All matches 3pm unless stated
Saturday
Arsenal
v Hull
City, 17:30
The Premier League leaders expect full-back Gael Clichy (shin) to be fit, but
Samir Nasri is still recovering from a knee injury. Alex Song - who played
in the youthful Carling Cup side that beat Sheffield United 6-0 in midweek -
has shaken off a hip problem. Mikael Silvestre will also be available for
the first time following his move from Manchester United after recovering
from a muscular injury, but Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Abou Diaby (thigh),
Amaury Bischoff (groin) and striker Eduardo (leg) are still sidelined.
Hull defender Anthony Gardner has been ruled out for the trip to London. The
former Tottenham player pulled out of last week's 2-2 draw with Everton with
a thigh injury and will not be risked at the Emirates Stadium. New signing
Kamil Zayatte, who came in for his first start against the Toffees, is set
to retain his place alongside Michael Turner. George Boateng is likely to be
restored in midfield but Stelios Giannakopoulos, who joined the club this
week, lacks match fitness and is not in consideration.
Arsenal (from): Almunia, Clichy, Toure, Gallas, Sagna, Fabregas,
Denilson, Walcott, Adebayor, van Persie, Fabianski, Song, Djourou, Vela,
Bendtner, Wilshere, Eboue, Silvestre.
Hull City (from): Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Mendy,
Ashbee, Marney, Halmosi, Cousin, King, Garcia, Folan, Boateng, Geovanni,
Hughes, Ricketts, Barmby, Windass, Duke.
Aston
Villa v Sunderland,
15:00
Martin O'Neill is expected to revert to his first-choice team. The Villa
manager has fielded the same starting XI for all five league games so far,
which means the likes of Brad Friedel, Luke Young, Curtis Davies, Martin
Laursen, Nigel Reo-Coker and Gabriel Agbonlahor are set for recalls. They
were all left out of the side that suffered a shock Carling Cup defeat at
the hands of QPR in midweek. O'Neill has no fresh injury worries and Steve
Sidwell could return to training next week after calf and knee problems.
Sunderland defender Nyron Nosworthy could be sidelined for up to four weeks by
the hamstring injury he suffered against Northampton in the Carling Cup.
Grant Leadbitter, who broke his nose and suffered concussion in the same
game, will be absent. Full-back Phil Bardsley is a doubt with an ankle
problem, but George McCartney is available after missing the Carling Cup tie
because he had already played in the competition for West Ham. Meanwhile,
Russell Anderson has returned from his loan spell at Burnley after damaging
his cruciate ligament and is due to undergo surgery which will rule him out
for the rest of the season.
Aston Villa (from): Friedel, Luke Young, Davies, Laursen, Shorey,
Reo-Coker, Barry, Petrov, Ashley Young, Carew, Agbonlahor, Guzan, Knight,
Cuellar, Gardner, Osbourne, Milner, Harewood, Routledge.
Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Collins,
McCartney, Bardsley, Diouf, Whitehead, Miller, Reid, Richardson, Malbranque,
Tainio, Cisse, Murphy, Healy, Stokes, Chopra.
Everton
v Liverpool,
12.45
Mikel Arteta is in line for a return to the Everton team for the Merseyside
derby after missing the midweek Carling Cup loss against Blackburn because
of a virus. The Spaniard has trained for the last two days and should be fit
but Victor Anichebe is absent with a foot injury. Steven Pienaar's long-term
ankle injury and Andy van der Meyde's hamstring problem will also prevent
them from playing a part at Goodison Park.
Liverpool will be without defenders Fabio Aurelio and Philipp Degen. Brazilian
full-back Aurelio is still struggling with an ankle problem while Degen is
out for three weeks after cracking ribs in Tuesday's Carling Cup win over
Crewe. It means Rafael Benitez could give Robbie Keane, Andreas Dossena and
Albert Riera their derby debuts while he will also consider handing Daniel
Agger a return after he scored in the defeat of Crewe.
Everton (from): Howard, Neville, Lescott, Baines, Yobo, Hibbert,
Jagielka, Castillo, Arteta, Osman, Cahill, Baxter, Yakubu, Saha, Turner,
Nash, Jutkiewicz, Fellaini, Agard, Kissock, Wallace, Vaughan, Valente,
Rodwell.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Agger,
Dossena, Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Babel, Benayoun, Riera, Kuyt, Keane,
Torres, Lucas, Cavalieri, El Zhar, Plessis, Ngog.
Fulham
v West
Ham United, 15:00
Midfielder Dickson Etuhu will again have to wait for his Fulham debut as he
has still not fully recovered from a thigh strain picked up in training
earlier this month. Roy Hodgson has no other injury concerns ahead of
tomorrow's visit of West Ham and will revert to his usual Premier League
line-up after giving some fringe men run-outs at Burnley in the Carling Cup
in midweek. Diomansy Kamara (knee) remains the only long-term absentee.
Gianfranco Zola is hoping Craig Bellamy and Carlton Cole will be available for
West Ham. Bellamy has made just one substitute appearance this season due to
a groin injury - scoring in the 4-1 win against Blackburn - while Cole sat
out the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Watford with a minor ankle knock.
Calum Davenport could also return to the squad but Dean Ashton is out with
an ankle injury which requires investigative surgery next week.
Fulham (from): Schwarzer, Zuberbuhler, Stockdale, Pantsil, Stoor,
Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Kallio, Davies, Bullard, Murphy, Gera, A
Johnson, Zamora, Nevland, Dempsey, Andreasen, Baird, Teymourian, Leijer,
Brown.
West Ham United (from): Green, Behrami, Upson, Neill, Ilunga, Faubert,
Noble, Parker, Etherington, Di Michele, Sears, Cole, Lastuvka, Lopez,
Davenport, Reid, Mullins, Boa Morte, Collison.
Manchester
United v Bolton
Wanderers,15:00
Edwin van der Sar will return to duty for Manchester United at Old Trafford
tomorrow. With Thomas Kuszcak ruled out with a groin injury, United faced
naming rookie goalkeeper Ben Amos for the visit of Gary Megson's men. But
Van der Sar has recovered from the blow to the knee which forced him out of
last Sunday's draw with Chelsea and should be in Sir Alex Ferguson's
starting line-up. Ferguson delivered some good news on Rodrigo Possebon, who
was on the wrong end of a terrible tackle by Emanuel Pogatetz in Tuesday's
Carling Cup win over Middlesbrough. After fears of a broken leg were
dismissed yesterday, the United boss has now confirmed Possebon did not
suffer ligament damage either, although the Brazilian has a nasty gash which
has not yet healed.
Bolton defender Gary Cahill looks certain to return. Record signing Johan
Elmander is also in contention for a place in the side after recovering from
a nagging hamstring injury. The Sweden striker, who arrived in the summer
from Toulouse, has trained all week after being sidelined for a month.
However, Matt Taylor again looks likely to miss out with a broken toe.
Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Brown, Neville, R Da Silva,
Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, F Da Silva, Ronaldo, Nani,
Hargreaves, Anderson, Fletcher, Park, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov,
Manucho, Welbeck, Amos.
Bolton Wanderers (from): Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Shittu, A
O'Brien, Samuel, Gardner, Muamba, Nolan, McCann, J O'Brien, Smolarek,
Elmander, Davies, Helguson, Riga, Hunt, Vaz Te, Cohen, Fojut, Al Habsi.
Middlesbrough
v West
Bromwich Albion, 15:00
Gareth Southgate welcomes back Mido for Middlesbrough. The Egypt striker
pulled out of last Saturday's Wear-Tees derby minutes before kick-off after
aggravating a groin strain but returned to full training this week and is
expected to line up alongside Afonso Alves in attack. Captain Emanuel
Pogatetz begins a three-match suspension and striker Tuncay Sanli (knee) is
a long-term absentee but in-form winger Adam Johnson could earn a starting
place and Ross Turnbull, replaced in goal by Brad Jones at Old Trafford, is
expected to regain his place.
West Brom winger Chris Brunt is ruled out with a hamstring injury suffered
during the first half of the 2-1 home reverse by Aston Villa last weekend.
Do-Heon Kim a strong candidate to deputise after replacing the former
Sheffield Wednesday player, who is unlikely to return until after the
forthcoming international break. Defender Abdoulaye Meite is also
unavailable after aggravating a calf injury during the warm-up against
Martin O'Neill's side. Late replacement Leon Barnett, who was given a torrid
time by Villa striker John Carew. must wait to find out if he will retain
his place.
Middlesbrough (from): Turnbull, Hoyte, Wheater, Huth, Taylor, Digard,
O'Neil, Aliadiere, Downing, Alves, Mido, Johnson, Jones, Riggott, Shawky,
Arca, Walker, Emnes, Craddock.
West Bromwich Albion (from): Carson, Zuiverloon, Barnett, Olsson,
Robinson, Morrison, Greening, Koren, Valero, Do-Heon Kim, Bednar, Kiely,
Miller, Hoefkens, Cech, Donk, Moore, MacDonald.
Newcastle
United v Blackburn
Rovers,15:00
Obafemi Martins could be out of action for six weeks after suffering a knee
injury in midweek. The Nigeria striker had a scan last night after making
his comeback from a groin problem in Wednesday's Carling Cup defeat by
Tottenham, and joins fellow frontmen Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Andy
Carroll on the casualty list. Midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez is also out with
an Achilles injury, while Danny Guthrie and Joey Barton are still suspended
and Habib Beye (Achilles), Jonas Gutierrez (shoulder) and Jose Enrique are
also missing.
Jason Brown will be in goal for Blackburn. He steps in with England goalkeeper
Paul Robinson out for two weeks with a calf injury sustained in the midweek
Carling Cup defeat of Everton. Rovers are also without Vince Grella (calf),
Steven Reid (knee) and David Dunn (Achilles), while Benni McCarthy (groin)
and Aaron Mokoena (virus) are doubtful. However, midfielder Keith Andrews is
available again after missing the Everton match as he was ineligible.
Newcastle United (from): Given, Harper, Edgar, N'Zogbia, Taylor,
Coloccini, Cacapa, Bassong, Tozer, Butt, Geremi, Duff, Donninger, Owen,
Xisco, Ameobi, Donaldson, Ranger, Danquah.
Blackburn Rovers (from): Brown, Bunn, Simpson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen,
Khizanishvili, Warnock, Olsson, Emerton, Villanueva, Tugay, Mokoena,
Andrews, Pedersen, Treacy, Santa Cruz, Roberts, Derbyshire, McCarthy,
Fowler.
Stoke
City v Chelsea,
15:00
Ricardo Fuller should shake off a knock sustained against Reading on Tuesday
and regain his place in Stoke's starting line-up. Fuller, who took a bang on
the knee after coming off the bench in the Carling Cup tie, was also a
substitute at Liverpool last Saturday because of a stomach upset. He is
expected to replace Mamady Sidibe and manager Tony Pulis' main selection
poser will be at centre-half, where fit-again Ibrahima Sonko is in
competition with Leon Cort.
Joe Cole has been ruled out for Chelsea. The England midfielder has suffered
what the club describe as a "minor injury" and he is expected to
return in time for next week's Champions League trip to FC Cluj. Deco
(thigh) and Ricardo Carvalho (knee) will be sidelined for the next three
weeks but Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari could recall Jose Bosingwa,
Ashley Cole and John Mikel Obi after the trio were rested from Carling Cup
duty in midweek.
Stoke City (from): Sorensen, Griffin, Cort, Sonko, Abdoulaye Faye,
Higginbotham, Lawrence, Diao, Olofinjana, Delap, Kitson, Fuller, Sidibe,
Cresswell, Simonsen, Whelan, Tonge, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Soares.
Chelsea (from): Cech, Ivanovic, A Cole, Lampard, Di Santo, Drogba,
Mikel, Ballack, Malouda, Sinclair, Bosingwa, Bridge, Ferreira, Kalou,
Cudicini, Terry, Alex, Belletti, Anelka, Hilario.
Sunday
Portsmouth
v Tottenham
Hotspur, 13:30
Lassana Diarra could return to the Portsmouth side after discovering the knee
injury sustained in last Sunday's 6-0 humbling at Manchester City has not
damaged ligaments. Diarra has trained since missing the midweek Carling Cup
defeat by Chelsea but Sean Davis (groin) and Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) are
still out along with Jerome Thomas (back) and long-term absentee Niko
Kranjcar (ankle) as Pompey face a midfield puzzle. Richard Hughes is likely
to keep his place. Sol Campbell and main striker Jermain Defoe are back to
face their old club after being rested against Chelsea and manager Harry
Redknapp looks set to play 4-4-2 with on-loan Armand Traore also recalled.
Tottenham will make a late decision on Gareth Bale's foot injury. Luka Modric
has recovered from a knee injury and is fit to play at Fratton Park, and
Michael Dawson is also back in full training after a knock. Alan Hutton
(foot) is out and will have a scan next month.
Portsmouth (from): James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Belhadj, Utaka,
Diarra, Hughes, A Traore, Crouch, Defoe, Kaboul, Pamarot, Mvuemba, Little,
Kanu, Sahar, Hreidarsson, Nugent, Ashdown.
Tottenham Hotspur (from): Gomes, Bale, Zokora, Bentley, Huddlestone,
Lennon, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Bent, Gilberto, Modric, Gunter, Giovani, Dawson,
Corluka, O'Hara, King, Assou-Ekotto, Woodgate, Cesar, Campbell.
Wigan
Athletic v Manchester
City, 16:00
Steve Bruce has no new injury worries after his players came through unscathed
against Ipswich. Lee Cattermole made a goalscoring return from suspension in
the 4-1 Carling Cup victory at Portman Road, while Olivier Kapo and Paul
Scharner are hoping to retain their places having also scored in midweek.
Ryan Taylor (shin) is back in contention while full-back Erik Edman is
nearing a return from a long-term knee injury.
Record signing Robinho looks certain to return to the Manchester City side,
after being rested in midweek when City tumbled out of the Carling Cup at
the hands of League One Brighton. Goalkeeper Joe Hart, Micah Richards,
Shaun-Wright Phillips and Elano are also likely to reclaim their places in
the side.
Wigan Athletic (from): Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa,
Valencia, Cattermole, Palacios, Kilbane, Heskey, Zaki, Brown, Camara, De
Ridder, Kapo, Koumas, Kupisz, Scharner, Taylor, Pollitt, Kingson.
Manchester City (from): Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Ben Haim,
Garrido, Ball, Elano, Kompany, Johnson, Ireland, Hamann, Fernandes,
Wright-Phillips, Robinho, Jo, Schmeichel, Evans, Sturridge.
