Barclays Premier League
Saturday 10th January
Sunderland v Liverpool (kick off 12:45pm)
Sunderland host Liverpool in the early kick off with virtually a fully fit squad to choose from. There is a minor doubt about Lee Cattermole – the Black Cats’ midfielder is carrying a groin strain but he should be passed fit.
Liverpool will be without Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure as he is at the African Cup of Nations. Daniel Sturridge won’t be seen playing for at least another fortnight (thigh) while quintet Adam Lallana (thigh/calf), Joe Allen (knee), Glen Johnson (thigh), Jon Flanagan (knee) and Brad Jones (thigh) all remained sidelined.
Burnley v QPR (kick off 15:00)
Burnley could be boosted by the return of their captain fore the clash with QPR. He’s managed to shrug off a calf strain just in time because fellow defender Michael Duff is out with a calf problem of his own and anterior cruciate ligament victim Kevin Long. David Jones is back after an illness but Matt Taylor (Achilles) and Stephen Ward (ankle) again miss out.
Mauro Zarate is in line to make his QPR debut after a loan move from West Ham. Sandro is still out injured while rested players from the FA Cup game last weekend all should return to the fray.
Chelsea v Newcastle (kick off 15:00)
Chelsea are expected to recall rested trio Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and John Terry for the clash with Newcastle after they were rested last weekend. Also expect Thibaut Courtois to be reinstated in the Blues’ goal.
Newcastle should be able to recall Tim Krul. The keeper has been out since November and he should replace Jak Alnwick in the starting XI. Caretaker manager John Carver will bring the squad back to full strength with the reinstatement of Moussa Sissoko, Daryl Janmaat, Fabricio Coloccini and Jack Colback. That will help compensate for being without Africa Cup of Nations attendees Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote.
Everton v Manchester City (kick off 15:00)
Everton have a pretty extensive casualty list but will be boosted by the returns of Antolin Alcaraz and Leighton Baines. Alcaraz is back from a ban while Baines comes back from injury. James McCarthy is set to miss out on facing Manchester City due to an ongoing hamstring problem while definitely missing this weekend will be Sylvain Distin (groin), Tim Howard (calf), Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman (foot), Darron Gibson (knee) and Steven Pienaar (knee).
Manchester City will be given a huge boost by the return of bighitters Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Vincent Kompany. However, City will be without Yaya Toure, who is travelling to the African Cup of Nations.
Leicester v Aston Villa (kick off 15:00)
Leicester will take on Aston Villa without several kep players. Esteban Cambiasso (hip), Kasper Schmeichel (foot), Jeff Schlupp (knee) and Riyad Mahrez, on African Nations Cup duty with Algeria, are all unavailable, whilst Danny Drinkwater is out with a groin strain. However, Dean Hammond and Andy King are back following minor injuries and Mark Schwarzer is in the matchday squad following a switch from Chelsea earlier in the week.
Aston Villa travel without skipper Ron Vlaar. He’ll be out until late February with a knee injury. But in good news for the Villians, Gabby Agbonlahor is back after a hamstring complaint.
Swansea v West Ham (kick off 15:00)
Swansea captain Ashley WiIlliams will make his 300th appearance for the club alongside Federico Fernandez in the centre of the defence. New signings Matt Grimes and Nelson Oliveira are in the matchday squad for the first time while Wilfried Bony and Ki Sung-yeung are on international duty. Jonjo Shelvey is banned and Jefferson Montero is out nursing his hamstring.
West Ham must face Swansea without Cheikhou Kouyate, who has gone to the African Cup of Nations, and Diafra Sakho, who has a knacked back. Other than that, West Ham are at full strength.
WBA v Hull (kick off 15:00)
West Brom are nearly at full strength for the clash with Hull. Jonas Olsson is the only absentee after recent Achilles surgery. Victor Anichebe is back in the matchday squad after recovering from a groin strain.
A calf injury is keeping Hull’s Sone Aluko on the sidelines but Michael Dawson is back in the squad following a hamstring strain. James Chester is carrying a knee injury but is thought to be passed fit for this game. However, definite absentees are Andy Robertson, Liam Rosenior, Gaston Ramirez and Mohamed Diame.
Crystal Palace v Tottenham (kick off 17:30)
New Crystal Palace gaffer Alan Pardew will be without Yannick Bolasie and Mile Jedinak for his first game at the helm. Both players are away on international duty but striker Marouane Chamakh is in line to return following a hamstring injury. Also on the verge of a comeback from injury is James McArthur.
Ryan Mason and Erik Lamela remain on Spurs’ casualty list this weekend. They are out with an ankle and calf issue respectively. Emmanuel Adebayor is still working his way to full fitness and will not be considered this weekend.
Sunday 11th January
Arsenal v Stoke (kick off 13:30)
Arsenal’s injury woes have lightened slightly with the return of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud for Sunday’s clash with Stoke. However, still keeping the physio busy are Danny Welbeck, Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere.
Stoke can welcome back Marc Muniesa, Victor Moses and Bojan Krkic for the tough trip to Arsenal. All three must first pass fitness tests but they should be deemed okay to feature in some capacity. New loan signing Philipp Wollscheid is available for selection but definitely missing will be knee injury victim Marc Wilson and Mame Biram Diouf, who is away representing Senegal.
Manchester United v Southampton (kick off 16:00)
Bar Ashley young, Manchester United are at full strength for the visit of Southampton. He’s facing up to six weeks on the physio table with a hamstring strain. New signing Victor Valdes should be included in the matchday squad while recent casualties Rafael, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini and Antonio Valencia are all in contention to feature.
Southampton could hand a Premier League debut to on-loan signing Eljero Elia, and he could be joined in the starting XI by Nathaniel Clyne and Jack Cork, who have both recovered from injury. However, definitely unavailable are Jay Rodriguez (cruciate ligament), Sam Gallagher (knee), Maya Yoshida (international duty), Sadio Mane (calf).
