Cole still an absentee for Chelsea
Norwich defender Russell Martin’s back injury will continue to be assessed ahead of kick-off. Centre-half Michael Turner (dead leg) and full-back Javier Garrido (knee) both went off during last weekend’s home win over Stoke but should be available. Striker Harry Kane (foot) remains out.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Reading D D L D D; Norwich L L W D W
Top scorers:Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading) 5; Grant Holt (Norwich) 3
Match odds:H 1-1 A 11-5 D 9-4
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Southampton (20) v Swansea (11)
Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc is back in contention after the club investigated claims he threw a bottle at home fans and swore at them in the club’s home game against Tottenham. Midfielder Jack Cork is also available again after a knee injury, but right-back Frazer Richardson (groin) is not quite ready for a first-team return.
Swansea defender Chico Flores is set to miss out as he struggles to overcome a dead leg. Manager Michael Laudrup rates him as “very doubtful”. Club captain Garry Monk is set to continue in the centre of defence while Michel Vorm (groin), Kyle Bartley (thigh) and Neil Taylor (broken ankle) are all out.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Southampton L D L L L; Swansea L D W L D
Top scorers:Rickie Lambert (Southampton) 4; Miguel Michu (Swansea) 7
Match odds:H 6-5 A 7-4 D 23-10
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Stoke (15) v QPR (19)
Stoke will be without midfielder Rory Delap and striker Michael Owen. Delap is due to undergo a hernia operation next week, while Owen is out with a hamstring injury but should be fit for next weekend’s game at West Ham. They join Marc Wilson on the sidelines, the defender likely to be unavailable until February after recently fracturing his left fibula.
Stephane Mbia remains under suspension for QPR. Captain Park Ji-sung missed last weekend’s draw against Reading with a knee injury and is also a major doubt for tomorrow’s game. Fabio (hamstring) and Andrew Johnson (knee) remain sidelined, but manager Mark Hughes hopes to have the former fit for QPR’s following game against Southampton.
Last season:QPR 1 Stoke 0, Stoke 2 QPR 3
Last five league matches:Stoke W D L D L; QPR L L D L D
Top scorers:Peter Crouch (Stoke) 5; Bobby Zamora (QPR) 4
Match odds:H 5-6 A 11-4 D 9-4
Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Wigan (13) v West Brom (5)
Midfielder James McArthur has a dead leg and is a doubt for Wigan. Home boss Roberto Martinez will again be without wingers Ryo Miyaichi (groin) and Albert Crusat (knee).
West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill is on standby to play his first senior game for the club in 21 months. He will step in if Ben Foster fails to recover from a recurring groin problem. Midfielder James Morrison could be available after missing the 2-0 home win against Southampton on Monday with a hamstring injury.
Last season:Wigan 1 West Brom 1, West Brom 1 Wigan 2
Last five league matches:Wigan L D L W W; West Brom D W L L W
Top scorers:Arouna Kone, Franco Di Santo & Mauro Boselli (Wigan) 3; Shane Long (West Brom) 5
Match odds:H 13-10 A 17-10 D 11-5
Referee:Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).
Sunday.
Chelsea (2) v Liverpool (12)
