Arsenal (1) v Aston Villa (6)

Arsenal will not rush back striker Robin van Persie (thigh) — Nicklas Bendtner is set to partner Emmanuel Adebayor up front following Eduardo's season-ending injury. Midfielder Abou Diaby should return to the squad following three weeks out with calf trouble, while Kolo Toure (knee), Alex Song (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Johan Djourou (groin) and Emmanuel Eboue (suspended) miss out.

Olof Mellberg is winning his battle to recover from an ankle injury and is set to replace Craig Gardner at right-back for Villa. Patrik Berger has recovered from a hamstring problem and could be on the bench.

Last season:Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 1, Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1

Last five league matches:Arsenal W W W W D; Aston Villa D D L W W

Top scorers: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) 22; John Carew (Aston Villa) 9

Match odds: H 1-2 A 5-1 D 12-5

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Birmingham (17) v Tottenham (11)

Blues will be without central defender Martin Taylor who begins a three-game ban for his red card against Arsenal in the incident where Eduardo suffered a broken leg. Radhi Jaidi is favourite to replace the former Blackburn player but the home side must do without the joint top-scorer Olivier Kapo (hamstring).

Jonathan Woodgate is a doubt after spraining an ankle in the Carling Cup final. Fellow centre-half Ledley King may be rested, while left-backs Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Gareth Bale (foot) miss out for Spurs.

Last season:No corresponding fixture

Last five league matches:Birmingham L L D D D; Tottenham L W D D W

Top scorers:James McFadden (Birmingham) 8; Robbie Keane (Tottenham) 20

Match odds:H 12-5 A 10-11 D 9-4

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).

Derby (20) v Sunderland (15)

Derby will be without midfielder Giles Barnes after he suffered a knee injury in training. Claude Davis and Tyrone Mears are long-term absentees, while Dean Leacock faces a late fitness test on a hip problem.

Sunderland defender Danny Collins is suspended — his place could be taken by Danny Higginbotham, who is back in contention after surgery to repair a toe fracture. Liam Miller could still play some part despite being transfer-listed for poor time-keeping.

Last season: No corresponding fixture

Last five league matches: Derby L D D L L; Sunderland L W L W L

Top scorers: Kenny Miller (Derby) 8; Rade Prica (Sunderland) 13

Match odds: H 7-4 A 5-4 D 11-5

Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

Fulham (19) v Man Utd (2)

Jari Litmanen has returned to full training with Fulham following a recent heart scare but will not be involved tomorrow. Midfielder Leon Andreasen is banned but Hameur Bouazza returns after shoulder injury.

United's Ryan Giggs has a calf strain and looks likely to sit out the game with a Champions League date to follow on Tuesday against Lyon. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra have recovered from a calf strain and a stomach virus respectively but Gary Neville and Mikel Silvestre remain sidelined.

Last season:Fulham 1 Man Utd 2, Man Utd 5 Fulham 1

Last five league matches:Fulham L D W L L; Man Utd W W D L W

Top scorers:Erik Nevland (Fulham) 7; Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 29

Match odds:H 7-1 A 1-3 D 3-1

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).

Man City (8) v Wigan (14)

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson must make at least two changes, with Micah Richards recovering from a knee operation and Martin Petrov banned. Vedran Corluka and Elano are poised to return to the team while Michael Johnson comes into contention following an abdominal strain.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce again has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from and may name an unchanged team after the 2-0 defeat of Derby. Right-back Ryan Taylor, who has a rib injury, is the only absentee.

Last season:Man City 0 Wigan 1, Wigan 4 Man City 0

Last five league matches:Man City D D L W L; Wigan L L W L W

Top scorers:Benjani Mwaruwari (Man City) 13; Marlon King (Wigan) 11

Match odds: H 8-13 A 4-1 D 23-10

Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent).

Middlesbrough (12) v Reading (18)

Defender David Wheater returns from suspension but Boro have doubts over striker Afonso Alves, who suffered a head clash early in the midweek FA Cup replay win over Sheffield United, and Fabio Rochemback (calf). Mohamed Shawky (hamstring), Lee Cattermole and Matthew Bates (knee) and Andrew Taylor continue to get closer to a return to fitness but remain on the injury list.

Reading will be without defender Michael Duberry (knee), midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson (groin) and winger Glen Little (heel). Manager Steve Coppell has vowed to make changes so defensive duo Ivar Ingimarsson and Andre Bikey stand by for recalls and recent signing Jimmy Kebe hopes for a first start.

Last season:Middlesbrough 2 Reading 1, Reading 3 Middlesbrough 2

Last five league matches:Middlesbrough D W D W L; Reading L L L L L

Top scorers:Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough) 11; Dave Kitson (Reading) 8

Match odds:H 4-5 A 14-5 D 9-4

Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Newcastle (13) v Blackburn (9)

Magpies striker Obafemi Martins is fit after ankle trouble but keeper Shay Given (groin) is out for up to three weeks and Stephen Carr (hamstring), Emre (calf) and Mark Viduka (calf and hamstring) are sidelined.

Rovers midfielder David Dunn (calf) will be assessed prior to kick-off and Ryan Nelsen remains sidelined with a hamstring problem — but fellow defender Andre Ooijer is set to return after a similar complaint.

Last season:Newcastle 0 Blackburn 2, Blackburn 1 Newcastle 3

Last five league matches:Newcastle D L D L L; Blackburn D D D L W

Top scorers:Obafemi Martins (Newcastle) 7; Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn) 15

Match odds:H 11-8 A 13-8 D 21-10

Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire).

West Ham (10) v Chelsea (3)

Hammers' striker Bobby Zamora injured a knee during a reserve team game and is a doubt. Midfielders Lee Bowyer and Matthew Etherington (both groin) are out but Henri Camara is in contention for a place and England Under-19 striker Freddie Sears is near to breaking into the first team squad.

Chelsea boss Avram Grant has a near fully-fit squad at his disposal — striker Andriy Shevchenko should be in the squad as he continues his recovery from a back problem.

Last season:West Ham 1 Chelsea 4, Chelsea 1 West Ham 0

Last five league matches:West Ham D W L D W; Chelsea W W W D D

Top scorers:Dean Ashton (West Ham) 6; Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) 13

Match odds:H 10-3 A 8-11 D 11-5

Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

Sunday, March 2

Bolton (16) v Liverpool (5)

Bolton boss Gary Megson is able to select from a virtually full strength squad. The one player definitely unavailable is on-loan midfielder Danny Guthrie, who is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Jamie Carragher returns for Liverpool after suspension but Daniel Agger will not feature — he is short of full fitness after five months out with a metatarsal problem. Andriy Voronin is back in training after his lengthy spell out with an ankle problem — but is also short of full fitness.

Last season:Liverpool 3 Bolton 0, Bolton 2 Liverpool 0

Last five league matches:Bolton D D W L L; Liverpool D L W D W

Top scorers:Grzegorz Rasiak (Bolton) 8; Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 21

Match odds:H 7-2 A 4-6 D 23-10

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

Everton (4) v Portsmouth (7)

Everton are likely to be without Mikel Arteta, whose groin injury is proving painful — although manager David Moyes hopes he can play with an injection. A sickness bug, which has hit Stephen Pienaar and Joseph Yobo in recent weeks, has affected several players in training.

Pompey have Jermain Defoe, Kanu, Milan Baros and John Utaka available for central attacking roles. David Nugent is out with a groin injury, while midfielder Pedro Mendes remains sidelined after foot surgery.

Last season:Everton 3 Portsmouth 0, Portsmouth 2 Everton 0

Last five league matches: Everton W D D W W; Portsmouth W L D W W

Top scorers:Ayegbeni Yakubu (Everton) 16; Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth) 10

Match odds:H 10-11 A 13-5 D 21-10

Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).