Saturday, February 11th
Arsenal (5) v Bolton (7)
Sol Campbell (ankle) faces two more weeks on the sidelines — Alex Song may be an option tomorrow. Fellow defenders Ashley Cole (thigh), Gael Clichy (foot), Pascal Cygan (hamstring), Lauren (knee), Kerrea Gilbert (back) are out, while Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure are on African Nations Cup duty. Midfielder Freddie Ljungberg returns but Robin van Persie (toe) is rested and Theo Walcott (shoulder) is also out.
African Nations Cup quartet El-Hadji Diouf, Abdoulaye Faye, Jay-Jay Okocha and Radhi Jaidi are all possible inclusions in the Bolton squad after finishing their stints in the tournament. Kevin Davies (ankle) is facing a late fitness test while Khalilou Fadiga, Ivan Campo, Gary Speed and Henrik Pedersen are all out injured.
Last season: Bolton 1 Arsenal 0, Arsenal 2 Bolton 2
Last five league matches: Arsenal D W L L W; Bolton D D W D D
Top scorers: Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 19; Stelios Giannakopoulos & Kevin Nolan (Bolton) 8
Match odds: H 8-15 A 9-2 D 5-2
Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire).
Aston Villa (13) v Newcastle (15)
Villa midfielders Gavin McCann (suspended) and James Milner (ineligible) are out but Lee Hendrie starts and teenage midfielder Craig Gardner is on alert to make his first start. Striker Milan Baros (hamstring) is fit to return.
Newcastle will make a late decision on whether to hand midfielder Kieron Dyer a start, although he remains short of match fitness. The game could come too soon for defender Craig Moore (hamstring), while Michael Owen (foot), Steven Taylor (shoulder) and Stephen Carr (hernia) are all still out and Amady Faye is yet to return from the African Nations Cup.
Last season: Newcastle 0 Aston Villa 3, Aston Villa 4 Newcastle 2
Last five league matches: Aston Villa W L D D W; Newcastle D L L L W
Top scorers: Milan Baros (Aston Villa) 8; Alan Shearer (Newcastle) 9
Match odds: H 1-1 A 11-5 D 11-5
Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).
Everton (12) v Blackburn (9)
Everton will have third and fourth choice goalkeepers Iain Turner and John Ruddy on parade with Richard Wright (ankle) and Nigel Martyn (ankle) out. James Beattie (calf) faces a late test but Leon Osman should have recovered from a groin injury and Alan Stubbs returns after being cup tied in midweek.
Rovers striker Craig Bellamy is set to return after a month-long absence with a hamstring injury. Midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen is facing a late fitness test after suffering a knee problem in training.
Last season: Everton 0 Blackburn 1, Blackburn 0 Everton 0
Last five league matches: Everton W W W D W; Blackburn W D W W L
Top scorers: James Beattie (Everton) 7; Craig Bellamy (Blackburn) 9
Match odds: H 11-10 A 21-10 D 21-10
Referee: P Walton (Northamptonshire).
Fulham (14) v West Brom (16)
Fulham defender Moritz Volz is set for his first appearance since puncturing a lung in December, while Liam Rosenior is suspended. Midfielder Sylvain Legwinski is back in contention following an ankle injury, but Michael Brown and Simon Elliott (both hamstring) are doubts while Papa Bouba Diop is still away on African Nations Cup duty.
Left-back Paul Robinson is suspended for West Brom and obvious deputy Steve Watson (groin) is struggling, so boss Bryan Robson may move central defender Neil Clement to left-back and hand a debut to centre-back Williams Martinez. Albion are still without Zoltan Gera and Thomas Gaardsoe (both groin) while Kanu and Diomansy Kamara are returning from the African Nations Cup.
Last season: Fulham 1 West Brom 0, West Brom 1 Fulham 1
Last five league matches: Fulham W W L W L; West Brom L W L D W
Top scorers: Brian McBride (Fulham) 10; Nathan Ellington (West Brom) 6
Match odds: H 4-6 A 7-2 D 23-10
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
Middlesbrough (17) v Chelsea (1)
Boro midfielder George Boateng is in the squad for the first time since December 21 after ankle ligament trouble. Winger Stewart Downing is back after a virus and James Morrison (knee) returns but Franck Queudrue (knee), Ray Parlour (ankle) and Lee Cattermole and Ugo Ehiogu (both hamstring) are out.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech, defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Claude Makelele are set for recalls, while Damien Duff (Achilles) will miss out and Paulo Ferreira remains doubtful because of a thigh muscle strain.
Last season: Chelsea 2 Middlesbrough 0, Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 1
Last five league matches: Middlesbrough D L L W L; Chelsea W W D D W
Top scorers: Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Middlesbrough) 15; Frank Lampard (Chelsea) 16
Match odds: H 6-1 A 4-11 D 3-1
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
Portsmouth (19) v Man Utd (2)
Striker Lomana LuaLua is ready to return after African Nations Cup duty. He and Benjani Mwaruwari will lead the attack, supported by on-loan Andres D'Alessandro. Noe Pamarot, fit again after hamstring trouble, could start in defence but former Tottenham team-mate Wayne Routledge may be relegated to the substitutes' bench and Dejan Stefanovic (ankle) looks set to miss the rest of the season.
Aside from long-term absentees Gabriel Heinze, Quinton Fortune and Paul Scholes, plus John O'Shea — who is expected to be back from fractured ribs within a fortnight —Alex Ferguson has all his senior players available now Ryan Giggs has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Last season: Man Utd 2 Portsmouth 1, Portsmouth 2 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches: Portsmouth L L L D L; Man Utd D L W L W
Top scorers: Andres D'Alessandro (Portsmouth) 5; Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) 21
Match odds: H 5-1 A 1-2 D 12-5
Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).
Wigan (6) v Liverpool (3)
Wigan boss Paul Jewell faces a striker crisis, with Jason Roberts serving the second of a three-match ban, David Connolly and Lee McCulloch injured and on-loan Neil Mellor ineligible to play against his current employers. Jewell hopes Henri Camara returns from African Nations Cup duty, but after playing for Senegal yesterday there are no guarantees. Pascal Chimbonda is suspended.
Steven Gerrard has recovered from a knee injury and will play, while Robbie Fowler is in line to start his first match since returning Liverpool, with fellow striker Peter Crouch (heel) out. Luis Garcia will not figure because his knee injury has flared up, while Steve Warnock is ruled out with a groin strain.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Wigan L L W D D; Liverpool W L D L L
Top scorers: Jason Roberts (Wigan) 13; Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 18
Match odds: H 13-5 A 10-11 D 21-10
Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).
Sunday, February 12th
Man City (10) v Charlton (11)
Danny Mills (shin) and Ben Thatcher (chest infection) are back in training but seem certain to miss out against the Addicks. Claudio Reyna (ankle) and Nedum Onuoha (knee) are both out and Stephen Jordan is suspended, while Andy Cole is hopeful of a recall.
Charlton have midfielder Matt Holland back after a thigh injury. Chris Powell also returns after a knock sustained last week at Tottenham ruled him out of the midweek victory over Liverpool. Centre-back Jonathan Fortune faces a fitness test on a rib injury and a similar injury keeps Dennis Rommedahl out.
Last season: Charlton 2 Man City 2, Man City 4 Charlton 0
Last five league matches: Man City L W L W L; Charlton W D D L W
Top scorers: Andy Cole (Man City) 10; Darren Bent (Charlton) 15
Match odds: H 4-5 A 11-4 D 23-10
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Sunderland (20) v Tottenham (4)
Sunderland's Stephen Wright, Steve Caldwell and Dean Whitehead are banned. Nyron Nosworthy or Justin Hoyte will replace Wright, Danny Collins is set to play in central defence, while Grant Leadbitter stands by for his first Premiership start in midfield. Recent signing Rory Delap (Achilles) is again ruled out.
Spurs coach Martin Jol is waiting to hear if Egyptian Mido will return from international duty, and may stick with Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe up front. Danny Murphy is set to start while Edgar Davids (stress fracture) and Teemu Tainio (ankle) are doubts and Michael Dawson is banned.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Sunderland L L W L L; Tottenham W L D L W
Top scorers: Anthony Le Tallec & Dean Whitehead (Sunderland) 4; Mido (Tottenham) 9
Match odds: H 9-2 A 8-15 D 5-2
Referee: A Marriner (W Midlands).
Monday, February 13th
West Ham (8) v Birmingham (18)
Hammers defender Danny Gabbidon is expected to recover from a shin problem but goalkeeper Roy Carroll is set to be out for another couple of weeks with his back injury, so Shaka Hislop will again deputise. Marlon Harewood is pressing for a recall to the starting XI alongside record signing Dean Ashton.
Blues boss Steve Bruce has Damien Johnson banned and is grim about the chances of injury victims Martin Taylor, Kenny Cunningham, Matthew Upson, Neil Kilkenny, Stan Lazaridis, David Dunn and Olivier Tebily playing. Emile Heskey is facing a ban after being charged with misconduct by the FA but Martin Latka and Dudley Campbell return after being ineligible in midweek.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: West Ham L W W W W; Birmingham W L W D L
Top scorers: Dean Ashton (West Ham) 12; Dudley Campbell (Birmingham) 12
Match odds: H 8-11 A 7-2 D 21-10
Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
