Weekend Premier League Team News

Bolton (16) v Fulham (10): Bolton manager Owen Coyle could recall striker Johan Elmander for the clash with Fulham as Ivan Klasnic…

Bolton (16) v Fulham (10):Bolton manager Owen Coyle could recall striker Johan Elmander for the clash with Fulham as Ivan Klasnic remains sidelined with an ankle injury. Coyle looks set to include young on-loan midfielders Vladimir Weiss and Jack Wilshere in his squad while Stuart Holden remains doubtful with a thigh problem.

Fulham’s Simon Davies (ankle) could return after missing Wednesday’s win over Portsmouth, but long-term absentees Andy Johnson (knee), Paul Konchesky (foot), Clint Dempsey and John Pantsil (both knee ligaments) are all out. Manager Roy Hodgson is hoping Zoltan Gera overcomes a knee injury while Erik Nevland has fully recovered from a toe injury and could replace Stefano Okaka alongside Bobby Zamora up front.

Last season:Bolton 1 Fulham 3, Fulham 2 Bolton 1

Last five league matches: Bolton D L L W L; Fulham L L L L W

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Top scorers (all matches):Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 10; Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 11

Match odds:H 5-4 A 9-4 D 9-4

Referee:Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Burnley (19) v West Ham (15)

New signing Danny Fox faces a late fitness test on a groin strain ahead of a possible Burnley debut. Fellow new recruit Jack Cork will also be hoping to make his first appearance after joining on loan from Chelsea and David Nugent is available after agreeing to extend his loan from Portsmouth. Kevin McDonald and Christian Kalvenes should be fit despite suffering knocks in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola faces a selection headache ahead having gone from limited attacking options to a choice of six strikers. Zola signed forwards Benni McCarthy, Mido and Ilan prior to Monday’s transfer deadline and Mido and McCarthy are expected to feature tomorrow, but Danny Gabbidon, Guillermo Franco and Kieron Dyer (all hamstring) are ruled out.

Last season:No corresponding fixture

Last five league matches:Burnley D L L L L; West Ham W L D D D

Top scorers(all matches): Steven Fletcher (Burnley) 10; Carlton Cole (West Ham) 7

Match odds:H 8-5 A 7-4 D 11-5

Referee:Simon Bennett (Staffordshire).

Hull (18) v Man City (6)

Geovanni will be unavailable to face former team Manchester City tomorrow after suffering a minor medial ligament problem. The Brazilian has gone to Portugal for a short spell of treatment which should see him return to Britain early next week and be in contention for the midweek trip to Blackburn.

Nigeria midfielder Seyi Olofinjana is available after returning from the African Nations Cup while Jimmy Bullard remains around three weeks away from action after a knee problem.

Vincent Kompany (groin) and Micah Richards (calf) both look certain to miss out as Wayne Bridge makes his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury. Patrick Vieira is set to make his debut after arriving from Inter Milan last month with a calf injury, while fellow new arrival Adam Johnson should also be involved and Joleon Lescott (knee) is fit enough to take a place on the bench.

Last season:Man City 5 Hull 1, Hull 2 Man City 2

Last five league matches:Hull D D L D D; Man City W W W L W

Top scorers (all matches):Stephen Hunt (Hull) 6; Carlos Tevez (Man City) 18

Match odds:H 4-1 A 8-11 D 5-2

Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

Liverpool (5) v Everton (9)

Defender Fabio Aurelio is set to return to the Liverpool squad for the 213th Merseyside derby. Aurelio has missed the last three matches with a calf problem but is on the verge of a comeback.

Liverpool’s only other absentees are striker Fernando Torres (knee), Yossi Benayoun (rib) and Glen Johnson (hamstring), all of whom are still some way off full fitness.

Mikel Arteta is back in contention after overcoming the groin strain which interrupted his comeback from a serious knee injury. Nigeria pair Ayegbeni Yakubu and Joseph Yobo are back from the African Nations Cup while Jack Rodwell is also fit again. Phil Jagielka (knee) is back in training after 10 months out and Tony Hibbert (hernia) is also close to a return.

Last season: Liverpool 1 Everton 1, Everton 0 Liverpool 2

Last five league matches:Liverpool W D W D W; Everton W D W W W

Top scorers (all matches):Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 12; Landon Donovan (Everton) 14

Match odds: H 5-6 A 7-2 D 12-5

Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Man Utd (2) v Portsmouth (20)

Nemanja Vidic is back in contention as Manchester United look to reclaim top spot in the Premier League. Vidic has been missing since suffering pain from a nerve in his leg prior to the encounter with Wigan at the end of December but has trained this week and could be involved. Rio Ferdinand serves the second match of a four-game ban.

Nigeria striker Kanu is expected to be back in the Portsmouth squad having returned from the African Nations Cup. Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda and Aruna Dindane all played in the 1-0 defeat at Fulham after their international duty ended. On-loan defender Ricardo Rocha could make his debut having been on the bench at Craven Cottage.

Last season:Man Utd 2 Portsmouth 0, Portsmouth 0 Man Utd 1

Last five league matches:Man Utd W D W W W; Portsmouth L L D L L

Top scorers (all matches):Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 22; Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 6

Match odds:H 1-8 A 22-1 D 13-2

Referee:Lee Mason (Lancashire).

Stoke (12) v Blackburn (11)

Stoke captain Abdoulaye Faye faces a race against time to be fit for the visit of Blackburn. After overcoming a calf problem, Faye was troubled by back spasms in Monday night’s game at Sunderland and will undergo a late fitness test. New signing Asmir Begovic will be included in the squad after the goalkeeper completed his move from Portsmouth on transfer deadline day.

Sam Allardyce has confirmed Vince Grella will be part of the Blackburn squad following the midfielder’s recovery from a thigh problem. Grella has not played in the Rovers first team since sustaining the injury against Tottenham in December. Lars Jacobsen is also back in training after his thigh injury but is not yet ready to return, while David Dunn (calf) remains sidelined and new signing Yildiray Basturk is still working on his match fitness.

Last season:Stoke 1 Blackburn 0, Blackburn 3 Stoke 0

Last five league matches:Stoke L L W D D; Blackburn D L W W D

Top scorers (all matches):Dave Kitson (Stoke) 6; Nikola Kalinic & David Dunn (Blackburn) 6

Match odds:H 5-4 A 23-10 D 11-5

Referee:Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Sunderland (13) v Wigan (14)

Sunderland new boy Alan Hutton could be handed his debut with Phil Bardsley and John Mensah both struggling with hamstring injuries. Fellow new arrival Benjani Mwaruwari could also feature, while Michael Turner and Lee Cattermole have suffered no reaction to their respective returns to action. The game is likely to come too soon for Kieran Richardson (calf), while Anton Ferdinand (ankle) remains on the sidelines.

New signing Victor Moses will be in Wigan’s squad after completing his move from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day, but Marcelo Moreno, who joined on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk until the end of the season, is still awaiting international clearance and is unlikely to be included. Captain Mario Melchiot has not trained all week because of a neck problem and faces a late fitness test. Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland is still recovering from a collarbone injury so Vladimir Stojkovic will continue to deputise.

Last season:Sunderland 1 Wigan 2, Wigan 1 Sunderland 1

Last five league matches:Sunderland D D L L D; Wigan D L W L L

Top scorers (all matches):Darren Bent (Sunderland) 15; Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 7

Match odds:H 1-1 A 14-5 D 23-10

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).

Tottenham (4) v Aston Villa (7)

Eidur Gudjohnsen will be in Tottenham’s squad after his arrival just before the transfer deadline. Younes Kaboul, another January signing, is available after being ineligible for the FA Cup win over Leeds in midweek, with Kyle Walker in contention after returning from a loan spell at Sheffield United. Roman Pavlyuchenko, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Aaron Lennon, Jonathan Woodgate (all groin) are out, while Ledley King will need a late test on his knee.

Aston Villa are set to be boosted by the return of striker John Carew, who has missed the last four games with a knee injury. Stephen Warnock is continuing to struggle with the shin injury he picked up during the FA Cup victory against Brighton last month. Captain Stiliyan Petrov retains his place in the side despite still being troubled by an Achilles problem.

Last season:Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2, Tottenham 1 Aston Villa 2

Last five league matches:Tottenham W D L W D; Aston Villa L L D D W

Top scorers (all matches):Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 20; Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 12

Match odds:H 21-20 A 13-5 D 23-10

Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Sunday, February 7th

Birmingham (8) v Wolves (17)

Alex McLeish welcomes Kevin Phillips back into the fold after the veteran striker missed the last two games with a groin injury. McLeish has named the same starting line-up for the last 11 league games and that is again likely to be the case with Christian Benitez and Cameron Jerome leading the attack.

Wolves have Kevin Doyle, Matt Jarvis, Stephen Ward and Marcus Hahnemann available after the quartet missed the 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace on Tuesday. Striker Doyle (calf and Achilles), winger Jarvis (calf) and left-back Ward (leg) were all injured while goalkeeper Hahnemann was rested. Midfielder Adlene Guedioura is also available after being ineligible for the FA Cup tie.

Last season:No corresponding fixture

Last five league matches:Birmingham D W D L D; Wolverhampton L L L D D

Top scorers (all matches):Lee Bowyer (Birmingham) 6; Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton) 5

Match odds:H 4-5 A 19-5 D 23-10

Referee:Lee Probert (Wiltshire).

Chelsea (1) v Arsenal (3)

John Terry will lead the Blues despite being under the media spotlight for a week following revelations about an alleged relationship with former team-mate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend. Versatile defender Juliano Belletti remains out with a knee injury along with Michael Essien. Midfielder John Mikel Obi has returned from the African Nations Cup and former Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole has shaken off a recent ankle injury.

Arsenal will be without Croatia striker Eduardo (hamstring) but midfielder Abou Diaby could return from a calf problem. Veteran former captain Sol Campbell is back after a minor groin strain forced him out of the defeat by Manchester United, while fit-again Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner is pressing for a start.

Last season:Arsenal 1 Chelsea 4, Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2

Last five league matches:Chelsea W W W W D; Arsenal D W W D L

Top scorers (all matches):Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 20; Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 14

Match odds:H 4-5 A 19-5 D 23-10

Referee:Mike Dean (Wirral).