 4pm

Robin van Persie, the Arsenal striker, could be in line to start against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Sunday after recovering from a knee problem. Midfield trio Cesc Fabregas (hamstring), Mathieu Flamini (thigh) and Alexander Hleb (Achilles) are all available, but Arsene Wenger, the manager, will leave a decision on their fitness until the last minute. Theo Walcott, the England Under-21 forward, is ruled out with a knee injury.

Abou Diaby is fit again having also featured in the midweek Champions League win over Steaua Bucharest, while Jens Lehmann, the veteran Germany goalkeeper, will be hoping he has done enough to retain his place ahead of Manuel Almunia.Defenders Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy are among several senior men likely to return to the side having been rested in midweek.

Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho (back) and Florent Malouda (knee), the France midfielder, could be fit for Sunday’s London derby with Arsenal. Both will be given last-minute fitness tests, but midfielders Michael Essien (suspended) and long-term absentee Michael Ballack (ankle) are definitely unavailable.

Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast striker, is facing a lengthy period out of the Chelsea team having undergone knee surgery ahead of the African Cup of Nations so Andriy Shevchenko continues in attack.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Eboue, Gilberto, Diarra, Rosicky, van Persie, Adebayor, Lehmann, Senderos, Traore, Walcott, Song, Denilson, Bendtner, Diaby, Eduardo.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Belletti, Ferreira, Carvalho, Alex, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole, J Cole, Bridge, Lampard, Malouda, Sidwell, Kalou, Pizarro, Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips, Makelele, Obi.

Liverpool v Manchester United, 1.30pm

Xabi Alonso, the Liverpool midfielder, is set to return to the squad after a two-month absence with a metatarsal injury. The Spain midfielder, 26, has featured in only six Barclays Premier League games and been out of action since the Arsenal match in October. Steve Finnan is doubtful because of a calf problem while Daniel Agger remains sidelined with a foot injury.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, takes an injury-free squad to Anfield for the top of the table clash on Sunday. Having already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Ferguson left many of his star names at home for the Champions League tie against Roma.

This enabled Owen Hargreaves, the England international midfielder, to recover from a calf injury. The only minor doubt is utility player John O’Shea, but the manager is confident he will recover from an abductor strain.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell, Gerrard, Mascherano, Benayoun, Alonso, Kuyt, Torres, Aurelio, Babel, Crouch, Finnan, Hobbs, Itandje, Leiva, Voronin, Sissoko.

Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, Simpson, Ferdinand, Vidic, Pique, O’Shea, Evra, Ronaldo, Nani, Fletcher, Anderson, Hargreaves, Carrick, Giggs, Rooney, Saha, Tevez.