Weekend previews

A look at the weekend's matches in the English Premiership

Liverpool v Man City

Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson all return to the Liverpool squad after they were rested against Hearts. Andy Carroll, who travelled but missed out with a hamstring problem, will be assessed in the next 48 hours. City are without last season’s top scorer Sergio Aguero after he suffered a knee injury last weekend.

Swansea v West Ham

Defender Chico Flores is a doubt for Swansea with a groin problem and will undergo a fitness test, while striker Itay Shechter will miss out as the Welsh club are still awaiting the completion of the paperwork for his loan move from Kaiserslautern. Matt Jarvis will go straight into Sam Allardyce’s squad for the match in the only change from last weekend’s win over Aston Villa.

Norwich v QPR

Norwich will be without winger Elliott Bennett, who has a knee problem, although new signings Sebastien Bassong and Javier Garrido, who now has international clearance on his season-long loan from Lazio, are both in contention. New signing Jose Bosingwa could make his QPR debut after last week’s embarrassing 5-0 home defeat to Swansea.

Tottenham v WBA

Defender Jan Vertonghen is likely to make his Tottenham debut but Luka Modric will not feature. Michael Dawson is available despite holding talks with QPR while Emmanuel Adebayor is available after his transfer from Manchester City. West Brom boss Steve Clarke hopes to have a full squad, including midfielder Graham Dorrans, whose daughter is recovering from meningitis in hospital.

Sunderland v Reading

Steven Fletcher could make his Sunderland debut after he joined from Wolves for an undisclosed fee although Wes Brown (knee ligaments), Phil Bardsley (ankle) and David Vaughan (ankle) are still recovering from injuries and will miss out. Reading striker Jason Roberts is back from suspension but a calf problem is likely to see him start on the bench.

Manchester U v Fulham

Robin van Persie is set to make his first start while fellow Dutchman Alexander Buttner will be involved, most likely starting on the bench. Clint Dempsey will be missing from Fulham’s squad once again while Kerim Frei (pelvis) and Philippe Senderos (foot) are unavailable, but Zdenek Grygera (knee) has been passed fit.

Southampton v Wigan

Jack Cork remains Southampton’s only injury concern and Tadanari Lee could be involved after he played 70 minutes for the development team this week following a foot injury. Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is monitoring the fitness of wide man Jean Beausejour who missed last Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea.

Aston Villa v Everton

Striker Nathan Delfouneso will boost Aston Villa’s attacking options after recovering from a thigh injury, while defender Chris Herd will also be included. David Moyes will make a late decision on whether to include new signing Kevin Mirallas in his squad, while Sylvain Distin (back) and Nikica Jelavic (groin) are minor injury concerns.

Stoke v Arsenal

Tony Pulis has no fresh injury concerns but will be without Dean Whitehead who is serving a one-match ban after he was dismissed against Reading. Arsenal will assess goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has a minor rib problem, but winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (ankle) is fit again, along with reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (back).

Chelsea v Newcastle

Chelsea are likely to be without captain John Terry (neck), although David Luiz is expected to be fit after sitting out the 4-2 victory over Reading in midweek. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will make late checks on skipper Fabricio Coloccini and striker Demba Ba, although Cheick Tiote (calf) and Shola Ameobi (hamstring) remain doubts.