Arsenal (3) v Man City (5)
Arsenal will welcome back midfielder Alex Song (knee) and striker Eduardo (toe). However, Russian midfielder Andrey Arshavin (calf), goalkeeper Manuel Almunia (wrist) and Denilson (groin) are still out.
Defenders William Gallas (calf), Thomas Vermaelen (calf), Kieran Gibbs (foot), Johan Djourou (knee) also remain sidelined, as are midfielders Cesc Fabregas (fractured leg) and Aaron Ramsey (broken leg).
Patrick Vieira heads a quartet of former Arsenal men who return to face the north London giants at the Emirates Stadium for the first time. Whilst Vieira,
Kolo Toure and — if he plays — Sylvinho should all get warm receptions, the same cannot be said of Emmanuel Adebayor, who has become public enemy number one for the Gunners faithful since his €29million move north last summer.
Last season:Arsenal 2 Man City 0, Man City 3 Arsenal 0
Last five league matches:Arsenal W D W L L; Man City L W W W L
Top scorers (all competitions):Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 19; Carlos Tevez (Man City) 28
Match odds: H 19-20 A 21-10 D 12-5
Bolton (14) v Portsmouth (20)
Bolton manager Owen Coyle could hand a start to Vladimir Weiss against Portsmouth. The Slovakia winger, on loan from Manchester City, helped the side secure a vital victory at Stoke after coming off the bench last weekend. Andy O'Brien (thigh), Ricardo Gardner (leg) and Chris Basham (knee) could all be available after injury.
Portsmouth will be without injured trio Nadir Belhadj (hamstring), Jamie O’Hara (back) and Tal Ben Haim (groin). Full back Steve Finnan returns to the squad but will have to settle for a place on the bench as teenager Lenny Sowah keeps his starting spot. Portugal defender Ricardo Rocha is also back in contention while Frederic Piquionne leads the attack after missing last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa after being stranded in France.
Last season:Portsmouth 1 Bolton 0, Bolton 2 Portsmouth 1
Last five league matches:Bolton L L L L W; Portsmouth L L D D L
Top scorers (all competitions):Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 10; Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 11
Match odds:H 1-2 A 9-2 D 13-5
Hull (18) v Sunderland (13)
Hull boss Iain Dowie will be without Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink but Anthony Gardner returns in defence. Vennegoor of Hesselink was knocked out in a challenge with Richard Dunne in Wednesday's 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa and will not return to training until next week. Gardner has not played since damaging ankle ligaments in February but is set to start, possibly in place of Steven Mouyokolo, who is a slight doubt.
Sunderland captain Lorik Cana could return. The Albania international missed last weekend’s 2-1 win over Burnley with a groin injury, but is expected to be fit. However, central defender John Mensah (hamstring) and midfielder Lee Cattermole (calf) are struggling, while Andy Reid and George McCartney (both hamstring) are out.
Last season:Sunderland 1 Hull 0, Hull 1 Sunderland 4
Last five league matches: Hull W L L D L; Sunderland D L W L W
Top scorers (all competitions):Stephen Hunt (Hull) 6; Darren Bent (Sunderland) 24
Match odds:H 23-20 A 9-5 D 23-10
Man Utd (2) v Tottenham (4)
Wes Brown returns to the Manchester United squad after recovering from the broken foot he suffered at Wolves at the beginning of March. With Chelsea not in action until Sunday, United have the chance to reclaim top spot for 24 hours but Owen Hargreaves will not be involved as his planned comeback has been delayed by a calf strain.
Winger Aaron Lennon could return for Tottenham for the first time in almost four months. He will not start but is expected to be on the bench and manager Harry Redknapp said he “could get 20 minutes”. Nico Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka (both ankle) are both still out, but Ledley King has a chance of returning and Jermaine Jenas has recovered from a virus.
Last season:Man Utd 5 Tottenham 2, Tottenham 0 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches:Man Utd W W L D W; Tottenham W W L W W
Top scorers (all competitions):Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 34; Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 24
Match odds:H 4-9 A 9-2 D 3-1
West Ham (17) v Wigan (15)
West Ham will have influential midfielder Scott Parker back against Wigan after he completed a two-match suspension. Parker is likely to replace Junior Stanislas while striker Carlton Cole is fit to start despite an ongoing knee problem. Luis Boa Morte is pressing for a place on the bench after returning from 11 months out with a knee injury.
Wigan defender Gary Caldwell returns to the squad after serving a three-match ban. It is likely Caldwell, who was sent off at Manchester City on March 29, will go straight back into the starting XI. Boss Roberto Martinez’s only doubt remains midfielder Hendry Thomas who has missed the last three matches with a quad injury.
Last season:Wigan 0 West Ham 1, West Ham 2 Wigan 1
Last five league matches:West Ham L L D W L; Wigan W L L D W
Top scorers (all competitions):Carlton Cole (West Ham) 9; Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 9
Match odds:H 8-11 A 3-1 D 12-5
Wolves (16) v Blackburn (12)
Midfielder Matt Jarvis is Wolves' only fresh injury concern. Jarvis has been having treatment for a thigh strain suffered in last weekend's goalless draw at Fulham but Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is optimistic he will be fit. Captain Karl Henry completes a three-match ban for his dismissal at Arsenal.
Blackburn will be without Chris Samba and Brett Emerton. Samba has a groin injury and Emerton has a hamstring problem. El Hadji Diouf is doubtful after suffering from tonsilitis and with top-flight safety assured manager Sam Allardyce may experiment with some new faces.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Wolves W D L D D; Blackburn W W D D L
Top scorers (all competitions):Kevin Doyle (Wolves) 7; David Dunn (Blackburn) 9
Match odds:H 23-20 A 19-10 D 11-5
Sunday
Aston Villa (6) v Birmingham (9)
Aston Villa are set to be boosted by the availability of captain Stiliyan Petrov (groin), central defender Richard Dunne (head) and full back Stephen Warnock (ankle). The trio were all injured in Villa's 2-0 win at Hull on Wednesday but are expected to be fit with manager Martin O'Neill likely to retain the side that started at the KC Stadium.
Birmingham strikers Cameron Jerome and James McFadden have been passed fit. Jerome, City’s leading scorer with ten goals, has shaken off a back problem which has troubled him in recent weeks. McFadden was substituted with a groin strain during the goalless home draw with Hull last weekend but has recovered and resumed training.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Aston Villa L W D W W; Birmingham L D D L D
Top scorers (all competitions):John Carew & Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 16; Cameron
Jerome (Birmingham) 10
Match odds:H 4-7 A 4-1 D 5-2
Burnley (19) v Liverpool (7)
Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle is manager Brian Laws' only doubt after turning his right ankle in training. Striker David Nugent sat out training today as he is nursing a tight hamstring which saw him miss Saturday's defeat at Sunderland, but is scheduled to train tomorrow and should figure against Rafael Benitez's side.
Liverpool’s David Ngog is a doubt with a back problem which saw him substituted in the second half of the Europa League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid. Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez returns after being ineligible in Europe but defenders Emiliano Insua, Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel and Martin Kelly are all still injured.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Burnley L L L W L; Liverpool L W D D W
Top scorers (all competitions):Steven Fletcher (Burnley) 12; Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 22
Match odds:H 7-2 A 4-7 D 11-4
Chelsea (1) v Stoke (11)
Chelsea will be without suspended captain John Terry who misses out after being sent off against Tottenham in the 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane last weekend. The Blues are also without Michael Essien (knee), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle), John Obi Mikel (ankle) and Jose Bosingwa (knee).
Stoke will have defender Ryan Shawcross back in their squad for the first time since late February. Shawcross has been out with an ankle injury and is likely to be on the bench. Stoke’s only serious injury worry is striker Mamady Sidibe, who is still fighting to recover from a groin problem that forced him to miss last weekend’s home defeat by Bolton.
Last season:Chelsea 2 Stoke 1, Stoke 0 Chelsea 2
Last five league matches:Chelsea W W W W L; Stoke L W W D L
Top scorers (all competitions):Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 32; Ricardo Fuller & Dave Kitson (Stoke) 8
Match odds:H 1-9 A 14-1 D 11-2
Everton (8) v Fulham (10)
Everton midfielder John Heitinga could miss the rest of the season because of a hairline fracture of the ankle suffered against Aston Villa. Mikel Arteta looks certain to retain his place against Fulham after recovering from a groin strain but Marouane Fellaini and Dan Gosling remain absent.
Bobby Zamora has “no chance” of making the trip to Everton according to manager Roy Hodgson. Clint Dempsey is likely to replace Fulham’s top scorer, who went off in the second half of last night’s Europa League semi-final with Hamburg after aggravating his Achilles injury. Chris Baird could make way for first-choice right back John Pantsil, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since December.
Last season:Fulham 0 Everton 2, Everton 1 Fulham 0
Last five league matches:Everton W D D D W; Fulham L L W D D
Top scorers (all competitions):Louis Saha (Everton) 15; Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 19
Match odds:H 1-3 A 6-1 D 10-3