Saturday 19th March 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United 12:45
For the early Saturday kick off, the great news for Spurs fans is that Gareth Bale is back. The classy winger has been out for the past two months with a back injury. William Gallas could start after his hamstring strain is not as serious as first thought. However, Ledley King (groin), Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Younes Kaboul (knee) and Wilson Palacios (knee) are all missing. Also missing is Tom Huddlestone but he is back training and should be ready for first team action in a fortnight.
Robbie Keane will miss out on an emotional return to White Hart Lane due to being ineligible to face his parent club. Gary O’Neill will return to the first XI after being cup-tied last weekend but Jack Collison (knee) and Junior Stanislas (hernia) will both miss out. Doubts surround Frederic Piquionne and Demba Ba’s participation and both will face late fitness tests.
Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers 15:00
Aston Villa face a defensive crisis ahead of the visit of midlands rivals Wolves. Richard Dunne (shoulder), James Collins (calf) and Luke Young (also calf) are all on the treatment table while Ciaran Clark is suspended. The only fit first-team defenders are Carlos Cuellar, Nathan Baker and Kyle Walker so Chris Herd and Fabian Delph are preparing to deputise.
Wolves could be without Michael Mancienne and Michael Kightly, and Ronald Zubar faces a late fitness test.
Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool 15:00
Blackburn captain Ryan Nelson returns following a ban and could be joined by Phil Jones after he made his comeback with the reserves midweek after knee ligament trouble. Gael Givet misses out due to suspension, and is joined in the stands by Vince Grella (Achilles) and David Dunn (hip). Keith Andrews is a major doubt with a groin injury.
Blackpool will be bouyed by the return of Charlie Adam to their midfield following a ban, but DJ Campbell is still serving his suspension. Matt Gilks (knee) remains on the sidelines so Richard Kingston will take his place between the sticks. Returning to first team action are Eliot Grandin, Craig Cathcart and Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
Manchester United v Bolton Wanderers 15:00
League leaders Manchester United are still plagues by injuries. Skipper Nemanja Vidic (calf) is out, alongside Rio Ferdindand, Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea and Rafael. Manager Alex Ferguson is also missing due to a touchline ban. However, Johnny Evans and Park Ji-sung return to the squad.
Daniel Sturridge should return to the Bolton fray after being ineligible for their FA Cup tie last weekend. Gretar Steinsson faces a late fitness test but definitely out is Mark Davies (ankle). Jlloyd Samuel and Joey O’Brien are making progress in the reserves but are still short of first-team fitness. Zat Knight is still recovering from a knee injury while Sean Davis and Sam Ricketts are long-term casualties.
Stoke City v Newcastle United 15:00
John Carew’s back could keep him out of Stoke’s clash with Newcastle but he’ll be tested as late as possible and given every chance. Asmir Begovic will resume his duties in goal.
Joey Barton is giving Newcastle boss Alan Pardew his biggest headache. Barton is training again following a hamstring problem but won’t be risked unless he is fully fit. Left-back Jose Enrique is struggling with a hamstring injury, while the same problem is annoying Jonas Gutierrez. Stephen Ireland (thigh) definitely misses out but Nile Ranger is in contention again.
Ryan Taylor is suspended while Dan Gosling (knee), Alan Smith (ankle) and Hatem Ben Arfa (broken leg) are all long-term injured personnel.
West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal 15:00
West Brom’s Jerome Thomas is in line for his 100th Premier League appearance. Graham Dorrens faces a late fitness test but the Baggies will defintely be without Marek Cech and Pablo Ibanez.
Arsenal will be without skipper Cesc Fabregas (hamstring), Theo Walcott (ankle), Alex Song (knee), Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles), Johan Djourou (shoulder), Wojciech Szcesny (hand) and Lukasz Fabianski (shoulder). Former goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is rubbing his hands in glee as he prepares to take his place on the bench two years after retiring from the game. Niklas Bendtner should return to the starting line up following illness.
Wigan Athletic v Birmingham City 15:00
Wigan’s only doubt is Hugo Rodallega for the visit of Birmingham. Emmerson Boyce is back in the squad and Connor Sammon could feature after making his debut last weekend.
After an injury crisis last weekend, Brimingham are returning to near full-strength. Stephen Carr, Roger Johnson, Obafemi Martins, Craig Gardner, Barry Ferguson and Martin Jiranek have all trained fully and travel to Wigan. However, doubts still remain over Nikola Zigic, Lee Bowyer, David Bentley and Keith Fahey.
Everton v Fulham 17:30
Everton boss David Moyes is sweating on the fitness of Phil Neville and Tim Cahill. They are suffering with hamstring and foot problems respectively and will, along with Victor Anchibe, face late fitness tests. Mikel Arteta is still out with a hamstring problem while Marouane Fellaini is out for the rest of the season.
Philippe Senderos’ hamstring is causing problems following his recent Achilles injury and he’ll miss out on Fulham’s trip to Goodison Park. Midfielders Dickson Etuhu and Steve Sidwell are both serious doubts with hamstring and knee issues. Bobby Zamora continues his comeback from a long-term injury.
Sunday 20th March 2011
Barclays Premier League
Sunderland v Liverpool 13:30
Sunderland welcome back captain Lee Cattermole, Nedum Onuoha and Bolo Zenden. Danny Welbeck could start up front after recovering from a knee injury but Frazier Campbell will miss out. Michael Turner (knee) is expected to resume full training next week. Craig Gordon will be on the bench as he recovers from tendinitis, while David Meyler is back in training.
Andy Carroll is now considered match fit and should partner Luis Suarez up front for Liverpool. Daniel Agger may be passed fit for the trip to the Stadium Of Light, but skipper Steven Gerrard (groin), Martin Kelly (hamstring), Fabio Aurelio (hamstring) and Jonjo Shelvey (knee) are all definitely missing.
Chelsea v Manchester City 16:00
Alex continues to make his comeback from a knee injury while Yossi Benayoun is nearly ready for a return to the Chelsea first team. Fernando Torres, David Luiz, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda are all likely to start having played support roles in Chelsea’s Champions League clash midweek.
Mario Balotelli is set to be dropped from the Manchester City team following a red card on Thursday in the Europa League. Rumours suggest that City boss Roberto Mancini has lost patience with him and will replace him with Edin Dzeko. Adam Johnson should take a seat on the bench as he has shaken off an ankle problem.
Category: Injuries & Suspensions
