Soccer:Team news ahead of this weekend's English Premier League games.
Saturday, September 18th
Aston Villa (7) v Bolton (12)
Villa striker John Carew returns to the squad after shaking off a hamstring injury that sidelined him for Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Stoke. With the exception of Fabian Delph, who is on the long-term injured list with a knee problem, caretaker-manager Kevin MacDonald has a full squad to choose from for what will be his last game in charge before handing over the reins to Gerard Houllier following the Frenchman’s appointment a week ago.
Bolton could be without captain Kevin Davies who has not trained all week after clashing heads with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny in last weekend's 4-1 defeat at the Emirates. He could join suspended due Gary Cahill and Jussi Jaaskelainen on the sidelines. Andy O'Brien and Adam Bogdan will fill those gaps but Sean Davis, Joey O'Brien, Jlloyd Samuel and Ricardo Gardner are all set to miss out through injury while Tamir Cohen is unavailable because of the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
Last season:Bolton 0 Aston Villa 1, Aston Villa 5 Bolton 1
Last five league matches:Aston Villa L W L W L; Bolton W D W D L
Top scorers(all competitions): Stewart Downing (Aston Villa) 2; Johan Elmander (Bolton) 3
Match odds:H 4-5 A 7-2 D 5-2
Referee:Mike Dean (Wirral).
Blackburn (15) v Fulham (6)
Ryan Nelsen and Michel Salgado are doubts for Blackburn after both limped off against Manchester City last weekend. Nelsen suffered a kick to the instep and Salgado a thigh injury and both will have fitness tests just before the match. Keith Andrews (groin) remains sidelined.
Fulham winger Damien Duff should be available against one of his former teams after calf trouble. Bobby Zamora is out for five months (broken fibula/ankle ligament damage) while Andrew Johnson (knee) is three to four weeks away from a first team return. Rafik Halliche and Fredrik Stoor (both groin) are doubts while Philippe Senderos (Achilles) is a long-term absentee.
Last season:Blackburn 2 Fulham 0, Fulham 3 Blackburn 0
Last five league matches:Blackburn W W L L D; Fulham L D D D W
Top scorers(all competitions): Mame Diouf (Blackburn) 4; Moussa Dembele & Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 3
Match odds:H 21-20 A 5-2 D 12-5
Referee:Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Everton (19) v Newcastle (14)
Everton boss David Moyes will make a late decision on the fitness of key midfielder Tim Cahill who is battling a knee problem. The Toffees will welcome back captain Phil Neville after three weeks out with a foot injury but Jack Rodwell (ankle) and Louis Saha (calf) remain on the sidelines.
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton has no fresh injury concerns. Striker Andy Carroll continues to battle against his ankle injury, but is expected to be fit, while Sol Campbell is approaching full match fitness after a third appearance for the reserves last night. Hatem Ben Arfa made his debut as a substitute in last weekend's 2-0 home defeat by Blackpool and will hope for further action.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Everton W L D L D; Newcastle W L W D L
Top scorers(all competitions): Tim Cahill (Everton) 2; Andy Carroll (Newcastle) 4
Match odds:H 8-13 A 9-2 D 11-4
Referee:Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
Stoke (18) v West Ham (20)
Midfielder Marc Wilson had a promising debut in Monday’s win against Aston Villa and is likely to keep fellow transfer deadline day signing Jermaine Pennant out of the side. Striker Eidur Gudjohnsen will be on the substitutes’ bench again as he is eased back into English football after his move from Monaco.
Avram Grant will not be in the dug out for the Hammers as he observes the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and defender Tal Ben-Haim will also not be involved. Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and Danny Gabbidon (hamstring) could be back in contention after missing the defeat against Chelsea.
Last season:West Ham 0 Stoke 1, Stoke 2 West Ham 1
Last five league matches:Stoke L L L L W; West Ham D L L L L
Top scorers(all competitions): Abdoulaye Faye, Ricardo Fuller, Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones, Tuncay Sanli & Jonathan Walters (Stoke) 1; Scott Parker (West Ham) 2
Match odds:H 1-1 A 11-4 D 23-10
Referee:Lee Mason (Lancashire).
Sunderland (10) v Arsenal (2)
Sunderland are without skipper Lee Cattermole, who starts a two-match ban after picking up his second red card of the season at Wigan. Defender John Mensah (hamstring) is a doubt but Kieran Richardson and Ahmed Elmohamady are expected to be fit after returning from the DW Stadium with minor problems. Michael Turner (ankle), Craig Gordon (fractured arm) and Fraizer Campbell and David Meyler (both knee) remain on the sidelines.
Arsenal are without midfielder Abou Diaby (ankle) and centre-back Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles). England youngster Jack Wilshere is pressing to retain his starting place alongside captain Cesc Fabregas, while winger Tomas Rosicky and England full-back Kieran Gibbs could be involved having sat out the midweek 6-0 Champions League victory over Braga. Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie (both ankle), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Aaron Ramsey (leg) remain sidelined.
Last season:Arsenal 2 Sunderland 0, Sunderland 1 Arsenal 0
Last five league matches:Sunderland L D L W D; Arsenal W D W W W
Top scorers(all competitions): Darren Bent (Sunderland) 4; Theo Walcott (Arsenal) 4
Match odds:H 9-2 A 4-6 D 5-2
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Tottenham (11) v Wolves (9)
Rafael van der Vaart is doubtful for Spurs as he continues to struggle with the sore calf picked up during Tuesday night’s 2-2 Champions League draw at Werder Bremen. Luka Modric (leg) is not expected to be risked, Ledley King may be rested after playing in midweek and Heurelho Gomes (groin) is still out. Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson (both ligament damage), Jamie O’Hara (back) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin) are long-term absentees.
Wolves are without Christophe Berra who is suspended after being sent off for two bookable offences at Fulham. He is likely to be replaced by Richard Stearman. Steven Mouyokolo came through a reserve outing earlier in the week and is added to the squad, whilst Ronald Zubar is expected to be fit after missing the game at Craven Cottage with a hamstring problem.
Last season:Wolves 1 Tottenham 0, Tottenham 0 Wolves 1
Last five league matches:Tottenham L D W L D; Wolves W W D D L
Top scorers(all competitions): Peter Crouch (Tottenham) 4; Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolves) 2
Match odds:H 2-5 A 15-2 D 10-3
Referee:Michael Jones (Cheshire).
West Brom (16) v Birmingham (5)
West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo will have Graham Dorrans back. The midfielder missed last weekend’s draw with Tottenham and a week’s training following a family bereavement.James Morrison serves the second of a three-game suspension following his sending-off at Liverpool while Joe Mattock (foot), Ishmael Miller (thigh) and Marek Cech (foot) also miss out.
New signings Alexander Hleb and Jean Beausejour are fit to play, although the latter will start on the bench due to jet lag and a lack of training time. Hleb may still join him among the substitutes as manager Alex McLeish is yet to decide whether the Belarus international will start the game due to his fitness level. Kevin Phillips is back in full training but not yet fit enough to face his former club.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:West Brom D L W L D; Birmingham L D W D D
Top scorers(all competitions): Chris Brunt, Peter Odemwingie, Pablo Ibanez & Chris Wood (West Brom) 1; Craig Gardner (Birmingham) 3
Match odds:H 5-4 A 11-5 D 9-4
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Sunday, September 19th
Chelsea (1) v Blackpool (4)
Frank Lampard has not recovered from hernia surgery but Didier Drogba, who was suspended for the Champions League game against MSK Zilina in midweek, returns to the squad. Rested Ashley Cole is back in contention but right-back Jose Bosingwa remains out with a knee injury.
Gary Taylor-Fletcher is set to return for Blackpool after missing last weekend's victory at Newcastle with a calf problem. Alex Baptiste could also be back in action having been sidelined with a fractured hand.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Chelsea W W W W W; Blackpool D W L D W
Top scorers(all competitions): Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda & Salomon Kalou (Chelsea) 4; Charlie Adam, DJ Campbell, Marlon Harewood & Ludovic Sylvestre (Blackpool) 2
Match odds:H 1-10 A 20-1 D 8-1
Referee:Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
Man Utd (3) v Liverpool (13)
Alex Ferguson is preparing to recall all his big guns. Dimitar Berbatov has already been assured his place in the Red Devils starting line-up and will almost certainly be joined by Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes, who all missed Tuesday’s drab draw with Rangers. Antonio Valencia (ankle) is out until February, so more responsibility falls on the shoulders of Nani.
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard return to Liverpool's starting line-up. The pair were left out of the Europa League victory over Steaua Bucharest as Hodgson made eight changes and he likely to effect a similar number at Old Trafford. Joe Cole will play only his second league match of the season after serving a three-game ban.
Last season:Man Utd 2 Liverpool 1, Liverpool 2 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches:Man Utd W W D W D; Liverpool D D L W D
Top scorers(all competitions): Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) 4; David Ngog (Liverpool) 4
Match odds:H 4-6 A 9-2 D 5-2
Referee:Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).
Wigan (17) v Man City (8)
Victor Moses should be fit to return for Wigan. Moses, who scored on his last outing for the Latics against Hartlepool in the Carling Cup, has missed the two games that have followed with an ankle problem. Defender Gary Caldwell will remain sidelined for a few more weeks as he recovers from hip surgery.
City boss Roberto Mancini is sweating on the fitness of Emmanuel Adebayor who missed the Europa League win in Salzburg after picking up a dead leg. Roque Santa Cruz is available but Jerome Boateng is not thought to be in contention. James Milner and Adam Johnson could earn recalls.
Last season:Man City 3 Wigan 0, Wigan 1 Man City 1
Last five league matches:Wigan L L L W D; Man City D D W L D
Top scorers(all competitions): Antolin Alcaraz, Jordi Gomez, Victor Moses & Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 1; Carlos Tevez (Man City) 2
Match odds:H 19-5 A 8-11 D 13-5
Referee:Lee Probert (Wiltshire).