SATURDAY (3.0, unless stated)
Everton (11) v Sunderland (18) (12.45)
Defender Luke Garbutt returns to the squad after a bout of tonsillitis but will only be a substitute. Midfielder Steven Pienaar misses a fourth successive match as he is still not ready to come back from a muscle injury. Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson (both broken metatarsals) and defender Tony Hibbert are the other long-term absentees.
Sunderland skipper John O’Shea will miss his first game of the season. He had played every minute of the campaign before he was forced off with a rib injury during last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Southampton, and he has not managed to shake off the problem. Also sidelined is midfielder Jack Rodwell (hamstring), but the defender’s loss will be mitigated by the return of Wes Brown from a knee injury. Striker Steven Fletcher is also included after recovering from a niggling ankle problem.
Last season: Sunderland 0 Everton 1, Everton 0 Sunderland 1
Last five league matches: Everton W D W W L; Sunderland L W L D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 19; Jordi Gomez & Connor Wickham (Sunderland) 6
Match odds: H 5-6 A 17-5 D 5-2
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Aston Villa (14) v West Ham (9)
Forward Gabriel Agbonlahor will return for Aston Villa after almost a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. Nathan Baker and Ciaran Clark (both knee) are out while manager Tim Sherwood must decide whether to keep faith with Shay Given after the goalkeeper made his first league appearance since 2012 in the win over Everton last week.
West Ham defender James Collins is expected to overcome a back spasm. Collins’ fitness is particularly important given fellow defenders Winston Reid (hamstring), James Tomkins (shoulder) and Guy Demel (calf) are all ruled out. Strikers Diafra Sakho (thigh) and Andy Carroll (knee) are also missing but Alex Song could start after recovering from a back problem and returning to the substitutes’ bench last weekend.
Last season: Aston Villa 0 West Ham 2, West Ham 0 Aston Villa 0
Last five league matches: Aston Villa L D W L W; West Ham L D L D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) 14; Diafra Sakho (West Ham) 12
Match odds: H 19-20 A 3-1 D 12-5
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Hull (17) v Burnley (20)
Hull midfielder Mohamed Diame has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Diame, who has been sidelined since September with the exception of two brief substitute appearances last month, will undergo an operation in France on Tuesday. Tigers boss Steve Bruce must decide whether to hand striker Nikica Jelavic a starting place at the KC Stadium, while Jake Livermore faces a late test on his injured ankle.
Relegation-threatened Burnley have defender Michael Duff available after his red card against West Ham last week was rescinded. Striker Sam Vokes is rated “touch and go” by manager Sean Dyche due to a minor hip and thigh injury. Defender Kevin Long and midfielder Dean Marney are both long-term absentees with knee injuries.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Hull L L W W L; Burnley D L L L L
Top scorers (all competitions): Nikica Jelavic (Hull) 8; Danny Ings (Burnley) 9
Match odds: H 1-1 A 3-1 D 9-4
Referee: Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire)
Leicester (16) v Southampton (7)
Striker David Nugent will return to the Leicester squad after missing four matches with a calf problem, so midfielder Andy King (hamstring) remains the only injury absentee for Nigel Pearson. Central defender Marcin Wasilewski (foot) and strikers Jamie Vardy (foot) and Leonardo Ulloa (ankle) are nursing knocks but all three players will be fit to play on Saturday.
James Ward-Prowse, Morgan Schneiderlin and Dusan Tadic are amongst those unavailable for Southampton. England Under-21s midfielder Ward-Prowse serves a one-match ban following last weekend’s red card at Sunderland, meaning he joins Schneiderlin (knee) and Tadic (groin) on the sidelines. Jay Rodriguez has started training after a serious knee injury but is not yet ready for a first-team return, while Fraser Forster and Emmanuel Mayuka are also absent.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Leicester W W W L W; Southampton L W L D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Leonardo Ulloa (Leicester) 12; Graziano Pelle (Southampton) 15
Match odds: H 6-4 A 9-5 D 23-10
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
Newcastle (15) v West Brom (13)
Papiss Cisse could return to the Newcastle squad after completing a seven-match ban for spitting at Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, although he has been nursing a knee problem which may limit his involvement. Rolando Aarons could join him after playing 45 minutes for the under-21s in midweek following six months out with a hamstring injury. Defender Paul Dummett (hamstring) and frontman Adam Armstrong (calf) are doubts while defenders Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat are suspended after their red cards at Leicester last weekend.
West Brom head coach Tony Pulis admitted he had “one or two” doubts for Saturday’s game but refused to name the players and the Baggies will train in the north-east on Friday afternoon after travelling from the midlands. Goalkeeper Ben Foster remains the Baggies’ sole long-term absentee with a knee injury which is expected to keep the England man out until October.
Last season: West Brom 1 Newcastle 0, Newcastle 2 West Brom 1
Last five league matches: Newcastle L L L L L; West Brom L L W D W
Top scorers (all competitions): Papiss Cisse (Newcastle) 11; Saido Berahino (West Brom) 18
Match odds: H 8-5 A 9-5 D 21-10
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Stoke (10) v Tottenham (6)
Jack Butland will keep his place in goal as Stoke manager Mark Hughes continues to give the England Under-21 international first-team experience. Hughes’ plan was always to give Butland at least two games towards the end of the season and, as a result, established number one Asmir Begovic has taken the opportunity to have what the manager described as “a slight procedure” which rules him out of this weekend. Defender Geoff Cameron returns to the squad after missing the defeat at Swansea with a hamstring problem.
Tottenham will have midfielders Mousa Dembele (thigh) and Andros Townsend (foot) back in contention. Right-back Kyle Walker will play no part at the Britannia Stadium as he continues his rehabilitation from a foot injury. Left-back Ben Davies will be out for the rest of the season after undergoing a shoulder operation last month.
Last season: Stoke 0 Tottenham 1, Tottenham 3 Stoke 0
Last five league matches: Stoke L D W D L; Tottenham D L W D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Mame Biram Diouf & Jonathan Walters (Stoke) 10; Harry Kane (Tottenham) 30
Match odds: H 15-8 A 29-20 D 23-10
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Crystal Palace (12) v Manchester United (4) (5.30)
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has no injury concerns. Fraizer Campbell and Marouane Chamakh are both available again after recovering from hamstring injuries while Joel Ward played 90 minutes against Chelsea last weekend, having overcome a shin complaint. Wilfried Zaha is set to face United for the first time since he left Old Trafford to rejoin Palace permanently in the January transfer window.
Several members of the Manchester United squad are doubtful because of a virus. Manager Louis van Gaal said “a lot” of players were suffering from an illness, but would not go into specifics. Defenders Luke Shaw (groin), Marcos Rojo (adductor), Jonny Evans (nerve) and Phil Jones (ankle) have overcome their respective injury worries, but right-back Rafael (rib) and midfielder Michael Carrick (calf) are out for the season.
Last season: Crystal Palace 0 Man Utd 2, Man Utd 2 Crystal Palace 0
Last five league matches: Crystal Palace W W L L L; Man Utd W W L L L
Top scorers (all competitions): Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace) 10; Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 14
Match Odds: H 17-5 A 4-5 D 13-5
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
SUNDAY
Manchester City (2) v QPR (19) (1.30)
Manchester City playmaker Samir Nasri will miss the rest of the season. The Frenchman pulled up with a groin injury soon after coming off the bench against Tottenham last week and will not feature in City’s final three games. Captain Vincent Kompany (groin) and midfielder Yaya Toure (hamstring) are both fit to return after lay-offs.
QPR manager Chris Ramsey says he is down to the “bare bones”. Steven Caulker (hand), Clint Hill (hamstring) and Mauricio Isla (knee) are all doubts for the Etihad Stadium encounter, while forward Bobby Zamora is rated as 50-50 to feature. Nedum Onuoha misses the trip to his former club through suspension and Rio Ferdinand is absent following the recent death of his wife. Eduardo Vargas and Alejandro Faurlin (both knee) remain sidelined.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Man City L L W W W; QPR W D L D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Sergio Aguero (Man City) 28; Charlie Austin (QPR) 17
Match odds: H 1-5 A 11-1 D 6-1
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Chelsea (1) v Liverpool (5) (4.0)
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has yet to decide whether Diego Costa will featured. The 26-year-old striker’s campaign has been punctuated by hamstring problems but the Blues boss says the player wants to be involved against the Reds. Oscar is out for the remainder of the season with a thigh injury which has kept him out of the recently-announced Brazil squad for the Copa America. Ramires also missed out on selection with a kidney complaint, which will sideline him for the Liverpool match.
Striker Mario Balotelli returned to training this week after a foot injury and could make the squad for the trip to west London. Midfielder Lucas Leiva may be in contention for a start against the newly-crowned champions but defender Mamadou Sakho is still missing with a hamstring injury. Striker Daniel Sturridge’s hip operation has ruled him out until September.
Last season: Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2, Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1
Last five league matches: Chelsea W W D W W; Liverpool L W D L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Diego Costa (Chelsea) 20; Steven Gerrard & Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) 11
Match odds: H 1-1 A 11-4 D 12-5
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
MONDAY
Arsenal (3) v Swansea (8) (8.0)
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is a major doubt after a blow to the leg sustained at Hull. Danny Welbeck (knee) is almost certainly out but could return the following week against former club Manchester United. Mikel Arteta (ankle), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) and Mathieu Debuchy (hamstring) remain absent, along with Abou Diaby (knee).
Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis is set to be thrust back into action with loan signing Nelson Oliveira unlikely to play again this season. Gomis has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury but has been back in training this week and his return could not be more timely with Oliveira having suffered an ankle injury against Stoke last weekend. Spanish defender Jordi Amat (broken metatarsal) has joined Oliveira, Kyle Naughton, Tom Carroll and Wayne Routledge on the sidelines but full-backs Jazz Richards and Dwight Tiendalli are available following respective loan spells at Fulham and Middlesbrough.
Last season: Arsenal 2 Swansea 2, Swansea 1 Arsenal 2
Last five league matches: Arsenal W W W D W; Swansea W D L W W
Top scorers (all competitions): Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) 24; Bafetimbi Gomis, Ki Sung-yeung & Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea) 8
Match odds: H 1-3 A 8-1 D 4-1
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
