Saturday, October 27th
Arsenal (9) v QPR (20)
Full-back Bacary Sagna could return to the Arsenal squad after recovering from a broken leg. England midfielder Jack Wilshere may be in line for a substitute role and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hip) faces a fitness test, but defender Kieran Gibbs (thigh) and forward Theo Walcott (chest) remain sidelined, along with first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (ankle), midfielder Abou Diaby (thigh) and Czech winger Tomas Rosicky (hamstring).
QPR captain Park Ji-sung is rated doubtful. The former Manchester United midfielder suffered a knee injury in the 1-1 draw against Everton and has not trained fully all week. Ryan Nelsen and Armand Traore are both available but defender Fabio (hamstring) and striker Andrew Johnson (knee) remain sidelined.
Last season: QPR 2 Arsenal 1, Arsenal 1 QPR 0
Last five league matches: Arsenal W D L W L; QPR D L L L D
Top scorers (all competitions): Gervinho (Arsenal) 5; Bobby Zamora (QPR) 4
Match odds: H 1-3 A 8-1 D 7-2
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Aston Villa (17) v Norwich (15)
Aston Villa have problems in central defence, where Richard Dunne (groin) is definitely ruled out. Nathan Baker (ankle) and Ciaran Clark (knee) were being assessed today, with Matt Lowton on stand-by to switch into the centre and Eric Lichaj in contention to earn a recall as his replacement at right-back.
Norwich full-back Steven Whittaker, whose ankle injury has kept him out of senior action so far this season, is close to a first-team debut which could come in next week’s League Cup game against Tottenham. Harry Kane, on loan from Spurs, is on course to return before Christmas following foot surgery.
Last season: Norwich 2 Aston Villa 0, Aston Villa 3 Norwich 2
Last five league matches: Aston Villa W L D L L; Norwich D L L L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) 4; Grant Holt (Norwich) 3
Match odds: H 10-11 A 3-1 D 11-5
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Man City (3) v Swansea (10)
Champions Manchester City are again without playmaker David Silva, who continues to struggle with the hamstring injury which has kept him out for the past two games. Defenders Pablo Zabaleta (hamstring) and Maicon (foot), and midfielders Javi Garcia (thigh) and Jack Rodwell (hamstring) are also missing. James Milner misses out through suspension.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup could field midfielder Michu in attack again after the Spaniard claimed his sixth goal of the season when deployed as a striker in the win over Wigan. Danny Graham is an alternative. Pablo Hernandez and in-form Wayne Routledge look set to keep Nathan Dyer on the bench, while Kyle Bartley (thigh) and Neil Taylor (broken ankle) are the only long-term absentees.
Last season: Swansea 1 Man City 0, Man City 4 Swansea 0
Last five league matches: Man City D D W W W; Swansea L L L D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Edin Dzeko (Man City) 6; Michu (Swansea) 7
Match odds: H 2-9 A 9-1 D 5-1
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Reading (19) v Fulham (8)
Reading forward Noel Hunt could make his comeback from a heel injury. Royals boss Brian McDermott must decide whether to stick with Alex McCarthy or recall Adam Federici in goal. Midfielder Jem Karacan is absent with a knee injury.
Fulham winger Damien Duff is available after recovering from an illness. Midfielder Simon Davies is still sidelined with a hip problem and is boss Martin Jol’s only absentee.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Reading L L D D L; Fulham W W L D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading) 4; Damien Duff & Mladen Petric (Fulham) 3
Match odds: H 17-10 A 6-4 D 11-4
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire).
Stoke (13) v Sunderland (14)
Stoke could welcome back midfielder Glenn Whelan (hamstring). Boss Tony Pulis had no other injury problems to worry about, with former England striker
Michael Owen again a likely substitute.
Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole returns after a three-game suspension. Full-back Phil Bardsley (ankle) has a chance of playing for the first time this season after making the bench for Sunday’s derby draw with Newcastle but central defender Titus Bramble (hip flexor) remains a doubt and Wes Brown (knee) is still out.
Last season: Stoke 0 Sunderland 1, Sunderland 4 Stoke 0
Last five league matches: Stoke D L W D L; Sunderland D D W L D
Top scorers (all competitions): Peter Crouch (Stoke) 5; Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) 5
Match odds: H 1-1 A 13-5 D 23-10
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
Wigan (16) v West Ham (7)
Wigan could be without winger Ryo Miyaichi, who has a slight groin problem. The Latics will again be without winger Albert Crusat (knee) and defender Antolin Alcaraz (groin), with manager Roberto Martinez admitting the Paraguay centre-back is unlikely to be back much before Christmas.
West Ham will welcome back defender Joey O’Brien, who suffered a hamstring injury during the win at QPR at the start of the month. Matthew Taylor (calf) and Guy Demel (thigh) could return to first-team action shortly, but Sam Allardyce will have to wait longer for Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) and Jack Collison (knee).
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Wigan L L L D L; West Ham D D W L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Mauro Boselli, Franco Di Santo & Arouna Kone (Wigan) 3; Kevin Nolan (West Ham) 4
Match odds: H 5-4 A 21-10 D 11-5
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).
Sunday, October 28th
Chelsea (1) v Man Utd (2)
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been ruled out for at least a fortnight with a calf problem but the club have plenty of cover for the England man, including Eden Hazard. John Terry remains suspended but Marko Marin is back after a minor injury.
Manchester United won in Europe against Braga but lost Shinji Kagawa to a knee injury that means he is facing a four-week spell on the sidelines. Defender Chris Smalling has returned to training after a broken metatarsal but Phil Jones (knee) and Anders Lindegaard (thumb) remain sidelined.
Last season: Chelsea 3 Man Utd 3, Man Utd 3 Chelsea 1
Last five league matches: Chelsea D W W W W; Man Utd W W L W W
Top scorers (all competitions): Juan Mata, Fernando Torres (Chelsea) 6; Robin van Persie (Man Utd) 8
Match odds: H 13-10 A 19-10 D 23-10
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).
Everton (4) v Liverpool (12)
Everton manager David Moyes is hopeful midfielder Marouane Fellaini and full-back Tony Hibbert will be fit after their respective knee and calf injuries. Midfielder Darron Gibson (thigh) is still sidelined and playmaker Steven Pienaar serves a one-match ban.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will continue to monitor the condition of goalkeeper Jose Reina, who has been nursing a hamstring problem picked up on international duty with Spain. Rodgers has no fresh injury concerns, with Martin Kelly (knee), Lucas Leiva (thigh) and Fabio Borini (foot) still sidelined.
Last season: Liverpool 3 Everton 0, Everton 0 Liverpool 2
Last five league matches: Everton D W W D D; Liverpool D L W D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Nikica Jelavic (Everton) 4; Luis Suarez (Liverpool) 7
Match odds: H 8-5 A 8-5 D 11-5
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
Newcastle (11) v West Brom (6)
Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote starts a three-match ban. Manager Alan Pardew is likely to restore most of the men he left out of the starting line-up for
the Europa League victory over Club Brugge, when Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez, Hatem Ben Arfa, Shola Ameobi and Demba Ba were all rested.
West Brom will check on the fitness of midfielder Claudio Yacob, who suffered a hamstring injury during last weekend’s home reversal against Manchester City. Captain Chris Brunt (hamstring) and right-back Billy Jones (knee) have resumed training and could be in contention.
Last season: West Brom 1 Newcastle 3, Newcastle 2 West Brom 3
Last five league matches: Newcastle D W D L D; West Brom L W D W L
Top scorers (all competitions): Demba Ba (Newcastle) 6; Shane Long (West Brom) 5
Match odds: H 1-1 A 13-5 D 23-10
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Southampton (18) v Tottenham (5)
Southampton will again be without record signing Gaston Ramirez as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury. Defender Frazer Richardson (groin) and midfielder Jack Cork (knee) are both out, but Tadanari Lee has recovered from his elbow injury and could feature. Young defender Luke Shaw has overcome an illness and may make his Premier League debut.
Tottenham’s Gareth Bale will return from paternity leave to face his former club. The Wales international, who missed the games with Chelsea and Maribor, will be joined in the squad by Brad Friedel, who also did not travel to Slovenia for the Europa League tie. Emmanuel Adebayor could return after back pain, along with Mousa Dembele (hip). Michael Dawson (illness) will be assessed, while Scott Parker (Achilles), Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Younes Kaboul (both knee) are all sidelined.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Southampton L W L D L; Tottenham W W W W L
Top scorers (all competitions): Rickie Lambert (Southampton) 4; Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 5
Match odds: H 3-1 A 5-6 D 12-5
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).
