Premier League team news

SATURDAY

Blackburn v Stoke (3pm)

New Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from.

Only Australian midfielder Vince Grella (hamstring) remains sidelined.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis will decide on the fitness of five of his players before finalising preparations.

Rory Delap (shoulder), Andy Griffin (knee), Salif Diao (calf), Leon Cort (groin) and Dave Kitson (knee), will all take late tests.

Striker Mamady Sidibe, carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury against Fulham last Saturday, is out of Stoke’s Christmas programme.

Blackburn squad: Robinson, Brown, Simpson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Emerton, Warnock, Mokoena, Olsson, Dunn, Tugay, Treacy, Pedersen, Roberts, Derbyshire, Villanueva, Santa Cruz, Fowler, McCarthy, Andrews

Stoke squad: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Sonko, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Delap, Amdy Faye, Whelan, Pugh, Fuller, Cresswell, Tonge, Griffin, Diao, Simonsen, Olofinjana, Cort, Pericard, Kitson, Davies, Soares, Dickinson

Bolton v Portsmouth (3pm)

Bolton boss Gary Megson will select from an unchanged squad, with just Joey O’Brien and Tamir Cohen still sidelined with thigh injuries.

Portsmouth will be without Younes Kaboul (ankle) and John Utaka (hip).

Armand Traore is a doubt with a hamstring problem, while Real Madrid-bound Lassana Diarra is unlikely to feature.

Bolton squad: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, A O’Brien, Samuel, Nolan, Riga, McCann, Muamba, Gardner, Taylor, Davies, Elmander, Al Habsi, Shittu, Smolarek, Basham, Fojut

Portsmouth squad: James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Belhadj, Little, Davis, Diop, Kranjcar, Crouch, Defoe, A Traore, Kanu, Pamarot, Hughes, Mvuemba, Nugent, Thomas, Hreidarsson, Ashdown.

Fulham v Middlesbrough (3pm)

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora is fit after recovering from the hip injury.

Diomansy Kamara and Andranik remain sidelined.

Middlesbrough midfielder Didier Digard is a major doubt after suffering a groin injury last weekend, while Just Hoyte is out until the new year after under surgery on a knee cartilage.

Defender David Wheater returns from suspension, with Andrew Taylor (knee) and Mido (hamstring) also available once again.

Fulham squad: Schwarzer, Zuberbuhler, Hughes, Baird, Leijer, Kallio, Hangeland, Stoor, Pantsil, Konchesky, Davies, Gera, Gray, Andreasen, Bullard, Dempsey, Murphy, Etuhu, Seol, Zamora, Johnson, Nevland.

Middlesbrough squad: Turnbull, Jones, McMahon, Taylor, Grounds, Pogatetz, Huth, Wheater, Bates, Hines, Williams, Aliadiere, Arca, Walker, Downing, Johnson, Tuncay, Alves, Mido, Emnes

Hull v Sunderland (3pm)

Hull are forced into a change with on-loan defender Paul McShane unable to play against his parent club.

Forward Craig Fagan (broken leg) and centre-back Anthony Gardner (thigh) are both back in contention after lengthy absences but neither are likely to start.

Sunderland will be without full-back George McCartney until the new year after he underwent surgery on both feet this week.

Caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia has no new injury concerns ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Hull.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon remains on the sidelines, but he is expected to return to the club on Monday to begin rehabilitation on his ankle problem.

Hull squad: Myhill, Mendy, Turner, Zayatte, Ricketts, Marney, Ashbee, Boateng, Barmby, Geovanni, King, Cousin, Garcia, Halmosi, Windass, Doyle, Hughes, Giannakopoulos, Dawson, Gardner, Fagan, Warner

Sunderland squad: Fulop, Colgan, Bardsley, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Nosworthy,Collins, Malbranque, Whitehead, Richardson, Tainio, Leadbitter, Edwards, Miller, Yorke, Reid, Henderson, Colback, Diouf, Cisse, Jones, Murphy, Healy

West Ham v Aston Villa (5.30pm)

West Ham will still be without midfielder Kieron Dyer for Saturday’s home clash with in-form Aston Villa.

The 29-year-old has been nearing a first-team return having been out since breaking his leg in August 2007, but his comeback has been delayed by illness.

Aston Villa will welcome back their leading players after resting them for the midweek UEFA Cup game in Hamburg.

Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Gareth Barry, James Milner and captain Martin Laursen did not even make the trip to Germany with Villa already through to the knockout stages.

John Carew (back) remains injured.

West Ham squad: Friedel, Guzan, L Young, Cuellar, Davies, Laursen, Knight, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Sidwell, A Young, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Osbourne, Salifou, Agbonlahor, Delfouneso, Harewood

Aston Villa squad: Green, Stech, Neill, Ilunga, Lopez, Parker, Bellamy, Etherington, Cole, Boa Morte, Upson, Noble, Mullins, Spector, Collins, Faubert, Stokes, Walker, Lastuvka, Davenport, Reid, Bowyer, Sears, Di Michele, Collison, Tomkins, Diego Tristan

SUNDAY

Arsenal v Liverpool (4pm)

Samir Nasri could return against Liverpool having been out since been missing since the 1-0 win over Wigan earlier this month because with an ankle injury.

Theo Walcott (shoulder) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring tendon) are still out - while Kolo Toure (calf) and striker Nicklas Bendtner (knee) are struggling.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has no new injury problems, with just striker Fernando Torres (hamstring) and Martin Skrtel (kee ligament) out.

Full-back Fabio Aurelio (calf) may return to the squad after missing the last three league matches.

Arsenal squad: Almunia, Sagna, Nasri, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy, Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Diaby, Wilshere, Eboue, Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner

Liverpool squad: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Aurelio, Babel, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Alonso, Riera, Kuyt, Keane, Ngog, Cavalieri, Insua, El Zhar

Newcastle v Tottenham (3pm)

Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins will undergo a late fitness test after suffering a groin injury last weekend.

Joey Barton (knee), Alan Smith (foot) and Igancio Gonzalez (Achilles) are still out.

Tottenham pair Roman Pavlyuchenko and Vedran Corluka are back in the squad after being cup-tied for European action this week.

Jermaine Jenas (calf), Alan Hutton (foot) and Giovani dos Santos (ankle) are out.

Ledley King (knee), Jonathan Woodgate (back) and Darren Bent (tonsillitis) are struggling and will require late checks, as do Aaron Lennon (groin) and Luka Modric (hamstring).

Newcastle squad: Given, Harper, Beye, Enrique, N’Zogbia, Bassong, Coloccini,Taylor, Cacapa, Edgar, Butt, Guthrie, Duff, Gutierrez, Geremi, Owen, Martins,Viduka, Ameobi, Carroll, LuaLua

Tottenham squad: Gomes, Cesar, Corluka, Dawson, Woodgate, King, Bale, Assou-Ekotto, Modric, Boateng, O’Hara, Zokora, Bentley, Huddlestone, Lennon, Bostock, Parrett, Obika, Pavlyuchenko, Bent, Campbell

West Brom v Man City (1.30pm)

West Brom central defender Leon Barnett and striker Roman Bednar are pushing for recalls.

Midfielder James Morrison, who was forced off by illness at half-time last weekend, should retain his starting role.

Spanish midfielder Borja Valero has also been unwell this week but is expected to figure.

City will monitor Robinho’s fitness after he suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury.

Skipper Richard Dunne could return after a family matter, while Jo (virus) and Daniel Sturridge (Achilles) should be back.

West Brom squad: Carson, Zuiverloon, Hoefkens, Meite, Barnett, Donk, Olsson, Robinson, Cech, Kim, Morrison, Greening, Valero, Koren, Teixeira, Brunt, Bednar, Moore, Beattie, MacDonald, Pele, Kiely

Man City squad: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Ben Haim, Garrido, Ball, Elano, Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Kompany, Fernandes, Hamann, Vassell, Robinho, Sturridge, Caicedo, Jo, Onuoha, Evans, Schmeichel.

MONDAY

Everton v Chelsea (8pm)

Everton strikers Victor Anichebe and Louis Saha will both undergo late fitness tests.

If neither player is available, boss David Moyes will again call on Tim Cahill - the match-winner at Man City last weekend - to play in attack.

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari may hold back the return of Ricardo Carvalho as he recovers from a knee injury.

Michael Essien (knee) and Franco Di Santo (hamstring) are out, while Florent Malouda is doubtful with a thigh strain.

Chelsea squad: Cech, Hilario, Cudicini, Belletti, Ferreira, Bosingwa, A Cole, Bridge, Lampard, Deco, Obi, Kalou, Stoch, Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, J Cole, Alex, Terry, Ivanovic

Everton squad: Howard, Neville, Lescott, Yobo, Jagielka, Baines, Hibbert, Arteta, Osman, Cahill, Fellaini, Anichebe, Nash, Castillo, Rodwell, Gosling, Jutkiewicz, Baxter, Pienaar, Saha, Van der Meyde