Birmingham (9) v Arsenal (3):Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has no new injury worries and will be able to select again from the players beaten 2-1 by Blackburn on Wednesday. Striker Garry O'Connor (groin) and midfielder Lee Carsley (ankle) remain long-term casualties while defender David Murphy continues to recover from a hamstring setback.
Arsenal will be without defender Thomas Vermaelen, who serves a one-match ban. Veteran Mikael Silvestre is expected to fill in alongside Sol Campbell, while striker Nicklas Bendtner (ankle) should be fit. Centre-back William Gallas (calf) has returned to training, and forward Robin van Persie is stepping up his recovery from several months out with ankle ligament damage. Aaron Ramsey (broken leg), Kieran Gibbs (foot) and Johan Djourou (knee) remain sidelined.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Birmingham W W D L L; Arsenal W W W W W
Top scorers(all competitions): Cameron Jerome (Birmingham) 9; Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 18
Match odds: H 11-2 A 8-15 D 14-5
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).
Bolton (14) v Manchester United (1)
Bolton defender Gary Cahill is poised to return from a two-month lay-off after recovering from the blood clot which forced him to undergo surgery to remove a section of a rib. Gretar Steinsson is suspended following his dismissal in the defeat at Everton last Saturday, while Stuart Holden, Chris Basham, Gavin McCann, Sean Davis and Joey O’Brien remain sidelined through injury.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is fit after a knee injury scare and boss Alex Ferguson may start with Ryan Giggs in midfield after five weeks out with a broken arm. Defender John O’Shea is back in training and should be available from the beginning of April.
Last season: Bolton 0 Man Utd 1, Man Utd 2 Bolton 0
Last five league matches: Bolton W W L W L; Man Utd L W W W W
Top scorers(all competitions): Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 10; Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 33
Match odds: H 7-1 A 2-5 D 7-2
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Chelsea (2) v Aston Villa (7)
Chelsea will welcome back midfielder Michael Ballack from his Achilles injury. Goalkeeper Hilario is also fit again after a groin strain, but Michael Essien (knee), Ashley Cole (ankle), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and Jose Bosingwa (knee) are all sidelined along with Branislav Ivanovic (knee). Youngsters Jeffrey Bruma and Patrick van Aanholt join the squad.
Aston Villa have doubts over central defender Richard Dunne, midfielder James Milner and strikers Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Dunne, Milner and Heskey have Achilles problems while Agbonlahor has missed the last two games with a foot injury. Manager Martin O’Neill has hinted he could make changes following Wednesday’s draw against Sunderland.
Last season: Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 1, Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0
Last five league matches: Chelsea W L W D W; Aston Villa W D W D D
Top scorers(all competitions): Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 30; John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 14
Match odds: H 4-11 A 15-2 D 18-5
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
Hull (19) v Fulham (10)
Hull duo Andy Dawson (hamstring) and Stephen Hunt (foot) are unlikely to be fit. Midfielder George Boateng returns from suspension while Jozy Altidore has recovered from a hamstring injury but youngster Liam Cooper (ankle) and Amr Zaki (knee) are set to miss out. Kamil Zayatte, Ian Ashbee and Anthony Gardner are long-term injury victims.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson will need to check on Bobby Zamora’s fitness. Zamora was taken off during the FA Cup defeat at Tottenham in midweek after suffering severe stomach cramps during the half-time interval. Andrew Johnson and John Pantsil remain in the treatment room, while David Elm has been ill.
Last season: Fulham 0 Hull 1, Hull 2 Fulham 1
Last five league matches: Hull L L L L L; Fulham W W D L L
Top scorers(all competitions): Stephen Hunt (Hull) 6; Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 17
Match odds: H 6-4 A 15-8 D 11-5
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Tottenham (4) v Portsmouth (20)
Tottenham right-back Vedran Corluka has an ankle injury and is likely to miss out. Kyle Walker also has an ankle complaint but may be fit to deputise, while Sebastien Bassong (ankle) will be checked before the game and Roman Pavlyuchenko (hamstring) may only be ready for the bench. Wilson Palacios has an adductor problem and will also need assessment. Ledley King (thigh), Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Jermaine Jenas (groin), Jermain Defoe (hamstring) and Aaron Lennon (groin) are out.
An injury crisis has left Portsmouth short of players. Ricardo Rocha (cheek) and Tommy Smith (nose) are out after sustaining injuries in the 5-0 defeat to Chelsea while Jamie O’Hara is unavailable due to the terms of his loan agreement from Spurs. Tal Ben Haim (groin), Nadir Belhadj (hamstring), John Utaka (groin), Papa Bouba Diop, Kevin Prince Boateng and Hassan Yebda (all knee) are all sidelined, while Aruna Dindane is left out.
Last season: Tottenham 1 Portsmouth 1, Portsmouth 2 Tottenham 0
Last five league matches: Tottenham L W W W W; Portsmouth W L L W L
Top scorers(all competitions): Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 23; Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 10
Match odds: H 1-5 A 14-1 D 5-1
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).
West Ham (17) v Stoke (12)
West Ham will be without striker Guillermo Franco (Achilles) and defender James Tomkins (ankle). Defender Manuel da Costa returns from a three-match suspension, while Danny Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer are both fit again after missing the midweek home defeat by Wolves, but Herita Ilunga and Jack Collison (both knee) remain absent.
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross faces a late fitness test on a niggling ankle problem. Midfielder Dean Whitehead will definitely be absent as he serves a one-match ban, while James Beattie and Salif Diao remain out of action due to knee and calf problems respectively.
Last season: Stoke 0 West Ham 1, West Ham 2 Stoke 1
Last five league matches: West Ham L L L L L; Stoke W L D D L
Top scorers(all competitions): Carlton Cole (West Ham) 9; Dave Kitson and Tuncay Sanli (Stoke) 7
Match odds: H 11-10 A 13-5 D 11-5
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
Wolves (15) v Everton (8)
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has no new injury worries following Tuesday’s impressive 3-1 win at West Ham. Full-back Stephen Ward and midfielder Adlene Guedioura were rested for the Upton Park clash, with McCarthy bringing George Elokobi and Michael Mancienne into the side, and the manager will decide whether to make further changes.
Everton will give goalkeeper Tim Howard a late fitness test on his thigh problem but manager David Moyes is hopeful the American will be able to play. Striker Victor Anichebe returns to the squad after a rib injury, while midfielders Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell have slight hamstring problems but have not been ruled out.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Wolverhampton L L W D W; Everton L W D W W
Top scorers(all competitions): Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton) 7; Louis Saha (Everton) 15
Match odds: H 14-5 A 1-1 D 23-10
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire).
Sunday, March 28th
Burnley (18) v Blackburn (11)
Burnley have no fresh injuries and defenders Clarke Carlisle and Danny Fox return after missing last week’s defeat at Wigan through injury. Steven Caldwell (groin) and Chris McCann (knee) are both still unavailable as the relegation-threatened Clarets seek only their second win under manager Brian Laws.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce can recall captain Ryan Nelsen, Gael Givet, Lars Jacobsen and Vince Grella after all four recovered from injury. Goalkeeper Paul Robinson remains absent with a calf injury, while January signing Yildiray Basturk - who has yet to figure since his arrival - is out with a hamstring problem.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Burnley L L D L L; Blackburn W L L D W
Top scorers(all competitions): Steven Fletcher (Burnley) 11; David Dunn (Blackburn) 8
Match odds: H 13-8 A 13-8 D 23-10
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).
Liverpool (6) v Sunderland (13)
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has no new injury worries and may opt for a more attacking line-up at home that he did for last Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United. That could bring the likes of Ryan Babel, Alberto Aquilani and Yossi Benayoun into contention for starting places. Martin Skrtel (foot) and Fabio Aurelio (thigh) are still short of fitness while out-of-favour Albert Riera is unlikely to be included.
Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones has a chance of returning to action at Liverpool after missing the last two games with a hip flexor injury. He is back in training and may well be involved, however defender John Mensah (hamstring) is struggling after limping off at Aston Villa in midweek, while midfielder Andy Reid remains on the sidelines with a similar problem.
Last season: Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0, Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1
Last five league matches: Liverpool D W L W L; Sunderland D W D W D
Top scorers(all competitions): Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 18; Darren Bent (Sunderland) 21
Match odds: H 2-7 A 10-1 D 4-1
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Monday, March 29th
Manchester City (5) v Wigan (16)
Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland should be fit after the ankle injury he sustained in Wednesday’s loss to Everton turned out to be no worse than bruising. Striker Emmanuel Adebayor is available after serving a four-game suspension, while Joleon Lescott (hamstring), Wayne Bridge (groin) and Martin Petrov (knee) remain on the sidelines along with long-term casualty Michael Johnson (knee).
Wigan could again be without playmaker Charles N’Zogbia who missed last week’s injury-time win over Burnley with a hip injury. Defender Emmerson Boyce is making progress after being sidelined with back and groin problems and could be back in contention. Martinez has no fresh injury worries.
Last season: Man City 1 Wigan 0, Wigan 2 Man City 1
Last five league matches: Man City D W D W L; Wigan L W L L W
Top scorers(all competitions): Carlos Tevez (Man City) 22; Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 9
Match odds: H 1-3 A 17-2 D 19-5
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).