Premier League team news

All the team news ahead of the penultimate round of English Premier League games this weekend.

Aston Villa (6) v Wigan (14)

Olof Mellberg, who is joining Juventus at the end of the season, is in danger of missing his Villa Park farewell after being laid low by illness. Mellberg's absence would present manager Martin O'Neill with a major headache at right back. Craig Gardner, who has also played in the role this season, is still struggling with a thigh strain that has forced him to miss the last five games.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce thinks striker Emile Heskey will recover from an ankle injury and play. Ryan Taylor will fill in at right-back for captain Mario Melchiot (groin), who joins Erik Edman on the sidelines.
Last season: Aston Villa 1 Wigan 1, Wigan 0 Aston Villa 0
Last five league matches: Aston Villa L W W W D; Wigan L W D D D
Top scorers: John Carew (Aston Villa) 13; Marlon King (Wigan) 12
Match odds: H 8-15 A 9-2 D 5-2
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire).

Blackburn (8) v Derby (20)

Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy is doubtful with a hamstring injury. Despite him training this week, boss Mark Hughes admits the game may come too soon. Rovers are more hopeful defender Christopher Samba, who limped out of the action at Portsmouth last weekend with a thigh problem, will recover in time.

Derby are without defender Alan Stubbs after a recent operation on a knee problem. David Jones (calf) and Dean Leacock (hamstring) are also out but Kenny Miller and Hossam Ghaly will both be fit.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Blackburn D D L D W; Derby D L L L L
Top scorers: Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn) 21; Kenny Miller (Derby) 8
Match odds: H 3-10 A 7-1 D 10-3
Referee: Uriah Rennie (S Yorkshire).

Bolton (16) v Sunderland (13)

Bolton striker Kevin Davies returns from suspension. He also broke his hand on his last appearance against West Ham three weeks ago but that injury will not prevent him featuring. Midfielders Joey O'Brien and Ivan Campo are doubtful with hamstring and calf injuries respectively.

Jonny Evans returns to Sunderland's squad after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. Daryl Murphy (hamstring) is a doubt while Dickson Etuhu (knee) and Phil Bardsley (knee) are ruled out. Dwight Yorke and Ross Wallace come back into contention.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Bolton L L W W D; Sunderland W W L L W
Top scorers: Grzegorz Rasiak (Bolton) 8; Rade Prica (Sunderland) 13
Match odds: H 6-10 A 19-5 D 12-5
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Fulham (19) v Birmingham (18)

Fulham striker Jari Litmanen is fit but will not participate in the Craven Cottage showdown as he is short on match fitness. Otherwise Fulham are at full strength and boss Roy Hodgson could give Diomansy Kamara a start following his heroics against Manchester City.

Birmingham will give late fitness tests to right-back Stephen Kelly and midfielder Mehdi Nafti. Kelly, who is an ever present this season, has a knee problem while Nafti is battling to shake off a thigh strain. Frank Queudrue is on standby to take over from Kelly. Damien Johnson returns in midfield after completing the three-match ban he picked up after being sent off at Wigan last month.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches: Fulham D L W L W; Birmingham W L D L D
Top scorers: Erik Nevland (Fulham) 8; Mikael Forssell & James McFadden (Birmingham) 9
Match odds: H 11-10 A 15-8 D 23-10
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Man Utd (1) v West Ham (10)

Wayne Rooney could be on the bench for Manchester United but defender Nemanja Vidic is definitely out after suffering concussion. Rooney injured his hip against Chelsea last weekend and missed the Champions League semi-final victory over Barcelona. Patrice Evra is also available after being carried off on Tuesday.

West Ham expect winger Julien Faubert to have shaken off a slight hamstring problem but midfielder Freddie Ljungberg (cracked rib) has been added to the long list of injuries. Anton Ferdinand (hamstring) is back in light training — but is not expected to feature and neither is fellow centre-half Matthew Upson (calf).
Last season: Man Utd 0 West Ham 1, West Ham 1 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches: Man Utd W D W D L; West Ham L L L W D
Top scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 38; Dean Ashton (West Ham) 9
Match odds: H 1-8 A 14-1 D 5-1
Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

Middlesbrough (15) v Portsmouth (7)

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer could return after missing last weekend's defeat to Sunderland with a back injury. Striker Jeremie Aliadiere should be available after shaking off the dead leg which sidelined him for the trip to Wearside, but Robert Huth (foot) remains a doubt

Milan Baros returns to the Portsmouth attack to partner Jermain Defoe after recovering from a calf injury. Goalkeeper David James remains a serious doubt for the FA Cup final with a calf strain allowing Jamie Ashdown to continue in goal while Hermann Hreidarsson returns following his one-match ban and could replace Lauren at full-back.
Last season: Portsmouth 0 Middlesbrough 0, Middlesbrough 0 Portsmouth 4
Last five league matches: Middlesbrough L D D L L; Portsmouth W W D L L
Top scorers: Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough) 14; Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth) 16
Match odds: H 19-20 A 9-4 D 23-10
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

Reading (17) v Tottenham (11)

Reading will be without defender Ibrahima Sonko and midfielder Emerse Fae — both players have been suspended by the club for refusing to play for the reserves and will not feature again this season. Winger Glen Little (calf) is manager Steve Coppell's only doubt as Brynjar Gunnarsson and Jimmy Kebe are both back in contention following injury.

Spurs defender Alan Hutton picked up a toe injury last week but has returned to full training. However, captain Ledley King will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from knee surgery and fellow defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Gareth Bale (foot) are out for the rest of the campaign.
Last season: Tottenham 1 Reading 0, Reading 3 Tottenham 1
Last five league matches: Reading D L L L D; Tottenham L D D D D
Top scorers: Dave Kitson (Reading) 9; Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham) 23
Match odds: H 11-10 A 2-1 D 11-5
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Sunday, May 4th

Arsenal (3) v Everton (5)

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is rested as a precautionary measure after sustaining a slight thigh injury at Derby. Midfielder Mathieu Flamini could return on the bench after recovering from his ankle problem but winger Alexander Hleb is banned. Tomas Rosicky (knee) and Eduardo (broken leg) are sidelined.

Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta will not play again this season after finally admitting defeat in his battle with stomach and groin injuries. There are slight doubts over striker Andrew Johnson (calf) and midfielder Steven Pienaar (knee).
Last season: Everton 1 Arsenal 0, Arsenal 1 Everton 1
Last five league matches: Arsenal W D L W W; Everton L W D L D
Top scorers: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) 30; Ayegbeni Yakubu (Everton) 19
Match odds: H 4-6 A 19-5 D 11-5
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

Liverpool (4) v Man City (9)

Fernando Torres and Martin Skrtel are doubtful starters. Torres was withdrawn from the Champions League semi-final at Chelsea with a hamstring problem but it is not as serious as first thought. Skrtel was taken off early on in the same match with a knee injury. Peter Crouch could come into the side.

Richard Dunne is expected to return to the City defence after missing the defeat to Fulham with a hamstring injury. But fellow defender Micah Richards is unlikely to be risked as he continues to make slower than expected progress after his knee operation. Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov may return to the bench for the first time since August after his knee injury, while left-back Javi Garrido has also returned to training and may be considered.
Last season: Man City 0 Liverpool 0, Liverpool 1 Man City 0
Last five league matches: Liverpool W D W W D; Man City L L W W L
Top scorers: Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 31; Benjani Mwaruwari (Man City) 15
Match odds: H 8-13 A 5-2 D 7-2
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

Monday, May 5th

Newcastle (12) v Chelsea (2)

Mark Viduka will be available for Newcastle despite battling an Achilles injury. He is due to have an injection to address the problem but will play against the Blues before doing so. James Milner has recovered from a foot injury and Abdoulaye Faye (groin) and David Edgar (cut head) are expected to recover in time. Claudio Cacapa (groin) could also make the squad but Shay Given (hernia) is out and Stephen Carr (hamstring) is a doubt.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Midfielder Michael Ballack collected a slight leg injury against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday but should be fit enough to play. The only long-term absentee is goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini. He remains sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Last season: Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0, Chelsea 1 Newcastle 0
Last five league matches: Newcastle W W D W D; Chelsea W W D W W
Top scorers: Michael Owen (Newcastle) 12; Frank Lampard (Chelsea) 19
Match odds: H 4-1 A 8-15 D 13-5
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent).