All the latest team news ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Birmingham (15) v West Ham (20)
Birmingham will give a late fitness test to central defender Roger Johnson who suffered an ankle injury in the goalless draw at Aston Villa and has been unable to train all week. Martin Jiranek is the obvious candidate to replace him providing he shakes off a thigh strain. If Jiranek is also unfit, Liam Ridgewell could switch from left back with Stuart Parnaby replacing him on the flank.
West Ham defender Matthew Upson missed last weekend’s defeat at Arsenal with a hamstring problem and could be fit to play against his old club, but manager Avram Grant will be without Julien Faubert who starts a three-game suspension. Also unavailable to Grant are midfield trio Jack Collison (knee), Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and Mark Noble (appendix), while Tal Ben Haim (foot) and Zavon Hines (knee) are also out and Junior Stanislas (groin) is doubtful.
Last season:West Ham 2 Birmingham 0, Birmingham 1 West Ham 0
Last five league matches:Birmingham D L L W D; West Ham W D D L L
Top scorers (all competitions):Craig Gardner (Birmingham) 4; Scott Parker (West Ham) 4
Match odds:H 21-20 A 13-5 D 23-10
Referee:Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Blackburn (18) v Wigan (17)
El Hadji Diouf and Martin Olsson are doubts after both picked up knocks in training and will have fitness tests before the game. Gael Givet and Benjani Mwaruwari, who suffered minor injuries in the defeat to Chelsea, are in contention however.
Wigan are again without defender Emmerson Boyce (hamstring), who is expected to be sidelined for another 10 days. Fellow defender Steven Gohouri, now fully fit after a calf strain, is pushing for a recall, while midfielder Tom Cleverley will hope to continue after making his full debut in last week’s loss at Fulham. James McCarthy is beginning a three-month rehabilitation after undergoing ankle surgery.
Last season:Blackburn 2 Wigan 1, Wigan 1 Blackburn 1
Last five league matches:Blackburn W L D L L; Wigan D W D D L
Top scorers:Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn) 2; Jordi Gomez, Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 3
Match odds:H 5-6 A 10-3 D 5-2
Referee:Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Blackpool (9) v Everton (8)
Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart is doubtful after suffering a recurrence of a back injury in the win over West Brom on Monday. Manager Ian Holloway has already addressed the problem by withdrawing Dekel Keinan and Rob Edwards from a reserve game in midweek.
Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell has made a quicker than expected recovery from an ankle injury but is unlikely to return to action at Bloomfield Road. He could again be given a place on the bench but manager David Moyes has all but ruled out a start. Leon Osman faces a further six weeks out after undergoing ankle surgery while Marouane Fellaini (hamstring) and Ross Barkley (broken leg) are still out. Striker Victor Anichebe (knee) is stepping up his comeback and returned to full training today after playing 20 minutes in the reserves in midweek.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Blackpool L W L L W; Everton D W W D W
Top scorers:Charlie Adam, Marlon Harewood, Luke Varney (Blackpool) 3; Tim Cahill (Everton) 4
Match odds:H 10-3 A 5-6 D 5-2
Referee:Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
Bolton (11) v Tottenham (5)
Bolton winger Martin Petrov (hamstring) returns to the squad after missing the home defeat to Liverpool. The Bulgarian may have to settle for a place on the bench with Matt Taylor set to retain his place in the team. Joey O'Brien, Ricardo Gardner, Jlloyd Samuel and Sean Davis are all still sidelined with long-term injuries.
Rafael van der Vaart is out with a hamstring injury aggravated in the Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday. Aaron Lennon is also doubtful with a hamstring injury, goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes returns from suspension while captain Ledley King and Vedran Corluka (both groin) are still out. Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson (both ligament damage), Jamie O’Hara (back) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin) are long-term absentees.
Last season:Tottenham 1 Bolton 0, Bolton 2 Tottenham 2
Last five league matches:Bolton D D W D L; Tottenham L W W D L
Top scorers:Johan Elmander (Bolton) 5; Roman Pavlyuchenko, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart (Tottenham) 6
Match odds:H 19-10 A 7-5 D 9-4
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Fulham (10) v Aston Villa (14)
Damien Duff and Dickson Etuhu return for Fulham, while Andy Johnson is set to continue making his comeback from the bench. Duff and Etuhu have recovered from their respective calf and ankle injuries.
Aston Villa’s striker crisis has deepened with John Carew ruled out for three to four weeks with a torn calf. Emile Heskey (knee) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (groin) are already ruled out and England Under-19 striker Nathan Delfouneso will lead the attack. Winger Marc Albrighton is available after serving a one-match ban and midfielder Steve Sidwell has recovered from a stomach bug. Full-back Habib Beye is also in contention after overcoming an ankle problem.
Last season:Fulham 0 Aston Villa 2, Aston Villa 2 Fulham 0
Last five league matches:Fulham D D L L W; Aston Villa W L D L D
Top scorers: Clint Dempsey (Fulham) 5; Emile Heskey & Stewart Downing (Aston Villa) 4
Match odds:H 11-8 A 2-1 D 11-5
Referee:Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Man Utd (3) v Wolves (19)
Alex Ferguson will make a late decision about whether to bring Ryan Giggs back. Giggs has featured just once in United's last eight games due to a hamstring problem and Ferguson may decide the bench is the best place for the veteran Welshman, with Wednesday's Manchester derby in mind. Darren Fletcher (ankle) could feature but Nani (groin) and Darron Gibson (virus) are definitely out, along with longer-term casualties Wayne Rooney (ankle) and Michael Owen (hamstring).
Wolves have no new injury problems, with Jody Craddock and Ronald Zubar out with thigh and ankle injuries respectively. Adlene Guedioura’s broken leg makes him a long-term absentee, while Michael Kightly is recovering from an operation on his knee.
Last season:Wolverhampton 0 Man Utd 1, Man Utd 3 Wolverhampton 0
Last five league matches:Man Utd D D D W W; Wolverhampton L L D L W
Top scorers:Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) 7; Nenad Milijas & Steven Fletcher (Wolverhampton) 3
Match odds:H 1-5 A 14-1 D 5-1
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Sunderland (12) v Stoke (16)
Sunderland defender Titus Bramble is suspended following his dismissal in the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle, with his place likely to be taken by Ghana international John Mensah. Kieran Richardson, Bolo Zenden and record signing Asamoah Gyan are also in the running for places in the starting XI, with Gyan definitely starting.
Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen is contesting a place in the side with Asmir Begovic after returning to fitness following an elbow problem. Ricardo Fuller is set to return to the bench after the striker missed the last three games with a dislocated shoulder, but midfielder Rory Delap (calf) is more of a doubt.
Last season:Sunderland 0 Stoke 0, Stoke 1 Sunderland 0
Last five league matches:Sunderland D D D W L; Stoke W W L L L
Top scorers:Darren Bent (Sunderland) 6; Kenwyne Jones (Stoke) 3
Match odds:H 23-20 A 5-2 D 11-5
Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Sunday
Arsenal (2) v Newcastle (7)
Arsenal will have captain Cesc Fabregas (hamstring), Denilson (groin), Alex Song (calf) and Andrey Arshavin (virus) all back. Jack Wilshere has now completed a three-match domestic ban, while Theo Walcott is pressing for a start having scored in the Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia (elbow), centre-half Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles), midfielder Abou Diaby (ankle) and left back Kieran Gibbs (knee) remain out, while long-term absentees Aaron Ramsey and Robin van Persie are close to a return.
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton will make a late decision on whether or not to include Sol Campbell in the squad. The 36-year-old has trained all week after recovering from a thigh injury. Steven Taylor is likely to be included after making the bench for the win over Sunderland following his return from a shoulder problem, while Leon Best (ankle) will resume training on Monday. Steve Harper (shoulder), Hatem Ben Arfa (double leg fracture) and Dan Gosling (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Arsenal L L W W W; Newcastle L L D W W
Top scorers:Theo Walcott & Samir Nasri (Arsenal) 4; Kevin Nolan (Newcastle) 7
Match odds:H 2-7 A 10-1 D 4-1
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Liverpool (13) v Chelsea (1)
Fernando Torres will return after being rested for the Europa League win over Napoli, with David Ngog making way. Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez will also return while there is an outside chance Dirk Kuyt could return after missing the last five games with an ankle injury. Defender Glen Johnson is set for his first league appearance for a month after making his comeback from a thigh problem in midweek. Ryan Babel could return to the squad after a rib injury but Joe Cole (hamstring) will not face his former club.
Frank Lampard will start training with the squad next week and Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti also has doubts over Florent Malouda and Michael Essien (toe). The Italian coach named nine of the starters for the game at Anfield, with decisions to be made over Malouda or Salomon Kalou in attack and Ramires or Essien in midfield.
Last season:Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2, Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
Last five league matches:Liverpool D L L W W; Chelsea L W D W W
Top scorers:Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 3; Florent Malouda (Chelsea) 7
Match odds:H 11-4 A 1-1 D 23-10
Referee:Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
West Brom (6) v Man City (4)
Top scorer Peter Odemwingie could return to the side following a knee injury. Midfielder James Morrison is still a doubt due to a knee injury, while Jonas Olsson's Achilles complaint could put him out until Christmas. Gonzalo Jara will be suspended after being dismissed against Blackpool on Monday, but defender Pablo Ibanez is available after his red card from the same match was rescinded.
Carlos Tevez (thigh) is back in Manchester and in contention to make his return. Yaya and Kolo Toure did not travel to Poland for Thursday’s Europa League tie against Lech Poznan as a precaution but should be fit, while Aleksandar Kolarov could be in line for just a second Premier League appearance after recovering from a lengthy lay-off caused by an injured ankle.
Last season:No corresponding fixture.
Last five league matches:West Brom W D D W L; Man City W W W L L
Top scorers:Peter Odemwingie & Simon Cox (West Brom) 3; Carlos Tevez (Man City) 7
Match odds:H 5-2 A 11-10 D 9-4
Referee:Lee Probert (Wiltshire).