Saturday
Arsenal (2) v Middlesbrough (17)
Skipper Tony Adams, full-back Lee Dixon and winger Robert Pires could all return for the Gunners after missing the 4-0 win at Manchester City, and French stars Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira - who appeared only as late substitutes at Maine Road - could also start. Dennis Bergkamp (Achilles) and Gilles Grimandi (flu) are not ready yet, so Edu could retain his place.
Middlesbrough skipper Paul Ince and central defender Ugo Ehiogu return after suspension, but Curtis Fleming, Gianluca Festa and Colin Cooper are ruled out through injury.
Last season: Middlesbrough 2 Arsenal 1; Arsenal 5 Middlesbrough 1.
Last five league matches: Arsenal L W D W W; Middlesbrough L D W L D.
Top Scorers: Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 22; Alen Boksic (Middlesbrough) 12.
Match Odds: H 1-3 A 7-1 D 3-1.
Referee: S Dunn.
Aston Villa (8) v Everton (14)
Alan Wright was one of four players rested from the starting line-up for last weekend's 2-2 draw with West Ham, but he impressed when he was sent on as a substitute to take over from Steve Staunton. Striker Dion Dublin, central defender Alpay and midfielder George Boateng are also bidding to regain their starting places, while Gareth Barry (knee) has declared himself fit.
Everton will be missing Francis Jeffers - out now for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury - and strike partner Duncan Ferguson, so Kevin Campbell will be a lone striker yet again. Danny Cadamarteri and Joe-Max Moore are back in contention after midweek reserve run-outs, but Everton will be without Richard Gough (calf) and Abel Xavier (knee).
Last season: Everton 0 Aston Villa 0; Aston Villa 3 Everton 0. Last five league matches: Aston Villa W D W W D; Everton L D L W W.
Top Scorers: Julian Joachim (Aston Villa) 8; Kevin Campbell (Everton) 8; Francis Jeffers (Everton) 8.
Match Odds: H 8-11 A 3-1 D 12-5.
Referee: P Taylor.
Chelsea (7) v Southampton (11)
Chelsea full-back Albert Ferrer faces a fitness test due to a calf problem that has kept him out of the past two matches. Centre-back Frank Leboeuf is still ruled out with a groin injury but is scheduled to resume full training soon, while Jody Morris, Roberto di Matteo and Winston Bogarde are long-term absentees.
Strikers James Beattie and Marian Pahars will have late fitness. Beattie was forced to miss training on Thursday because of illness while Pahars is struggling to recover from a back injury.
Last season: Chelsea 1 Southampton 1; Southampton 1 Chelsea 2.
Last five league matches: Chelsea D W L W W; Southampton W W W L L.
Top Scorers: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23; James Beattie (Southampton) 12.
Match Odds: H 2-5 A 6-1 D 11-4.
Referee: C Wilkes.
Ipswich Town (3) v Newcastle United (13)
Richard Naylor, sidelined since mid-February with a knee injury, is recalled to the Ipswich squad, although Gary Croft (groin) and John Scales (calf) are the only senior squad players ruled out of George Burley's squad.
Newcastle defender Andy Griffin is out with a groin injury and joins skipper Alan Shearer (knee) and midfielder Kieron Dyer (shin) on the casualty list. The game comes too early for Nikos Dabizas, who played his first game since August for the reserves in midweek after knee surgery.
Last season: No corresponding fixture.
Last five league matches: Ipswich W L W W D; Newcastle L L D L D. Top Scorers: Marcus Stewart (Ipswich) 20; Alan Shearer (Newcastle) 7. Match Odds: H 4-6 A 10-3 D 12-5.
Referee: M Dean.
Leicester City (10) v Manchester City (19)
Wales midfielder Robbie Savage could return just 17 days after knee surgery. Goalkeeper Tim Flowers, who has been suffering from a hip problem, came through a reserves match without any reaction but Simon Royce looks likely to retain the number one spot.
Jeff Whitley will have a late fitness test for Manchester City. Tony Grant has recovered from his calf strain and is added to the squad, while Spencer Prior is also recalled to the party. Danny Tiatto and Paul Dickov are suspended for the Filbert Street match, while manager Joe Royle must decide whether to keep faith with goalkeeper Carlo Nash - beaten four times on his debut in midweek - or bring back Nicky Weaver.
Last season: No corresponding fixture.
Last five league matches: Leicester W L L L L; Man City L D L L L.
Top Scorers: Muzzy Izzet (Leicester) 11; Paulo Wanchope (Man City) 14. Match Odds: H 4-5 A 11-4 D 23-10.
Referee: B Knight.
Manchester United (1) v Coventry City (18)
JAAP Stam has recovered from his groin injury, so Gary Neville will move back across to full-back to accommodate the Dutch international in this live game on Sky at 12 o'clock. David Beckham is expected to start on the bench again, while Denis Irwin is missing with a knee injury. Sir Alex Ferguson has yet to decide on his strike-force and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could start after coming off the bench to score the winner against Charlton on Tuesday.
Coventry are expected to make just one change as striker Mustapha Hadji starts a three-match suspension. City boss Gordon Strachan will draft in Moroccan midfielder Youssef Chippo and John Hartson will be given the responsibility of leading Coventry's attack. Craig Bellamy will operate on the left, while Paul Telfer and Lee Carsley will continue in the engine room.
Last season: Man Utd 3 Coventry 2; Coventry 1 Man Utd 2. Last five league matches: Man Utd W D W L W; Coventry D D L W W.
Top Scorers: Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd) 20; John Hartson (Coventry) 16. Match Odds: H 2-7 A 7-1 D 7-2.
Referee: M Riley.
Sunderland (6) v Tottenham Hotspur (12)
Midfielder Gavin McCann misses out for Sunderland with a knee injury but striker Niall Quinn is set to resume his strike partnership with Kevin Phillips after recovering from a persistent back problem. Manager Peter Reid is considering further changes - Don Hutchison is expected to return to a midfield role while Darren Williams, Stanislav Varga, John Oster and Paul Thirlwell all come into contention.
Steffen Iversen is ruled out after suffering concussion in Tuesday night's victory over Bradford. That means manager Glenn Hoddle is short of strikers, as Les Ferdinand is ruled out with a hamstring strain and Chris Armstrong is a long-term injury victim. Gary Doherty could be moved up front, with Alton Thelwell or Anthony Gardner replacing him in defence.
Last season: Tottenham 3 Sunderland 1; Sunderland 2 Tottenham 1. Last five league matches: Sunderland L D W L D; Tottenham L L W L W.
Top Scorers: Kevin Phillips (Sunderland) 15; Sergei Rebrov (Tottenham) 12.
Match Odds: H 8-11 A 10-3 D 11-5.
Referee: D Elleray.
West Ham United (15) v Derby County (16)
Hammers manager Harry Redknapp will have to shuffle his defence as Stuart Pearce begins a three-match suspension and Hayden Foxe is on international duty. Ian Pearce could figure if he gets the all-clear on a knee injury.
Goalkeeper Mart Poom will play despite suffering a recurrence of a shoulder injury in the defeat by Chelsea. Italian playmaker Stefano Eranio returns to the side after an Achilles problem.
Last season: Derby 1 West Ham 2; West Ham 1 Derby 1. Last five league matches: West Ham L L L L D; Derby W W D L L. Top Scorers: Frederic Kanoute (West Ham) 12; Malcolm Christie (Derby) 10.
Match Odds: H 5-6 A 13-5 D 23-10.
Referee: R Styles.
Match odds courtesy of William Hill
