All the latest ahead of the weekend's Premier League action

Saturday
Blackburn will again be without injured strikers Roque Santa Cruz (knee) and Jason Roberts (fractured metatarsal). It means defender Chris Samba is again likely to partner Benni McCarthy in attack at Ewood Park. David Dunn, Steven Reid and Brett Emerton all remain sidelined through injury.

Blackburn (15) v Portsmouth (14)

Pompey defenders Glen Johnson and Younes Kaboul are battling to recover from thigh muscle injuries while Noe Pamarot is suspended after being sent off against Arsenal last week. Veteran Linvoy Primus, back from a loan spell at Charlton, is likely to figure in the squad while David Nugent is pressing for a recall.

Last season:Portsmouth 0 Blackburn 1, Blackburn 0 Portsmouth 1
Last five league matches:Blackburn W L L W L; Portsmouth D W L D L
Top scorers:Benni McCarthy (Blackburn) 12; Peter Crouch (Portsmouth) 16

Bolton (12) v Sunderland (16)
Bolton midfielder Mark Davies is back in training after a knee injury but is unlikely to be match fit. Centre back Danny Shittu is edging closer to full fitness after a calf injury which has kept him out of the last two matches, while Ricardo Gardner could come back from a hamstring injury.

Sunderland midfielder Teemu Tainio could return to the squad after he missed the 2-0 home defeat by Everton with a knee problem. George McCartney (calf) is also back in full training, but is he unlikely to figure this weekend, while goalkeeper Craig Gordon is due to undergo an exploratory operation on his knee tomorrow and, like defender Nyron Nosworthy (hamstring), will not play again this season.

Last season:Bolton 2 Sunderland 0, Sunderland 3 Bolton 1 
Last five league matches:Bolton W L L D D; Sunderland L L W L L
Top scorers: Kevin Davies (Bolton) 12; Djibril Cisse (Sunderland) 11

Everton (6) v Tottenham (10)
Defender Tony Hibbert has been ruled out with a neck injury and will not recover in time for Everton. Fellow defender Lars Jacobsen and midfielder Leon Osman will undergo late fitness tests.

Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon has a groin strain, Benoit Assou-Ekotto is also struggling with a foot problem, David Bentley has a hamstring complaint and Jamie O’Hara requires knee surgery. Didier Zokora has a groin injury so joins Michael Dawson and Darren Bent on the sidelines.

Last season:Everton 0 Tottenham 0, Tottenham 1 Everton 3
Last five league matches:Everton W D D L W; Tottenham L W W L W
Top scorers:Marouane Fellaini & Tim Cahill (Everton) 9; Darren Bent (Tottenham) 17

Fulham (9) v Aston Villa (5)
Fulham strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora and defender Paul Konchesky face fitness tests tomorrow morning. Johnson missed last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Chelsea with a knee injury while Zamora hurt his hip and Konchesky damaged his knee in that match. Erik Nevland, who was taken off with a dead leg after scoring against Chelsea, has recovered.

Aston Villa are sweating on the fitness of defender Carlos Cuellar, who is still feeling under the weather after missing Monday’s home victory over Hull with flu, while winger Ashley Young and midfielder Stiliyan Petrov are both doubts after limping out of the win against the Tigers.

Last season:Fulham 2 Aston Villa 1, Aston Villa 2 Fulham 1
Last five league matches:Fulham L W D W L; Aston Villa L D D D W
Top scorers:Andrew Johnson (Fulham) 10; John Carew (Aston Villa) 14

Hull (17) v Stoke (13)
Hull pair Bernard Mendy and Craig Fagan are back in contention after missing Monday's defeat at Aston Villa. Dean Marney is likely to replace Ian Ashbee in midfield following news earlier this week the Tigers captain has ruptured a posterior cruciate ligament. Striker Caleb Folan serves the second match of a three-game ban.

Stoke duo James Beattie and Liam Lawrence face fitness tests. Beattie suffered a recurrence of a thigh injury in the defeat by West Ham while Lawrence has a problem with his hip. Amdy Faye, Danny Higginbotham, Mamady Sidibe and Salif Diao are all ruled out.

Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Hull D L L L L; Stoke W D W L L
Top scorers:Geovanni (Hull) 8; James Beattie (Stoke) 18

West Brom (20) v Wigan (11)
West Brom defender Paul Robinson is a doubt with an ankle injury while midfielder James Morrison is still struggling to overcome the heel problem which has troubled him in recent weeks. Midfielder Graham Dorrans is back in training after sustaining a foot injury and will be a late decision.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce hopes defenders Mario Melchiot and Paul Scharner recover in time. Club captain Melchiot was forced off at half-time against Bolton with a groin injury while Scharner followed him early in the second half with a knee problem. Emmerson Boyce and Erik Edman stand by should either not be fit.

Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:West Brom L D L W L; Wigan W L L L D
Top scorers: Chris Brunt (West Brom) 7; Amr Zaki (Wigan) 11

West Ham (7) v Liverpool (2)
West Ham striker Carlton Cole is approaching a return from his groin injury but the Liverpool game may come too soon. Savio (illness) is back in the squad and Jack Collison is pushing for a starting place following his knee injury. Scott Parker (groin) is out, along with James Collins (calf) and Kieron Dyer (hamstring). Dean Ashton (ankle), Valon Behrami (knee) and Danny Gabbidon (back/stomach) are out for the season.

Midfielder Xabi Alonso is out following the red-card tackle from Joey Barton that saw the Liverpool man carried off on a stretcher last weekend. Striker Fernando Torres (hamstring) and midfielder Javier Mascherano (ankle) are expected to play.

Last season:Liverpool 4 West Ham 0, West Ham 1 Liverpool 0
Last five league matches:West Ham W L D L W; Liverpool W W D W W
Top scorers:Carlton Cole (West Ham) 11; Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 21

Sunday

Arsenal (4) v Chelsea (3)
Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin is struggling to shake off a virus and has been unable to train for the past two days. Full back Gael Clichy (back) will now miss the rest of the season, along with fellow defender William Gallas (knee), striker Eduardo (groin) and long-term absentee Tomas Rosicky.

Didier Drogba is a doubt after suffering an ankle injury in the 1-1 Champions League draw with Barcelona on Wednesday. Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira are out for the season with knee ligament injuries.

Last season:Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1, Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0
Last five league matches:Arsenal W W D W W; Chelsea W W D W W
Top scorers:  Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) 18; Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) 22

Man Utd (1) v Man City (8)
Gary Neville has been included in the United squad after being out for a month with a foot injury. Wes Brown (foot) is out for the season, while Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes are among those hoping for a recall.

Manchester City midfielder Shaun-Wright Phillips is facing a race to be fit. Wright-Phillips has missed the last five games because of an ankle problem and today was rated “doubtful” by manager Mark Hughes. Pablo Zabaleta could be available after returning to training following a hamstring injury.

Last season:Man Utd 1 Man City 2, Man City 1 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches:Man Utd W W W W W; Man City L L W W W
Top scorers:Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 25; Robinho (Man City) 15

Monday

Newcastle (18) v Middlesbrough (19)
Newcastle boss Alan Shearer is facing a midfield headache as Joey Barton begins his three-match suspension after being sent off at Liverpool on Sunday, while Alan Smith is a major doubt with a thigh problem. Left back Jose Enrique (hamstring) is struggling, but central defender Steven Taylor (ankle) returned to training yesterday after two games on the sidelines and could figure.

Middlesbrough defender Andrew Taylor returns to the squad after recovering from injury. The full back has been out with a hip flexor problem. Skipper Emanuel Pogatetz will miss the rest of the season with the knee problem which has sidelined him for the last four games, and Chris Riggott (ankle) is also still out.

Last season:Newcastle 1 Middlesbrough 1, Middlesbrough 2 Newcastle 2
Last five league matches:Newcastle L D L D L; Middlesbrough L W D L L
Top scorers:Michael Owen (Newcastle) 10; Afonso Alves, Marlon King & Tuncay Sanli(Middlesbrough) 7