Aston Villa (14) v Man Utd (2)
Villa boss Graham Taylor is set to keep faith in striker Dion Dublin and midfielder Joey Gudjonsson despite their red cards against Birmingham. The Villa chief must also decide whether to give a first home outing to Alpay after he asked to be given a second chance. Mark Delaney, Steve Staunton, Ian Taylor and Juan Pablo Angel - recuperating after a knee operation in his native Colombia - are all ruled out.
Nicky Butt has recovered from an ankle injury and will line up in a United midfield which is still missing Roy Keane (hamstring) and Juan Sebastian Veron (knee). Mikael Silvestre returns at left-back and David Beckham, Fabien Barthez, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs are all set for starting berths after sitting out the 1-1 Champions League draw with Basle at Old Trafford.
Last season: Man Utd 1 Aston Villa 0, Aston Villa 1 Man Utd 1
Last five league matches: Aston Villa W W L L L, Man Utd W W D D W
Top scorers: Dion Dublin (Aston Villa) 13; Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) 29
Match odds: H 16-5 A 8-11 D 9-4
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Blackburn (8) v Arsenal (1)
David Dunn's hamstring problem rules him out but Damien Duff returns after six weeks out with the same injury. David Thompson also misses the match after a knee operation while Lucas Neill is suspended. Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Hakan Sukur will be vying for two places up front.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman's 1,000th senior appearance must be delayed after a hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines with skipper Patrick Vieira (knee) and centre-back Sol Campbell (Achilles). Stuart Taylor takes over from Seaman and Ray Parlour and Pascal Cygan replace Vieira and Campbell. Martin Keown is the likely stand-in captain but full-backs Oleg Luzhny (calf) and Ashley Cole (hernia) are still out.
Last season: Blackburn 2 Arsenal 3, Arsenal 3 Blackburn 3
Last five league matches: Blackburn L L W W W, Arsenal D W D W W
Top scorers: Dwight Yorke (Blackburn) 12; Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 26
Match odds: H 11-4 A 4-5 D 23-10
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
Charlton (7) v Newcastle (3)
Richard Rufus has recovered from a leg injury and is back in the Charlton squad. Striker Kevin Lisbie, who has been suffering from flu this week, is expected to be fit.
Kieron Dyer travelled with the Newcastle squad after a scan on his problem hamstring showed nothing sinister. French winger Laurent Robert misses the game after aggravating an ankle injury in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Inter Milan in the Champions League but Jonathan Woodgate, who is not eligible to play for Bobby Robson's side in the Champions League, returns.
Last season: Newcastle 3 Charlton 0, Charlton 1 Newcastle 1
Last five league matches: Charlton W W W W L, Newcastle W D W W L
Top scorers: Jason Euell (Charlton) 10; Alan Shearer (Newcastle) 23
Match odds: H 13-8 A 11-8 D 21-10
Referee: S Dunn (Avon).
Everton (4) v West Ham (18)
Everton manager David Moyes looks set to field an unchanged side. Striker Duncan Ferguson played a full game for the reserves in midweek after a back injury and could be on the bench - but midfielder Tobias Linderoth is again ruled out with a hamstring problem.
Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson have recovered from gastritis and Steve Lomas is fit again after a knee injury, while Don Hutchison will also travel if his knee problem suffers no reaction to today's training. Lee Bowyer and Freddie Kanoute are suspended, Paolo di Canio is still training in Italy, and Nigel Winterburn is rested as he recovers from a wrist operation.
Last season: West Ham 1 Everton 0, Everton 5 West Ham 0
Last five league matches: Everton W W L W D, West Ham W L L W W
Top scorers: Tomasz Radzinski (Everton) 11; Jermain Defoe (West Ham) 9
Match odds: H 4-6 A 7-2 D 23-10
Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).
Fulham (13) v Southampton (10)
Fulham's goalkeeper crisis means Martin Herrera will get his full debut, with Glyn Thompson on the bench after being recalled from a loan spell at Northampton. Midfielder Sean Davis starts a three-game suspension and winger Luis Boa Morte (ankle) is out although midfielder Lee Clark is available after a calf problem and striker Steve Marlet (knee) and centre-back Alain Goma (hamstring) are set to return.
David Prutton is expected to earn an immediate recall for Southampton after being cup-tied for the FA Cup win against Wolves, with midfielder Anders Svensson still struggling to overcome an ankle injury. Defender Paul Telfer is fit again after a hamstring strain but midfielder Rory Delap (knee) is out for a further three weeks and strikers Marian Pahars (ankle) and Agustin Delgado (back) are long-term absentees.
Last season: Southampton 1 Fulham 1, Fulham 2 Southampton 1
Last five league matches: Fulham L W W D W, Southampton W L L L W
Top scorers: Steed Malbranque (Fulham) 13; James Beattie (Southampton) 19
Match odds: H Evs A 11-5 D 11-5
Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).
Leeds (15) v Middlesbrough (11)
Seth Johnson is out for the rest of the season as the Leeds midfielder requires knee surgery. Venables is also without hamstring-injury trio Dominic Matteo, Michael Duberry and Gary Kelly. Harry Kewell is sidelined after failing to shake off a back injury but Jason Wilcox is fit following a bout of flu and Eirik Bakke and Nick Barmby are in contention for midfield places after their recent recovery from injuries.
Middlesbrough will be without full-back Franck Queudrue, who has not recovered from a knee injury - meaning veteran Colin Cooper and teenager David Murphy compete for the role. Brazilian midfield star Juninho (ankle) faces a late decision on his fitness though Michael Ricketts (virus) is more doubtful.
Last season: Leeds 1 Middlesbrough 0, Middlesbrough 2 Leeds 2
Last five league matches: Leeds L L W L L, Middlesbrough L D W D W
Top scorers: Harry Kewell (Leeds) 12; Geremi, Massimo Maccarone (Middlesbrough) 6
Match odds: H 5-4 A 13-8 D 23-10
Referee: D Elleray (Middlesex).
Sunderland (20) v Bolton (17)
Sunderland's former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy may be without international midfielders Kevin Kilbane (illness) and Jason McAteer (hamstring injury), while defender Jody Craddock picked up a thigh problem in training yesterday. England international Gavin McCann starts a two-match suspension after reaching 10 bookings for the season, while Emerson Thome and Claudio Reyna remain on the casualty list with knee problems.
Bolton striker Henrik Pedersen could make a surprise return after a shoulder injury - he was not expected to return until the Tottenham match on Monday week but has made a quick recovery. Defender Simon Charlton is expected to play even though he has not trained all week because of a knee problem.
Last season: Sunderland 1 Bolton 0, Bolton 0 Sunderland 2
Last five league matches: Sunderland L L L L L, Bolton L W D D L
Top scorers: Kevin Phillips (Sunderland) 9; Youri Djorkaeff (Bolton) 6
Match odds: H 5-4 A 7-4 D 11-5
Referee: J Winter (Cleveland).
Man City (12) v Birmingham (16)
Peter Schmeichel is set to return for City after a six-match lay-off with a calf injury. Eyal Berkovic (groin) is not likely to be involved, while Danny Tiatto has been ruled out by a series of niggling injuries. Steve Howey is hoping for a recall and Jon Macken may win a place on the substitutes' bench.
Birmingham's new goalkeeper Andy Marriott goes straight into their squad and is likely to be on the bench with Ian Bennett given the number one jersey in place of knee ligament injury victim Nico Vaesen. Blues boss Steve Bruce is unlikely to make many other changes from the side which won 2-0 at Aston Villa.
Last season: Man City 3 Birmingham 0, Birmingham 1 Man City 2
Last five league matches: Man City W L D L L, Birmingham L L L W W
Top scorers: Nicolas Anelka (Man City) 12; Stern John (Birmingham) 8
Match odds: H 5-6 A 13-5 D 23-10
Referee: M Messias (N Yorkshire).
Tottenham (9) v Liverpool (6)
Robbie Keane, already out for two games with a knee injury, has trained this week but is not match-fit and is now hoping to return against Bolton on March 24. Boss Glenn Hoddle rates midfielder Gustavo Poyet at "50-50" to make his comeback from an ankle problem and midfielder Darren Anderton and centre-back Dean Richards are suspended, while forward Jamie Slabber, 18, and 19-year-old midfielder Dean Marney are included in the Spurs squad.
Liverpool will check on Emile Heskey, who has been troubled by a hamstring problem and was a surprise starter in yesterday's UEFA Cup clash with Celtic. Djimi Traore will continue in central defence as injured Stephane Henchoz's replacement and it remains to be seen if El Hadji Diouf will feature following the spitting incident at Parkhead.
Last season: Tottenham 1 Liverpool 0, Liverpool 1 Tottenham 0
Last five league matches: Tottenham L D W D L, Liverpool D W D L W
Top scorers: Teddy Sheringham (Tottenham) 10; Michael Owen (Liverpool) 20
Match odds: H 7-5 A 8-5 D 21-10
Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).
West Brom (19) v Chelsea (5)
Baggies striker Jason Roberts will be back after a three-match suspension and defenders Igor Balis and Des Lyttle are included in the squad - but midfielder Andy Johnson has still not recovered from a broken toe.
Marcel Desailly, Graeme Le Saux and Mario Stanic are in line for Chelsea recalls. Desailly (hip) and Le Saux (groin) are back in full training, along with goalkeeper Ed De Goey who could reclaim his place on the bench. Stanic is available again after a one-match suspension.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: West Brom W D L L L, Chelsea W D W L L
Top scorers: Daniele Dichio (West Brom) 7; Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea) 13
Match odds: H 3-1 A 8-11 D 12-5
Referee: A D'Urso (Essex).