Barclays Premier League
Friday 26th December
Chelsea v West Ham (kick off 12:45)
Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard could miss out after being on the receiving end of a hard challenge last weekend. Oscar may get a recall after being rested last weekend against Stoke.
West Ham will travel across London with Mark Noble on the team bus after the midfielder missed out on four games through an Achilles problem. James Collins will partner Winston Reid in the centre of the Hammers’ defence but James Tomkins remains the sole absentee for West Ham.
Burnley v Liverpool (kick off 15:00)
Sam Vokes has been missing for Burnley since March but is finally ready for a return to first team action. He completed two recent games for the developmental squad recently and could feature against Liverpool. Michael Duff and Stephen Ward will probably miss out while Matt Taylor is back in the matchday squad following an Achilles injury.
Mario Balotleli is back from his suspension but will only be considered for a place on the Liverpool bench. Fabio Borini is out with a ban and will definitely not travel along with Dejan Lovren, Glen Johnson, Jon Flanagan and Joe Allen.
Crystal Palace v Southampton (kick off 15:00)
Marouane Chamakh is still out with thigh problems, so expect Crystal Palace’s one-man attack to feature either the fit-again Kevin Doyle or Fraizer Campbell.
Southampton are returning to full strength. Dusan Tadic is expected back following a minor knock, while Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Florin Gardos all return from bans. Jose Fonte is serving a ban of his own and will miss out along with injured quartet Jay Rodriguez, Sam Gallagher, Jack Cork and Jake Hesketh.
Everton v Stoke (kick off 15:00)
Everton could have striker Kevin Mirallas back in the team for the visit of Stoke. He’s almost shaken off an ankle problem while James McCarthy could also be back after a recent hamstring problem. Tony Hibbert took a knock in training and will be out until the New Year while Leon Osman and Darron Gibson are not ready to make their comebacks following injury.
Peter Crouch could return much sooner than first expected for Stoke and will face a physio assessment on Friday morning. Stephen Ireland should be able to return following a knee injury to bolster the Potters midfield.
Leicester v Tottenham (kick off 15:00)
Leicester will entertain Kasper Schmeichel (broken metatarsal) and Chris Wood (infection). Matt Upson is recovering well from a foot injury but will miss out on the Foxes’ next three games.
Ryan Mason has been playing well in the Spurs team since getting his chance but could miss out on Friday due to a twisted ankle. Emmanuel Adebayor could also be in contention once again after missing since last month.
Manchester United v Newcastle (kick off 15:00)
In-form Manchester United could have Chris Smalling back in the fray for Friday’s clash with Newcastle. The defender has almost fully recovered from a groin injury. However, Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind will out miss out. Marcos Rojo will face a fitness assessment prior to kick off on a troublesome thigh strain.
Newcastle travel without influential midfielder Cheick Tiote due to suspension having accumulated five bookings this season. Keepers Tim Krul and Rob Elliot are both still absent. Papiss Cisse is still out after knee surgery, and will watch from the stands alongside Mehdi Abeid, Siem de Jong, Rolando Aarons, Gabriel Obertan and Ryan Taylor.
Sunderland v Hull (kick off 15:00)
Sunderland will take on Hull without Anthony Reveillere, who strained his calf warming up last weekend. He could be replaced by Billy Jones, or possibly John O’Shea. Emanuele Giaccherini has shrugged off an ankle injury but Connor Wickham is unavailable due to a ban.
Hull travel without a number of key first team squad members. Paul McShane and Hatem Ben Arfa have both been excluded from the squad while Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone are both suspended. Injuries are keeping Mohamed Diame and Michael Dawson on the treatment table while Curtis Davies is a doubt with a calf strain meaning Tom Ince and Maynor Figueroa have been recalled from loan spells.
Swansea v Aston Villa (kick off 15:00)
Swansea can welcome back Leon Britton, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jefferson Montero from injury but expect Garry Monk to rotate his squad. The club are in the middle of a tight run of fixtures. Wilfried Bony was rested for Bafetimbi Gomis so he’ll be reinstated in the starting XI.
Gabriel Agbonlahor’s red card from last weekend was over turned so he’s available for Aston Villa on Friday. Also reinstated in the squad are Alan Hutton and Tom Cleverley, who are both back from bans. However, Kieran Richardson is serving a suspension of his own while Ashley Westwood (knee), Philippe Senderos (though), Nathan Baker (knee), Libor Kozak (leg) and Joe Cole (hamstring) are all on the casualty list.
WBA v Manchester City (kick off 15:00)
Expect West Brom skipper Chris Brunt to back leading his team on Friday after recovering fully from a hamstring injury. Graham Dorrens and Boaz Myhill are carrying minor knocks but are expected to be passed fit, while Georgios Samaras is back at the club after a spell in Greece for a family matter. A certain absentee is Victor Anichebe due to a groin strain.
Manchester City will be again without strikers Sergio Aguero (knee), Edin Dzeko (calf) and Stevan Jovetic (hamstring) so expect James Milner or David Silva to feature up front. Gael Clichy is back from a minor knock but Vincent Kompany is still out with a hamstring and calf complaint.
Arsenal v QPR (kick off 17:30)
Arsenal will face London rivals QPR on Friday with a host of first teamers still out of action. However, they will be buoyed by the return of Tomas Rosicky and reserve keeper David Ospina. Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey are nearing full fitness but will more than likely miss out on this game. Definitely watching from the stands will be Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Ozil (knee), Abou Diaby (calf), Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Serge Gnabry (knee).
QPR will definitely travel without Sandro and Alejandro Faurlin (both knee problems), and left back Yun Suk-Young (ankle). Manager Harry Redknapp has stated the physio is treating several players for minor knocks so expect a few fitness tests to be administered early on Friday morning.
