Premier League team news and statistics
Soccer:All the latest team news ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixtures.
Saturday, January 12th
Aston Villa (16) v Southampton (17)
Villa skipper Ron Vlaar has returned to training after a calf injury and could play some part. Midfielders Ashley Westwood (ankle) and Brett Holman (virus) are in contention but striker Darren Bent (knee), defenders Chris Herd (foot) and Richard Dunne (groin), winger Marc Albrighton (metatarsal) and goalkeeper Shay Given (hamstring) are out.
Saints are without knee victims Jose Fonte and Adam Lallana, while Emmanuel Mayuka is unavailable after linking up with Zambia for the African Nations Cup. Gaston Ramirez and Nathaniel Clyne return from a dead leg and knee problem respectively.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Aston Villa W L L L D; Southampton W L D D D
Top scorers(all competitions): Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) 12; Rickie Lambert (Southampton) 8
Match odds:H 13-10 A 15-8 D 23-10
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Everton (5) v Swansea (9)
Everton manager David Moyes is optimistic Leighton Baines will be available — the left-back has been nursing an ankle problem and Moyes says he is monitoring the England international’s condition but expects him to be fit for tomorrow’s match. It remains to be seen whether or not forward Kevin Mirallas, sidelined recently by a hamstring injury, is ready to make his return to action.
Swansea boss Michael Laudrup has no new injury concerns but the Dane may decide to make changes given the short turnaround from the midweek Capital One Cup win at Chelsea. Michel Vorm will return in goal while Kemy Agustien, Nathan Dyer and Danny Graham could all be handed starts with Swansea facing a third game in six days.
Last season:Swansea 0 Everton 2, Everton 1 Swansea 0
Last five league matches:Everton D W W L W; Swansea L D D W D
Top scorers(all competitions): Marouane Fellaini (Everton) 9; Michu (Swansea) 16
Match odds:H 8-15 A 5-1 D 11-4
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Fulham (13) v Wigan (18)
Mahamadou Diarra and Kerim Frei are unavailable for Fulham, whose boss Martin Jol welcomes back Mladen Petric, Damien Duff, Mark Schwarzer and John Arne Riise after the FA Cup third round draw with Blackpool. Diarra (knee) and Frei (pelvis) are out, though, while right-back Stephen Kelly is set to join Reading.
Midfielder Roger Espinoza is set for his Wigan debut and fellow new boy Angelo Henriquez is pushing for a start. However, defenders Antolin Alcaraz (groin) and Adrian Lopez (hamstring) and midfielders Ben Watson (broken leg), Albert Crusat (knee) and Ryo Miyaichi (ankle) are all out.
Last season:Fulham 2 Wigan 1, Wigan 0 Fulham 2
Last five league matches:Fulham L L D L W; Wigan L L L W L
Top scorers(all competitions): Dimitar Berbatov (Fulham) 7; Jordi Gomez & Arouna Kone (Wigan) 6
Match odds:H 5-6 A 3-1 D 12-5
Referee:Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Norwich (12) v Newcastle (15)
Norwich could have captain Grant Holt back from a hamstring problem but fellow striker Steve Morison (thigh) remains sidelined, so Simeon Jackson is pressing for a start. Midfielder Jonny Howson is expected to shake off a virus but defender Steven Whittaker (hip) and winger Andrew Surman (hip) continue their rehabilitation, while goalkeeper John Ruddy (thigh) remains a long-term absentee after surgery on his thigh injury.
Fabricio Coloccini is set to return for the Magpies despite rumours linking him with a move back to Argentina. Full-back Mathieu Debuchy makes his debut and Papiss Cisse returns after missing the FA Cup loss at Brighton. Yohan Cabaye is set to return to the bench after a groin strain, but Steven Taylor and Hatem Ben Arfa again miss out and Shola Ameobi is suspended.
Last season:Newcastle 1 Norwich 0, Norwich 4 Newcastle 2
Last five league matches:Norwich W L L L L; Newcastle L W L L L
Top scorers(all competitions): Robert Snodgrass (Norwich) 5; Papiss Cisse (Newcastle) 6
Match odds:H 23-20 A 11-5 D 23-10
Referee:Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
