Premier League team news and statistics

Soccer:All the latest team news ahead of this weekend's English Premier League fixtures.

Saturday, September 1st

Man City (5) v QPR (18)

City are still without striker Sergio Aguero and midfielder Gareth Barry. Aguero (knee) is likely to be out until mid-September while Barry (abdominal) might still be three or four weeks away from a return despite a recent reserves outing. England right-back Micah Richards (ankle) also remains on the sidelines.

Esteban Granero could make his QPR debut after he received international clearance following his move from Real Madrid. New goalkeeper Julio Cesar will not feature as he has not been given clearance and Samba Diakite is also missing for personal reasons. Alejandro Faurlin and Kieron Dyer could feature after returning from their respective long-term layoffs in midweek.
Last season:Man City 3 QPR 2, QPR 2 Man City 3
Last five league matches:Man City W W W W D; QPR L W L L D
Top scorers:Carlos Tevez (Man City) 3; Bobby Zamora (QPR) 2
Match odds:H 1-6 A 10-1 D 5-1
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Swansea (2) v Sunderland (13)

Chico Flores and Wayne Routledge are expected to be fit as Swansea look to continue their 100 per cent start. Defender Flores (groin) and winger Routledge (thigh) have had niggling injuries but boss Michael Laudrup is confident they will be available. New signing Ki Sung-yueng could be set for his Premier League debut.

Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher could both be handed Premier League debuts for Sunderland. Phil Bardsley (ankle), Wes Brown (knee) and David Vaughan (ankle) remain on the sidelines, while Ahmed Elmohamady has joined Hull on loan.
Last season:Sunderland 2 Swansea 0, Swansea 0 Sunderland 0
Last five league matches:Swansea D L W W W; Sunderland D D L L D
Top scorers:Miguel Michu (Swansea) 3; James McClean (Sunderland) 2
Match odds:H 23-20 A 21-10 D 2-1
Referee:Roger East (Wiltshire).

Tottenham (14) v Norwich (17)

Midfielder Mousa Dembele could be handed his Tottenham debut, while Steven Caulker could make his first Premier League start after fellow defender Younes Kaboul was ruled out with a knee injury. Scott Parker (Achilles), Giovani Dos Santos (calf) and Heurelho Gomes (ankle) are unavailable for the hosts.

Simon Lappin will miss the trip with an ankle ligament injury he picked up in the midweek Capital One Cup victory against Scunthorpe. Fellow midfielder Robert Snodgrass suffered a minor leg injury last weekend and should be fit. Goalkeeper Mark Bunn will not make the trip after signing from Blackburn but holding midfielder Alexander Tettey, signed from Rennes, could feature from the bench.
Last season:Tottenham 1 Norwich 2, Norwich 0 Tottenham 2
Last five league matches:Tottenham W D W L D; Norwich L D W L D
Top scorers:Dos Santos Giovani (Tottenham) 3; Wes Hoolahan, Simeon Jackson & Simon Lappin (Norwich) 1
Match odds:H 7-20 A 11-2 D 17-5
Referee:Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

West Brom (4) v Everton (3)

West Brom boss Steve Clarke will check on the fitness of several key players before finalising his side. Defenders Steven Reid, Jonas Olsson and Liam Ridgewell, midfielders James Morrison, Graham Dorrans and Jerome Thomas plus strikers Peter Odemwingie and Romelu Lukaku all missed the midweek Capital One Cup tie at Yeovil. Four of the eight returned to training yesterday with Clarke indicating another two will join in today, although he is keeping his cards close to his chest as to who will be available tomorrow.

David Moyes has a fully-fit squad.Phil Neville is available despite having to come off towards the end of Wednesday's Capital One Cup second-round victory over Leyton Orient with a hamstring problem, as is defender Tony Hibbert — who has missed the last two games with a neck injury.
Last season:Everton 2 West Brom 0, West Brom 0 Everton 1
Last five league matches:West Brom D D L W D; Everton D D W W W
Top scorers:Shane Long (West Brom) 2; Marouane Fellaini & Kevin Mirallas (Everton) 2
Match odds:H 7-4 A 13-10 D 21-10
Referee:Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).

West Ham (10) v Fulham (6)

England striker Andy Carroll is in line to make his West Ham debut after completing a season-long loan switch from Liverpool. Left-back George McCartney (ankle) and centre-halves James Collins (calf) and Winston Reid (knee) face late fitness tests after picking up knocks against Swansea. Jussi Jaaskelainen, Guy Demel, Mark Noble, Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis will return after they were rested in midweek.

Fulham welcome back the majority of the players who missed the midweek Capital One Cup loss at Sheffield Wednesday. Forward Mladen Petric did not feature in the 1-0 loss due to a slight knock, while midfielder Mahamadou Diarra was rested. Full-back John-Arne Riise returns after a muscular injury but Bryan Ruiz, a hamstring victim in midweek, is a doubt with Kerim Frei (pelvis) and Philippe Senderos (foot) still out.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:West Ham D W W W L; Fulham W W L W L
Top scorers:Modibo Maiga, Nicky Maynard & Kevin Nolan (West Ham) 1; Damien Duff & Mladen Petric (Fulham) 2
Match odds:H 29-20 A 6-4 D 11-5
Referee:Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).

Wigan (8) v Stoke (11)

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has no new injury worries but is likely to make several changes from the second-string side which beat Nottingham Forest in Tuesday’s Capital One Cup. Defender Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after he earned a red card in the clash while centre forward Mauro Boselli and winger Ryo Miyaichi could be in line for their first Premier League starts this season.

Stoke will assess the condition of winger Matthew Etherington, who has been sidelined for the last two games with a hamstring problem. Midfielder Jamie Ness and striker Mamady Sidibe (both groin) are out.
Last season:Wigan 2 Stoke 0, Stoke 2 Wigan 2
Last five league matches:Wigan W W W L W; Stoke D L D D D
Top scorers:Mauro Boselli, Franco Di Santo, Maynor Figueroa, Jordi Gomez, Arouna Kone & Callum McManaman (Wigan) 1; Peter Crouch, Kenwyne Jones, Michael Kightly & Jonathan Walters (Stoke) 1
Match odds:H 5-4 A 2-1 D 19-10
Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Sunday, September 2nd

Liverpool (16) v Arsenal (12)

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is available after serving a domestic suspension. Sebastian Coates replaced the Dane in last week’s draw with Manchester City. Brazilian midfielder Lucas has been ruled out for two to three months with a thigh injury but Rodgers otherwise has a fully-fit squad.

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny returns to the squad after recovering from a calf injury, but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny faces a fitness test on his rib problem. Midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) and defender Bacary Sagna (broken leg) continue their rehabilitation.
Last season:Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2, Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2
Last five league matches:Liverpool L W L L D; Arsenal D D W D D
Top scorers:Fabio Borini, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel & Luis Suarez (Liverpool) 1; Chu-Young Park (Arsenal) 2
Match odds:H 1-1 A 9-4 D 11-5
Referee:Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Newcastle (9) v Aston Villa (20)

Newcastle defender Ryan Taylor is out after suffering a knee injury in the Europa League qualifying victory over Atromitos, a game which also saw defender James Perch leave the field with a neck problem which sees him join midfielder Cheick Tiote (calf) and Shola Ameobi (hamstring) on the casualty list.

Villa newcomer Joe Bennett, who made the switch from Middlesbrough in midweek, has been included in the squad. Defender Ciaran Clark will return after serving a one-match suspension.
Last season:Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 1, Aston Villa 1 Newcastle 1
Last five league matches:Newcastle W L L W L; Aston Villa D D L L L
Top scorers:Demba Ba, Hatem Ben Arfa & Ryan Taylor (Newcastle) 1; Darren Bent, Fabian Delph, Karim El Ahmadi & Chris Herd (Aston Villa) 1
Match odds:H 11-20 A 4-1 D 3-1
Referee:Lee Probert (Wiltshire).

Southampton (19) v Man Utd (7)

Saints’ two new signings are unlikely to feature. Japan defender Maya Yoshida, who captained his country at the Olympics, is back in his native country to play in the upcoming internationals. Zambia striker Emmanuel Mayuka is also unlikely to feature after signing during the week, while former Chelsea trainee Jack Cork (ankle) remains a doubt.

Jonny Evans is set to return after recovering from a summer ankle operation and will partner Nemanja Vidic in central defence. Phil Jones (back) and Rio Ferdinand (groin) are back in training but unlikely to be involved, while Wayne Rooney (thigh), Ashley Young (knee) and Chris Smalling (foot) are all out.
Last season:No corresponding fixture
Last five league matches:Southampton W L W L L; Man Utd L W W L W
Top scorers:Steven Davis, Rickie Lambert, Tadanari Lee, Jason Puncheon, Ben Reeves & Billy Sharp, (Southampton) 1; Rafael Da Silva (Man Utd) 2
Match odds:H 4-1 A 6-10 D 16-5
Referee:Mike Dean (Wirral).