Weekend Premier League team news

All the latest injury and suspension updates ahead of the big games

Republic of Ireland international Ciaran Clark returns to the Aston Villa squad for their home clash against Swansea. Photograph:   Steve Langan/Inpho
Republic of Ireland international Ciaran Clark returns to the Aston Villa squad for their home clash against Swansea. Photograph: Steve Langan/Inpho

SATURDAY (3.0 unless stated)

Aston Villa (19) v Swansea (14) - Live Setanta Sports 1
Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has a fully-fit squad for the first time this season. Gabby Agbonlahor (calf) and Republic of Ireland international Ciaran Clark (thigh) are available againwhile Jores Okore (knee) could come into contention for a first appearance of the season. Mark Bunn may replace Brad Guzan in goal following the American's error for Chelsea's first goal during Villa's 2-0 defeat last week while Jordan Amavi could return after being replaced by Kieran Richardson at Stamford Bridge.

Wayne Routledge could be back in contention for Swansea. Routledge missed the 1-0 home defeat to Stoke on Monday night with a tight calf but manager Garry Monk will make a check on the winger before Swansea head to the West Midlands. Ki Sung-yueng is set to replace Jack Cork in the Swansea midfield at Villa Park and Kyle Naughton could return at right-back with Angel Rangel dropping to the bench.

Last season: Aston Villa 0 Swansea 1, Swansea 1 Aston Villa 0
Last five league matches: Aston Villa L L L L L; Swansea L D L D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa) 5; Bafetimbi Gomis & Andre Ayew (Swansea) 4
Match odds: H 2-1 A 13-10 D 21-10
Referee: Neil Swarbrick

READ MORE

Leicester (5) v Crystal Palace (6)
Leicester will have both Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp available. Vardy, the league's top scorer with nine goals, suffered a wrist injury during the 2-2 draw with Southampton last weekend while Schlupp required stitches in a head wound at St Mary's. A thigh problem will continue to keep Leonardo Ulloa on the sidelines but the Argentinian striker could be ready to return at Hull in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.

Palace manager Alan Pardew could give a rare start to either Patrick Bamford or Fraizer Campbell. A hamstring injury to Marouane Chamakh and Connor Wickham's complicated calf injury had already left Pardew short of striking options before Dwight Gayle's red card in last week's 3-1 loss to West Ham.

Last season: Leicester 0 Crystal Palace 1, Crystal Palace 2 Leicester 0
Last five league matches: Leicester W D L W D; Crystal Palace L L W W L
Top scorers (all competitions): Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 9; Yohan Cabaye & Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace) 4
Match odds: H 6-5 A 2-1 D 2-1
Referee: Mike Dean

Norwich (16) v West Brom (13)
Norwich midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu will not be rushed back into the first team following his recovery from a fractured metatarsal. Mulumbu did play for the academy side in midweek. Forwards Gary Hooper and Lewis Grabban have both stepped up their rehabilitation from ankle problems, and could come into contention. Canaries boss Alex Neil confirmed there were otherwise no fresh injury worries.

West Brom will check on James Morrison, who has been struggling with an ankle problem this month. He trained on Thursday and Baggies head coach Tony Pulis has not ruled out the possibility of the Scotland midfielder returning to the squad on Saturday. Pulis has an otherwise fully-fit group of players available and he may be tempted to name an unchanged starting line-up after last weekend's 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Norwich W D D L L; West Brom D W L L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Nathan Redmond (Norwich) 4; Saido Berahino (West Brom) 3
Match odds: H 19-20 A 3-1 D 3-1
Referee: Kevin Friend

Stoke (11) v Watford (15)
Stoke boss Mark Hughes will make late calls on striker Mame Diouf and captain Ryan Shawcross. Diouf has been on compassionate leave following the death of his mother and sat out Monday's 1-0 win at Swansea. Forward Jonathan Walters (groin) and goalkeeper Shay Given (knee) both look set to be back in the squad this weekend after missing that game. Shawcross is in contention for his first senior appearance of the season as his recovery from back surgery nears completion, although Hughes has suggested the defender is more likely to make his return next week.

Watford midfielder Valon Behrami faces a race against time to be fit. He suffered a calf injury while on international duty with Switzerland and despite returning to training, the 30-year-old is short of match fitness. Fellow Hornets midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado remains unavailable with a hamstring strain while defenders Joel Ekstrand (knee) and Tommie Hoban (groin) are also out.

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Stoke L D W W W; Watford W W L D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Mame Diouf & Jonathan Walters (Stoke) 3; Odion Ighalo (Watford) 5
Match odds: H 21-20 A 10-3 D 16-5
Referee: Martin Atkinson

West Ham (4) v Chelsea (12)
West Ham will be without Victor Moses and Winston Reid. Winger Moses is ineligible to face the Blues as he is on loan from Stamford Bridge, and defender Reid has not quite shaken off the knock which kept him out of the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend. Midfielder Alex Song is still a couple of weeks away from returning after a long-term ankle injury.

Chelsea have no fresh fitness concerns. Striker Loic Remy and forward Pedro did not travel for Tuesday's Champions League Group G clash at Dynamo Kiev due to minor injuries and are again absent. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (knee) and Branislav Ivanovic (hamstring) are out.

Last season: West Ham 0 Chelsea 1, Chelsea 2 West Ham 0
Last five league matches: West Ham W W D D W; Chelsea L W D L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Dimitri Payet (West Ham) 5; Willian (Chelsea) 4
Match odds: H 11-4 A 5-6 D 13-5
Referee: Jon Moss

Arsenal (2) v Everton (9) - Live Sky Sports 1, 5.30
Arsenal will be missing Aaron Ramsey as the midfielder faces up to a month out because of a hamstring injury. Centre back Gabriel is available again following illness, but captain Mikel Arteta (ankle) misses out against his former club. Goalkeeper David Ospina (shoulder) is unavailable, while Jack Wilshere (fibula), forward Danny Welbeck and Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky (both knee) all continue their rehabilitation.

Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley could make his first-team return. He is being assessed by manager Roberto Martinez having played 60 minutes of an under-21 match on Tuesday in his first run-out since sustaining an ankle injury in August. Winger Steven Pienaar is also nearing a comeback after featuring in Tuesday's contest and full-back Leighton Baines is among a group of other players making good progress in their rehabilitation, so Martinez says he is "very close" to having a full squad.

Last season: Arsenal 2 Everton 0, Everton 2 Arsenal 2
Last five league matches: Arsenal W L W W W; Everton W D W D L
Top scorers (all competitions): Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) 7; Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 7
Match odds: H 2-5 A 11-2 D 7-2
Referee: Lee Mason

SUNDAY

Sunderland (20) v Newcastle (18) - Live sky Sports 1, 12.0
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce will welcome Sebastian Coates and Jeremain Lens back from suspension. Defender Coates missed last weekend's 1-0 defeat at West Brom after reaching five bookings for the season, while midfielder Lens sat out as a result of his red card against West Ham. Sweden midfielder Ola Toivonen is fit after a groin problem, but striker Fabio Borini is battling an ankle problem.

Newcastle head coach Steve McClaren has no fresh selection problems. Defenders Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara and midfielder Cheick Tiote all returned to action against Norwich last weekend and came through unscathed.

Last season: Sunderland 1 Newcastle 0, Newcastle 0 Sunderland 1
Last five league matches: Sunderland L L L D L; Newcastle L L D L W
Top scorers (all competitions): Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) 5; Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle) 6
Match odds: H 11-8 A 16-1 D 9-5
Referee: Robert Madley

Bournemouth (17) v Tottenham (7), 2.05
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is still waiting to assess the full extent of goalkeeper Artur Boruc's thigh injury. The Pole missed last week's defeat at Manchester City as Adam Federici stepped in but Howe was optimistic after initial scans at the weekend. Midfielders Andrew Surman (calf) and Marc Pugh (rib) are fit while forward Lee Tomlin has recovered from illness.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane should return to the starting line-up. The England forward was on the bench for the Europa League defeat to Anderlecht, coming on for the final half-hour after suffering a knock in the draw with Liverpool. Ryan Mason could be involved after recovering from a knee injury but Son Heung-min (foot), Federico Fazio (hamstring) and Nabil Bentaleb and Nacer Chadli (both ankle) are all missing.

Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Bournemouth L W L D L; Tottenham W W W D D
Top scorers (all competitions): Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) 5; Son Heung-min & Erik Lamela (Tottenham) 3
Match odds: H 2-1 A 15-4 D 6-5
Referee: Roger East

Manchester United (3) v Manchester City (1) - Live Sky Sports 1, 2.05
Manchester United winger Ashley Young has returned to training after a calf injury, but is not fit enough to play in the derby. Other than Young, only defenders Paddy McNair (liver) and Luke Shaw (leg) are out.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has again offered no guarantees that fit-again captain Vincent Kompany will return. The defender has been a substitute for the two City games since he played for Belgium against Pellegrini's wishes during the recent international break. City are also still without Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Fabian Delph due to injuries.

Last season: Man Utd 4 Man City 2, Man City 1 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches: Man Utd W W W L W; Man City W L L W W
Top scorers (all competitions): Anthony Martial & Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 6; Sergio Aguero (Man City) 8
Match odds: H 8-5 A 12-5 D 7-1
Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Liverpool (10) v Southampton (8) - Live Sky Sports 1, 4.15
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge remains a doubt after undergoing an ultrasound scan on a troublesome knee. The England international has missed the last two matches and will have to prove his fitness in training the day before the game. However, manager Jürgen Klopp's forward options have been improved by the return of Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino after a month out.

Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez is a doubt. Rodriguez has returned to first-team action following 16 months out with a cruciate ligament injury but the 26-year-old is struggling with pain in his feet ahead of the visit to Anfield. Shane Long is out with an ankle problem while Florin Gardos and Fraser Forster are both long-term absentees with knee injuries.

Last season: Southampton 0 Liverpool 2, Liverpool 2 Southampton 1
Last five league matches: Liverpool L D W D D; Southampton D L W W D
Top scorers (all competitions): Danny Ings (Liverpool) 3; Graziano Pelle (Southampton) 7
Match odds: H 10-11 A 6-1 D 13-2
Referee: Andre Marriner


IN THIS SECTION