Tweet
Brief news ahead of this weekend's Premier League matches (times GMT):
* Tottenham Hotspur's injury-hit defender Ledley King could make a rare back-to-back appearance for the club against league leaders Chelsea on Saturday (1630), after a superb performance in the 2-1 midweek win over Arsenal.
Midfielder Niko Kranjcar's season is over, however, with torn ankle ligaments, while fellow Croatian international Vedran Corluka is sidelined with an ankle injury. Wilson Palacios is still suspsended.
Chelsea, who are four points clear of Manchester United in the league with four games remaining, could rest fullback Paulo Ferreira following the return to fitness of Branislav Ivanovic (www.chelseafc.com).
* Second-placed Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will give late fitness tests to trio Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs ahead of Saturday's local derby at Manchester City (1145).
"It's a pivotal week of the season for four teams - ourselves, Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs. Being selfish, we obviously hope that we and Spurs both win," Ferguson told the club website (www.manutd.com).
City manager Roberto Mancini could be boosted by the return from injury of midfield duo Stephen Ireland and Patrick Vieira and fullback Wayne Bridge, while Pablo Zabaleta is available after suspension (www.mcfc.co.uk).
Meanwhile, United midfielder Paul Scholes has signed a new one-year contract keeping him at Old Trafford until June 2011.
* Mid-table Stoke City will be without Ryan Shawcross and Mamady Sidibe for Saturday's home match with Bolton Wanderers (1400), while striker Ricardo Fuller and winger Matthew Etherington are doubtful with injuries.
"We won't be taking any risks with Ryan, he is too important to this club, while Mama is on the mend, but it more likely to be fit for Chelsea," Stoke manager Tony Pulis told the club website (www.stokecityfc.com).
* Sam Allardyce's Blackburn Rovers will be without injured defender Christopher Samba for the visit of in-form Everton on Saturday (1400).
The central defender has not recovered from a groin strain but Martin Olsson and Brett Emerton are expected to be fit, Rovers said on their website (www.rovers.co.uk).
* Third-placed Arsenal are likely to have lost injured defender Thomas Vermaelen for the remainder of the season and will assess the fitness of midfielder Denilson ahead of Sunday's trip to lowly Wigan Athletic (1230).
Fit-again Dutch forward Robin van Persie could feature from the start after impressing in his midweek substitute appearance against Spurs.
"We have to check him today and we see how he responds to that. It was a massive gamble as he had not played. But we'll see how he is and hopefully he'll get a few games now," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club website (www.arsenal.com).
(Reporting by Neil Maidment; Additional reporting by Ken Ferris; Editing by John Mehaffey; to query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Powered by WizardRSS | Full RSS Feeds
