LEADERS Arsenal will be hoping to put the Eduardo
injury behind them as they entertain Aston Villa.
It's all part of another action-packed weekend of
Premier League football.
So, for all the team news in the build-up to the big
games.
SATURDAY
Arsenal v Aston Villa (11pm)
Arsenal will not rush Robin van Persie (thigh) back so
Nicklas Bendtner should partner Emmanuel Adebayor.
Eduardo (broken leg) faces up to a year out but Abou
Diaby (calf) should return after three weeks out.
Emmanuel Eboue is suspended and Kolo Toure (knee) is
still out, while Alex Song (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and
Johan Djourou (groin) remain sidelined.
Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg(ankle) should return
and Patrik Berger (hamstring) may challenge for a place.
Arsenal squad: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas,
Senderos, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Bendtner,
Adebayor, Lehmann, J Hoyte, Denilson, Gilberto, Traore, Lansbury, G
Hoyte.
Aston Villa squad: Carson, Taylor,
Mellberg, Gardner, Laursen, Davies, Knight, Bouma, Agbonlahor,
Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Berger, Osbourne, Petrov, Carew, Maloney,
Harewood.
SunBET odds: Arsenal (2/1
ON), Aston Villa (5/1), Draw (5/2)
Birmingham v Tottenham (11pm)
Martin Taylor is suspended after being sent off for his
challenge on Arsenal striker Eduardo.
Radhi Jaidi is favourite to step in alongside Liam
Ridgewell, who is expected to shake off an ankle injury.
Olivier Kapo (hamstring) is out, with Gary McSheffrey
expected to replace him on the left flank. Cameron Jerome (hip)
faces a late fitness test.
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate (ankle) is a doubt
and skipper Ledley King could be rested.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Gareth Bale (foot) have
been ruled out for the season but Michael Dawson (hamstring) and
Gilberto (calf) are close to returning.
Birmingham squad: Maik Taylor, Kelly,
Ridgewell, Jaidi, Schmitz, Murphy, Queudrue, Parnaby, Larsson,
Muamba, Johnson, Nafti, McSheffrey, McFadden, Forssell, Jerome,
Doyle, De Ridder.
Spurs squad:Robinson, Cerny,
Chimbonda, Hutton, Lee, Gunter, Rocha, Kaboul, Zokora, Tainio,
Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Boateng, Taarabt, O’Hara, Lennon,
Berbatov, Bent, Keane.
SunBET odds: Birmingham (5/2), Spurs (11/10
ON), Draw (11/5)
Derby v Sunderland (11pm)
Derby midfielder Giles Barnes (knee)will miss out and
Dean Leacock (hip) faces a late fitness test.
Defenders Claude Davis and Tyrone Mears are long-term
injury victims.
Sunderland are without suspended Danny Collins but
Danny Higginbotham (toe) may return.
Kieran Richardson (hamstring) is rated at 50-50 but
Carlos Edwards (broken leg) and Ross Wallace (knee) are out.
Derby squad: Carroll, Leacock, Moore,
Todd, Stubbs, McEveley, Lewis, Edworthy, Savage, Fagan, Pearson,
Jones, Miller, Earnshaw, Ghaly, Villa, Robert, Price,
Sterjovski.
Sunderland squad: Gordon, Fulop,
Bardsley, McShane, Evans, Higginbotham, Harte, Whitehead, Etuhu,
Reid, Leadbitter, Miller, Richardson, O’Donovan, Jones, Waghorn,
Murphy, Stokes, Chopra, Prica.
SunBET odds: Derby (7/4
ON), Sunderland (5/4), Draw (11/5)
Fulham v Manchester United (11pm)
Ryan Giggs is doubtful with a calf strain.
Nemanja Vidic (calf) and Patrice Evra (stomach) have
recovered but Gary Neville and Mikel Silvestre remain
sidelined.
Fulham squad: Team news to
follow
Man Utd squad: Van der Sar, Brown,
Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Hargreaves,
Nani, Rooney, Tevez, Scholes, O’Shea, Saha, Kuszczak, Anderson,
Park, Simpson, Eagles.
SunBET odds: Fulham (7/1), Man Utd (7/2
ON), Draw (7/2)
Middlesbrough v Reading (11pm)
Reading will be without Michael Duberry (knee), Brynjar
Gunnarsson (groin) and Glen Little (heel).
Ivar Ingimarsson and Andre Bikey stand by for recalls
and recent signing Jimmy Kebe may earn a first start.
Boro squad: Team news to
follow
Reading squad: Hahnemann, Federici,
Murty, Rosenior, de la Cruz, Ingimarsson, Bikey, Sonko, Cisse,
Shorey, Golbourne, Oster, Kebe, Harper, Matejovsky, Hunt, Fae,
Doyle, Kitson, Lita, Long, Bennett.
SunBET odds: Boro (13/8
ON), Reading (7/2), Draw (5/2)
Newcastle v Blackburn (11pm)
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins is fit after
returning from the African Nations Cup with an ankle injury.
Emre (calf), Mark Viduka (calf and hamstring) and
Stephen Carr (hamstring) will miss out again, while Shay Given is
sidelined for up to three weeks with a groin injury.
Blackburn'sDavid Dunn (calf) is a major doubt and Ryan
Nelsen (hamstring) remains sidelined.
But defender Andre Ooijer (hamstring) is set to return
after missing the victory over Bolton.
Newcastle squad: Harper, Forster,
Beye, N’Zogbia, Enrique, Cacapa, Taylor, Faye, Edgar, Butt, Smith,
Milner, Duff, Barton, LuaLua, Owen, Martins, Ameobi, Carroll.
Blackburn squad: Friedel, Emerton,
Samba, Rigters, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Tugay, Dunn, Pedersen,
Reid, Mokoena, Bentley, Roberts, Berner, Santa Cruz, McCarthy,
Derbyshire, Brown.
SunBET odds: Newcastle (11/8), Blackburn (8/5), Draw (11/5)
West Ham v Chelsea (11pm)
West Ham's Bobby Zamora (knee) is unlikely to return,
while Lee Bowyer and Matthew Etherington (both groin) are out.
Scott Parker (knee) is back in full training and close
to a return.
Chelsea have no fresh injury worries and Andriy
Shevchenko (back) could make a return.
West Ham squad: Green, Wright,
Pantsil, Neill, Spector, Upson, Ferdinand, McCartney, Faubert,
Ljungberg, Noble, Mullins, Solano, Boa Morte, Cole, Ashton, Camara,
Sears.
Chelsea squad: Cech, Cudicini,
Hilario, Ferreira, Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, Alex, Ben-Haim, A
Cole, Bridge, Lampard, Makelele, Essien, Sidwell, Obi, Malouda,
Wright-Phillips, Drogba, Shevchenko, Pizarro, Kalou, J Cole,
Ballack, Anelka.
SunBET odds: West Ham (10/3), Chelsea (11/8
ON), Draw (11/5)
Manchester City v Wigan (5.15pm)
Wigan's only absentee is Ryan Taylor (rib) and they are
set to name an unchanged line-up.
Man City squad: Team news to
follow
Wgan squad: Kirkland, Edman,
Granqvist, Palacios, Sibierski, Kilbane, Heskey, Koumas, Brown,
King, Aghahowa, Valencia, Boyce, Scharner, Bramble, Olembe, Bent,
Skoko, Melchiot, Pollitt.
SunBET odds: Man City (6/4
ON), Wigan (7/2), Draw (23/10)
