Aston Villa (5) v Tottenham (4):Stewart Downing could make his home debut for Villa after making his comeback from a seven-month lay-off with a broken foot as a substitute at Burnley. Central defender James Collins will have a late fitness test on his groin injury - if he is ruled out, Carlos Cuellar will again deputise alongside Richard Dunne.
Tottenham skipper Ledley King is still out with a hamstring injury, while goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini (wrists and pelvis) is a long-term absentee. Luka Modric has trained with the youth team as he steps up his rehabilitation from a fractured fibula.
Last season: Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2, Tottenham 1 Aston Villa 2
Last five league matches: Aston Villa D D L W D; Tottenham W L L W W
Top scorers(all competitions): Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 7; Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 12
Match odds: H 6-4 A 9-5 D 23-10
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Blackburn (12) v Stoke (9)
Blackburn hope to have a fully fit squad — Brett Emerton and Gael Givet should be available having missed Wednesday night’s 3-0 defeat at Fulham with knee and thigh problems respectively. One definite absentee, however, will be manager Sam Allardyce, who was due to undergo heart surgery today.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis hopes Glenn Whelan will have recovered from a groin strain, sustained in the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup play-off with France, in time for this game. Club captain Abdoulaye Faye is available after suspension.
Last season: Stoke 1 Blackburn 0, Blackburn 3 Stoke 0
Last five league matches: Blackburn L L W W L; Stoke W W D L W
Top scorers(all competitions): David Dunn (Blackburn) 6; Matthew Etherington (Stoke) 3
Match odds: H 10-11 A 16-5 D 23-10
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
Fulham (10) v Bolton (18)
Fulham pair Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson returned to training this week but are not expected to make the starting XI. Johnson (groin) and Murphy (knee) have been out for more than a month and need match fitness but could be named among the substitutes at best. Striker Diomansy Kamara is sidelined by a knee injury.
Bolton midfielder Tamir Cohen could return to the squad following a groin injury — Cohen was forced to sit out the defeat by Blackburn because of the problem. Ricardo Gardner suffered a calf strain in that match and Jlloyd Samuel took a knock but both are expected to be available tomorrow.
Last season: Bolton 1 Fulham 3, Fulham 2 Bolton 1
Last five league matches: Fulham D W D L W; Bolton L W L L L
Top scorers(all competitions): Clint Dempsey & Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 5; Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 5
Match odds: H 1-1 A 14-5 D 23-10
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)
Man City (6) v Hull (15)
Record signing Robinho (ankle) is set to make his first City appearance for three months — he is expected to be on the bench at least.
Jimmy Bullard is back in contention after being rested for the midweek win over Everton. Forward Craig Fagan (rib) is also fit and Bernard Mendy is available after a ban. Midfielder Seyi Olofinjana (hamstring) is again missing but could come back into contention next week.
Last season: Man City 5 Hull 1, Hull 2 Man City 2
Last five league matches: Man City D D D D D; Hull D L W D W
Top scorers(all competitions): Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy & Donal McDermott (Man City) 5; Geovanni (Hull) 4
Match odds: H 1-4 A 11-1 D 9-2
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Portsmouth (20) v Man Utd (2)
Asmir Begovic and Jamie Ashdown are battling to replace injured England goalkeeper David James for Avram Grant’s first game in charge of bottom club Portsmouth. Up front, Grant may recall French loanee Frederic Piquionne in place of Kanu — who made his first Barclays Premier League start of the season last week.
Jonny Evans (calf) and John O’Shea (thigh) remain massive doubts for United but fellow defender Patrice Evra, strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and midfielder Darren Fletcher are all set to return.
Last season: Man Utd 2 Portsmouth 0, Portsmouth 0 Man Utd 1
Last five league matches: Portsmouth L D W L L; Man Utd W L W L W
Top scorers(all competitions): Aruna Dindane & Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 4; Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 8
Match odds: H 8-1 A 4-11 D 18-5
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
West Ham (17) v Burnley (11)
Hammers defender Matthew Upson will miss out after suffering a hamstring injury in training. Fellow centre-back Danny Gabbidon — fully fit after an abdominal injury — should take his place, with midfielder Scott Parker taking over as captain. Forward Alessandro Diamanti is still out with a hip problem and winger Kieron Dyer is unlikely to feature but James Tomkins and Mark Noble have been declared fit.
Burnley manager Owen Coyle is pondering selecting the same starting XI for the fifth consecutive Premier League match. The absentees are due to long-term problems with midfielder Chris McCann and forwards Jay Rodriguez and Martin Paterson all scheduled for a return around Christmas.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: West Ham D D W L D; Burnley L L W D D
Top scorers(all competitions): Carlton Cole (West Ham) 6; Steven Fletcher (Burnley) 6
Match odds: H 4-5 A 7-2 D 5-2
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Wigan (16) v Sunderland (8)
Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa could make a return to the starting line-up. He is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury and was on the bench for last Sunday’s 9-1 humiliation at Tottenham. Erik Edman, who endured a torrid time at White Hart Lane, would be the man to drop out.
Sunderland striker Darren Bent has a fighting chance of being fit after scans showed he did no lasting damage to his hamstring against Arsenal. Michael Turner is available after suspension, although that leaves boss Steve Bruce with a difficult decision after seeing Paulo da Silva and John Mensah stand firm against the Gunners. Midfielder Lee Cattermole (medial ligament) could be as little as three weeks away from a return, but goalkeeper Craig Gordon (broken arm) is out for three months.
Last season: Sunderland 1 Wigan 2, Wigan 1 Sunderland 1
Last five league matches: Wigan D W L D L; Sunderland W L D L W
Top scorers(all competitions): Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 5; Darren Bent (Sunderland) 9
Match odds: H 7-5 A 19-10 D 23-10
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
