All matches 3pm unless stated

Premier League

Saturday

Birmingham v Liverpool,

Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson is poised to return. The Swedish international missed the 5-1 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend after tweaking a medial ligament in the 1-1 draw with Everton a fortnight ago. Olivier Kapo is also pressing for a place in the starting line-up after impressing as a substitute against Villa following two months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. But skipper Damien Johnson will again be unavailable as he completes a three-match suspension for his sending-off at Wigan.

Liverpool will be without the Fabio Aurelio at St Andrews, as Rafael Benitez prepares to rest a host of top players ahead of next Wednesday's decisive Champions League semi-final second leg at Chelsea.

Aurelio will be out for three weeks with a torn abductor muscle, while Daniel Agger and Harry Kewell are still long-term absentees. But it is likely that Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano, John Arne Riise, Ryan Babel, Xabi Alonso and Jose Reina could also be left out. Jermaine Pennant, David Martin, Charles Itandje, Damien Plessis and Emiliano Insua are likely to be in the squad.

Birmingham (from): Taylor, Doyle, Kelly, Ridgewell, Jaidi, Schmitz, Murphy, Parnaby, Larsson, Nafti, Muamba, McSheffrey, Kapo, Forssell, Zarate, McFadden, Jerome, O'Connor.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Skrtel, Riise, Insua, Babel, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Pennant, Voronin, Crouch, Torres, Kuyt, Itandje, Martin, Plessis.

Chelsea v Manchester United, 12:45pm

Frank Lampard will miss the match with Manchester United following the death of his mother yesterday. Michael Essien, suspended for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, returns to the squad.

Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United defender, is fit for the trip to Stamford Bridge as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to wrap up a 10th Premier League title. Only a mathematical improbability will prevent United securing the title should they beat Avram Grant's men and the return of Vidic will be a major boost.

The Serb was rushed to hospital with a stomach complaint on Tuesday and missed the Champions League semi-final with Barcelona but he is now back in training. Ferguson has also promised a 'couple of changes', which could include the return of Ryan Giggs.

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

Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, Brown, Neville, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Vidic, Pique, Silvestre, Evra, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, Nani, Park, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez.

Manchester City v Fulham,

Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Manchester City manager, is facing a defensive headache. Richard Dunne could be ruled out at Eastlands after suffering a hamstring injury in the victory over Portsmouth. With Micah Richards (knee) and Nedum Onuoha (shoulder) already sidelined through injury, Shaleum Logan has been recalled from League Two Stockport. Sun Jihai is set to return to the squad after missing the Portsmouth match through illness.

Jari Litmanen, the Fulham striker, has sustained an ear injury and will miss the trip to Manchester. Litmanen, who had just recovered from a groin problem, was struck by the ball in training and is out for another week.

Antti Niemi has trained all week after completing rehabilitation from a shoulder injury but Kasey Keller will continue in goal.

Manchester City (from): Hart, Corluka, Dunne, Garrido, Jihai, Ball, Ireland, Fernandes, Hamann, Petrov, Johnson, Castillo, Elano, Benjani, Vassel, Caicedo, Geovanni, Sturridge, Isaksson, Williamson, Logan.

Fulham (from): Niemi, Keller, Warner, Stalteri, Bocanegra, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Andreasen, Healy, Murphy, Bullard, McBride, Kamara, Johnson, Bouazza, Dempsey, Volz, Kamara, Nevland.

Sunderland v Middlesbrough,

Mark Schwarzer could return to the side after recovering from a back problem. Schwarzer is back in training after missing last weekend's 1-0 home defeat by Bolton Wanderers, but Ross Turnbull, who deputised against Wanderers, is a fresh doubt with a similar problem. Gary O'Neil (knee) is out for the rest of the season and Mido (hernia) could join him, while Robert Huth's foot problem remains a concern.

Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley is out of tomorrow's crucial Barclays Premier League clash with Middlesbrough as he prepares to undergo knee surgery.

Bardsley will have a cartilage operation on Monday which will mean he will not play again this season.

Jonny Evans is rated at only 50-50 with a hamstring strain, while Dwight Yorke (knee) remains a doubt and Dickson Etuhu is out for the remaining weeks of the campaign after already undergoing knee surgery.

Middlesbrough (from): Schwarzer, Turnbull, Jones, Young, Taylor, Grounds, McMahon, Wheater, Pogatetz, Boateng, Arca, Downing, Shawky, Rochemback, Cattermole, Johnson, Aliadiere, Alves, Tuncay.

Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Collins, McShane, Nosworthy, Evans, Higginbotham, Harte, Whitehead, Reid, Leadbitter, Edwards, Miller, Richardson, Wallace, O'Donovan, Jones, Waghorn, Murphy, Stokes, Chopra, Prica.

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers,

Paul Robinson is back in full training following an ankle injury and could figure against Bolton Wanderers. Pascal Chimbonda (calf) and Jonathan Woodgate (ankle) are also in contention ahead of the Barclays Premier League clash against the relegation strugglers.

Ledley King (knee), Gareth Bale (foot) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto remain out for the rest of the season.

Joey O'Brien, the Bolton midfielder, returns from a three-week absence for the trip to White Hart Lane. O'Brien is fit again following a hamstring injury but may have to settle for a place on the bench after Bolton won 1-0 at Middlesbrough last weekend to move out of the bottom three.

Grzegorz Rasiak sustained a cut eye on Teesside but is expected to be fit to face his former club, in place of Kevin Davies, who completes a two-match ban.

Tottenham (from): Robinson, Cerny, Forecast, Hutton, Chimbonda, Woodgate, Dawson, Zokora, O'Hara, Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Malbranque, Keane, Bent, Berbatov, Tainio, Gilberto, Rocha, Lee, Kaboul, Boateng, Taarabt, Gunter.

Bolton (from): Al Habsi, Steinsson, Andrew O'Brien, Cahill, Samuel, Nolan, Cohen Campo, McCann, Taylor, Rasiak, Diouf, Guthrie, Giannakopoulos, Fojut, Joey O'Brien, Alonso, Helguson, Walker.

West Ham United v Newcastle United,

Dean Ashton, the West Ham United forward, has been in full training this week ahead of the game with Newcastle United. However, Anton Ferdinand has been ruled out with a hamstring complaint.

Meanwhile, Kevin Keegan will look to field the same side yet again for the trip to West Ham. Keegan has only minor knocks to concern him as he prepares for a game in which he hopes to extend the club's unbeaten run to seven games.

Emre (calf), Stephen Carr (hamstring), Claudio Cacapa (groin), Peter Ramage (knee) and James Milner (foot) are all nearing returns, while Shay Given (groin) is unlikely to play again this season as he recovers from surgery.

West Ham (from): Green, Pantsil, McCartney, Tomkins, Neill, Faubert, Solano, Noble, Parker, Ljungberg, Boa Morte, Sears, Cole, Zamora, Upson, Ferdinand, Collison, Mullins, Ashton, Walker, Spector.

Newcastle United (from): Harper, Forster, Beye, Enrique, Taylor, Faye, Edgar, Butt, N'Zogbia, Duff, Barton, Geremi, Owen, Smith, Martins, Viduka, Carroll.

Wigan Athletic v Reading,

Emile Heskey and Marcus Bent have received the all-clear ahead of Wigan Athletic's crucial Premier League clash at home to Reading. Heskey (hamstring) and Bent (cut leg) both went off injured in last week's 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur but are fit to play this weekend, when victory will secure survival for the Wigan.

Erik Hagen is available again following illness, so Erik Edman is Wigan's only absentee after being ruled out for the season with a long-term knee injury.

Jimmy Kebe, the Reading winger, is a doubt for the trip to Wigan after picking up a knock during last week's defeat at Arsenal. Brynjar Gunnarsson has already been ruled out of the JJB Stadium clash after suffering a setback in his recovery from a groin operation.

Nicky Shorey and winger Stephen Hunt are expected to be recalled after not even making the bench last week and striker Leroy Lita is back in contention following a loan spell at Charlton Athletic.

Wigan Athletic (from): Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Boyce, Kilbane, Valencia, Brown, Palacios, Taylor, Bent, Heskey, Koumas, Skoko, King, Sibierski, Pollitt, Aghahowa, Bramble, Figueroa, Hagen, Olembe.

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

Sunday

Everton v Aston Villa, 16:00

Leon Osman is almost certain to return to the Everton side after recovering from a hip injury. David Moyes also has high hopes that Mikel Arteta will make his comeback after spending time in Spain having treatment on stomach and groin injuries.

Tim Cahill has returned to Australia for an operation on his broken metatarsal, while this will also be the first game Steven Pienaar has played since signing a permanent deal earluer this week.

Everton (from): Howard, Hibbert, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Jagielka, Valente, Baines, Carsley, Osman, Pienaar, Fernandes, Arteta, Yakubu, Anichebe, Johnson, Gravesen, Wessels, Rodwell, Gosling.

Aston Villa team news to follow

Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers, 13:30

Kanu could be recalled for the visit of Blackburn Rovers, as he looks to secure a place for next month's FA Cup final. However, Harry Redknapp could decide to give Milan Baros another run alongside cup-tied Jermain Defoe.

David Nugent, who scored for the reserves on Tuesday, and Pedro Mendes, left out of the squad for the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City, are both nursing "slight knocks" but could be among the substitutes. Lauren may switch to left back in place of suspended Hermann Hreidarsson.

Noe Pamarot has returned to training after 10 weeks out with a knee injury but is not yet back in contention.

Mark Hughes looks set to name an unchanged Blackburn side for the trip to Fratton Park. Hughes will stick with the team that drew 1-1 with Manchester United last weekend as Blackbirn bid to keep alive their slim hopes of European qualification.

Hughes has no fresh injury worries, although Matt Derbyshire is facing an operation on a hernia problem so may not rejoin the squad.

Portsmouth (from): James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Lauren, Diarra, Diop, Muntari, Kranjcar, Utaka, Baros, Defoe, Kanu, Davis, Nugent, Hughes, Pedro Mendes, Aubey, Begovic.

Blackburn (from): Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Vogel, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts, Mokoena, Ooijer, McCarthy, Dunn, Olsson, Khizanishvili, Brown.

Monday

Derby County v Arsenal, 20:00

Paul Jewell will hand a late fitness test to David Jones ahead of the visit of Arsenal on Monday. The midfielder is struggling with a tight calf and is doubtful for the game at Pride Park. Marc Edworthy (cracked rib) remains sidelined along with long-term absentees Claude Davis and Giles Barnes (both knee).

Arsenal will be without winger Alexander Hleb for the trip to relegated Derby as the Belarus winger misses the final three games of the season through suspension. Abou Diaby (thigh) is also out, along with Mathieu Flamini and full-back Bacary Sagna (both ankle), so Brazilian teenager Denilson could make a rare start.

Manuel Almunia is fit again following a wrist problem, but Polish youngster Lukasz Fabianski may be in line for a first Barclays Premier League appearance. Tomas Rosicky (knee) and Eduardo (broken leg) remain sidelined.

Derby (from): Carroll, Moore, Leacock, McEveley, Mears, Sterjovski, Stubbs, Savage, Ghaly, Lewis, Miller, Villa, Earnshaw, Todd, Jones, Feilhaber, Price.

Arsenal (from): Fabianski, Toure, Gallas, Song, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Gilberto, Denilson, van Persie, Adebayor, Lehmann, Almunia, Bendtner, Senderos, Eboue, Traore, Djourou.