This weekend's Premier League team news.
Saturday, April 17th
Birmingham (9) v Hull (19)
Birmingham are boosted by the return of England goalkeeper Joe Hart. he was replaced by Maik Taylor for the 5-1 defeat at Manchester City as he was not allowed to face his parent club. Striker Cameron Jerome has had treatment for a back injury this week but is fit to lead the attack. Spanish midfielder Michel retains his place in the squad after Birmingham were successful in their appeal against his sending-off in last week’s reserve team game against Chelsea and he will once again be on the bench.
Hull boss Iain Dowie is confident defender Andy Dawson will be fit after the left-back was carried off during last week’s 4-1 defeat by Burnley with a leg injury. Midfielder Richard Garcia is definitely out after suffering a knee problem in training and undergoing an arthroscopy. Stephen Hunt has been ruled out for the season after undergoing further foot surgery this week while defender Anthony Gardner (ankle) has returned to training but will not be considered. Kamil Zayatte, Ian Ashbee and Amr Zaki (all knee) remain on the sidelines.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Birmingham L L D D L; Hull L L W L L
Top scorers (all competitions):Cameron Jerome (Birmingham) 10; Stephen Hunt (Hull) 6
Match odds:H 4-5 A 18-5 D 12-5
Referee:Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Blackburn (11) v Everton (8)
Blackburn could be without Chris Samba. The defender came off with a groin problem against Manchester United last week and is rated as doubtful. Vince Grella is also struggling after playing a full 90 minutes in that game but Martin Olsson, who left the field with a dead leg, and Brett Emerton, who suffered a hamstring problem, should be fit to play.
Everton midfielder John Heitinga is facing a late fitness test. Manager David Moyes will monitor Heitinga’s progress after the Dutchman suffered a foot injury in the draw against Aston Villa in midweek. Mikel Arteta looks certain to remain absent with a groin strain while Victor Anichebe has a hip injury.
Last season:Blackburn 0 Everton 0, Everton 2 Blackburn 3
Last five league matches:Blackburn D W W D D; Everton W W D D D
Top scorers (all competitions):David Dunn (Blackburn) 9; Louis Saha (Everton) 15
Match odds:H 17-10 A 17-10 D 21-10
Referee:Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
Fulham (12) v Wolverhampton (14)
John Pantsil will make his first appearance since December for Fulham after the defender recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury. David Elm is still struggling to recover from a virus while Clint Dempsey (thigh) and Andy Johnson (knee) remain sidelined.
Wolves will again be without skipper Karl Henry as the midfielder will have to serve the second game of a three-match ban. Dave Edwards could again deputise as Wolves look to build on a run of nine points from the last six games which has moved them six points clear of the bottom three. Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has no fresh injury worries following the goalless home draw with Stoke last weekend.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Fulham L L L W D; Wolverhampton D W D L D
Top scorers (all competitions):Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 19; Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton) 7
Match odds:H 1-1 A 14-5 D 23-10
Referee:Mike Dean (Wirral)
Man City (4) v Man Utd (2)
Wayne Bridge and Stephen Ireland are set to give manager Roberto Mancini a boost by returning for Manchester City. Bridge has been missing for a month after suffering a hernia problem, while Ireland has been absent for three matches with an ankle injury. Veteran full-back Sylvinho is less likely to be involved as he struggles for fitness after a calf strain, but Pablo Zabaleta returns from suspension.
Wayne Rooney is set to return after missing the draw at Blackburn with an ankle injury but has been training and is rated as more likely than Rio Ferdinand (groin) and Ryan Giggs (hamstring) to be involved. John O’Shea is also fit, whilst Owen Hargreaves is in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad for the first time since September 2008.
Last season:Man Utd 2 Man City 0, Man City 0 Man Utd 1
Last five league matches:Man City W L W W W; Man Utd W W W L D
Top scorers (all competitions):Carlos Tevez (Man City) 28; Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 34
Match odds:H 17-10 A 6-4 D 12-5
Referee:Steve Bennett (Kent)
Stoke (10) v Bolton (15)
Stoke have a number of injury problems. Winger Matthew Etherington will undergo a late fitness test having picked up a knock to his knee in training, as will top scorer Ricardo Fuller, who suffered an ankle injury against Hull and missed last week’s goalless draw at Wolves. Potters boss Tony Pulis is unlikely to risk either Ryan Shawcross (ankle) or Mamady Sidibe (groin), but James Beattie could feature after two months out with a knee injury.
Ricardo Gardner could return to action following a leg problem but has been back in training. Fellow midfielder Mark Davies could also return following a knock. Stuart Holden has targeted Bolton’s final two games of the season for his comeback as he continues his recovery from a fractured fibula, while Chris Basham, Gavin McCann, Sean Davis and Joey O’Brien remain sidelined.
Last season:Stoke 2 Bolton 0, Bolton 3 Stoke 1
Last five league matches:Stoke D L W W D; Bolton W L L L L
Top scorers:Ricardo Fuller (Stoke) 8; Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 10
Match odds:H 19-20 A 3-1 D 23-10
Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Sunderland (13) v Burnley (18)
Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole is a major doubt with a calf problem, and manager Steve Bruce will not risk him until he is fully fit. But skipper Lorik Cana (groin) and defender John Mensah (hamstring) have resumed training and are in contention, while Fraizer Campbell is hoping to shake off an illness to retain his place in the side. Andy Reid and George McCartney (both hamstring) remain on the casualty list.
Brian Laws could name an unchanged team after Burnley chalked up their first away win in 17 league games at Hull last weekend to ease their relegation fears. Stephen Jordan is doubtful with a knee injury while Chris McCann remains sidelined with a similar problem.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Sunderland W D L W L; Burnley L L L L W
Top scorers (all competitions):Darren Bent (Sunderland) 23; Steven Fletcher (Burnley) 12
Match odds:H 4-7 A 5-1 D 14-5
Referee:Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
Tottenham (5) v Chelsea (1)
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has ruled out Aaron Lennon’s chances of facing Chelsea. Lennon has been training following a groin problem but Redknapp insists there is “not a chance” of the winger playing, while Niko Kranjcar (ankle) is out for the season, Vedran Corluka (ankle) looks set to miss out and Wilson Palacios is suspended. Ledley King has a very slim chance of playing after featuring against Arsenal in midweek but Redknapp will check his skipper on the day. Jermaine Jenas (ill) is out.
England left-back Ashley Cole has recovered from his broken ankle and is back in the first-team squad for the first time since February. Cole will start on the substitute’s bench while coach Carlo Ancelotti will recall Deco, Joe Cole and Florent Malouda after all three were left out of the starting line-up for the 1-0 win over Bolton on Tuesday night. Michael Essien (knee), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and Jose Bosingwa (knee) are all sidelined.
Last season:Tottenham 1 Chelsea 0, Chelsea 1 Tottenham 1
Last five league matches:Tottenham W W W L W; Chelsea D W W W W
Top scorers (all competitions):Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 23; Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 32
Match odds:H 16-5 A 17-20 D 5-2
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Sunday, April 18th
Portsmouth (20) v Aston Villa (7)
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant is without on-loan midfielder Jamie O’Hara who has a back problem and Aaron Mokoena is struggling with a groin problem but hopes to feature. The likes of Hassan Yebda (knee), Kevin Prince Boateng (ankle), Nadir Belhadj (thigh), Papa Bouba Diop (knee) and Tommy Smith (broken nose) may miss out as they are still struggling for fitness. Aruna Dindane is still unable to play as Pompey have been unable to reach a deal with his parent club Lens over his selection.
Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock is winning his battle to be fit after picking up a leg injury in the 2-2 draw against Everton on Wednesday. Luke Young is on alert for a call-up. Midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, who has been sidelined since January by an ankle injury, has a chance of being in the squad after coming through two reserve team matches.
Last season:Portsmouth 0 Aston Villa 1, Aston Villa 0 Portsmouth 0
Last five league matches:Portsmouth W L L D D; Aston Villa D D L W D
Top scorers (all competitions):Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 11; John Carew & Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 15
Match odds:H 9-2 A 8-13 D 11-4
Referee:Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Wigan (16) v Arsenal (3)
Hendry Thomas is Wigan manager Roberto Martinez’s only doubt. Thomas has missed the last two matches with a quad injury and is again rated as 50-50, although Martinez does not have high hopes he will figure. Defender Gary Caldwell completes a three-match suspension, leaving Martinez with an otherwise full squad to choose from.
Central defender Thomas Vermaelen is out for the season with a calf strain and Alex Song remains sidelined with a knee injury. Andrey Arshavin is recovering from his calf injury and has a chance of being fit to face Manchester City next week. Robin van Persie could start if he recovers from tight muscles following his return from five months out against Tottenham.
Last season:Wigan 1 Arsenal 4, Arsenal 1 Wigan 0
Last five league matches:Wigan L W L L D; Arsenal W W D W L
Top scorers (all competitions):Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 9; Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 19
Match odds:H 5-1 A 8-15 D 3-1
Referee:Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Monday, April 19th
Liverpool (6) v West Ham (17)
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is a doubt as the Spain international missed last weekend’s goalless draw against Fulham after flying to Barcelona to have a knee injury assessed by a specialist. Benitez will not consider playing Torres until he has had another examination, which puts his participation against West Ham in doubt. Defenders Emiliano Insua and Fabio Aurelio are both still out so Daniel Agger is set to continue at left-back.
West Ham will against be without suspended midfielder Scott Parker for after he picked u\[p a two-game ban for 10 yellow cards this season. Valon Behrami, Guillermo Franco and Alessandro Diamanti are also set to be available as the Hammers aim to take another step towards top-flight safety following their 1-0 win over Sunderland last time out.
Last season:West Ham 0 Liverpool 3, Liverpool 0 West Ham 0
Last five league matches:Liverpool W L W D D; West Ham L L L D W
Top scorers (all competitions):Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 22; Carlton Cole (West Ham) 9
Match odds:H 4-11 A 8-1 D 7-2
Referee:Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)