Saturday's matches| Charlton Athletic | v | Portsmouth |
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Charlton have been badly hit by injuries. Djimi Traore suffered a hairline fracture to his left leg against Arsenal while fellow new arrivals Andy Reid and Souleymane Diawara picked up hamstring injuries. Manager Iain Dowie is also missing Jerome Thomas (metatarsal), Gonzalo Sorondo (back), Cory Gibbs (knee) and Jonathan Fortune (toe). Hermann Hreidarsson is suspended. Harry Redknapp is pondering changes to his unbeaten Portsmouth team after new signings Andy Cole, Niko Kranjcar and Roudolphe Douala proved their fitness in a midweek reserve game. Pompey, yet to concede a goal in four matches, can go top of the table with their fourth win of the season and skipper Dejan Stefanovic is expected to pass a late test on a toe injury after unfounded fears of a fracture. Midfielder Gary O'Neil should also recover from a stomach strain while another newcomer Manuel Fernandes is likely to be held back. | Bolton Wanderers | v | Middlesbrough |
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Stelios Giannakopoulos has recovered from a groin strain and will return to the squad. The Greek midfielder missed the win over Watford but has been declared fit after making good progress on the training ground to give boss Sam Allardyce a timely boost. Allardyce is still struggling with the absences of Kevin Davies (cheekbone), Henrik Pedersen (Achilles), Joey O'Brien and Ricardo Gardner (both knee). Middlesbrough will be without suspended skipper George Boateng. The Holland midfielder was sent off in last Saturday's gritty 1-1 draw at Arsenal and tough-tackling Teesside teenager Lee Cattermole stands by to deputise. Both Jonathan Woodgate and Jason Euell are expected to retain their places after impressive Boro debuts at the Emirates Stadium and manager Gareth Southgate is likely to continue his away-day policy of fielding a lone striker - Yakubu - up front, meaning more bench duty for Mark Viduka.
Scotland forward James McFadden is likely to be out for a month with the hamstring injury he suffered on international duty, meaning Tim Cahill being used in a more advanced role in support of in-form striker Andy Johnson. Defender Alan Stubbs is still recovering from a knee injury. Everton's unbeaten start to the campaign means senior players Simon Davies, James Beattie and Nuno Valente will be made to wait for their chance on the bench. New signing Kevin Kilbane looks set to make his debut. Striker Svetoslav Todorov may also be handed a first start by Wigan manager Paul Jewell following his arrival from Portsmouth if Henri Camara fails to shake off a hamstring problem. Camara faces a late fitness check, along with Lee McCulloch who missed last Saturday's defeat at Portsmouth with a knee problem. | Sheffield United | v | Reading |
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French striker Christian Nade could be in line for his first start. Danny Webber's groin injury allowed the 21-year-old to play 73 minutes against Blackburn - his longest spell of his three matches since signing from Troyes in June. Midfielder Michael Tonge will be given until the morning of the match to prove his fitness after sustaining a twisted ankle in training, while Claude Davis (knee), Craig Short (thigh) and Leigh Bromby (hamstring) are unlikely to make the starting line-up. Reading centre-back Ivar Ingimarsson has been cleared to play after suffering a head injury. The Iceland international, who clashed heads with City's Sylvain Distin, suffered blurred vision but was not concussed. Striker Dave Kitson (knee) and defenders Sam Sodje (knee) and Aaron Brown (ankle) remain sidelined, however.
Watford will be without former England defender Chris Powell. The 37-year-old left-back is likely to be unavailable for three weeks due to a calf injury, and joins centre-back Clarke Carlisle, who is still suffering from a chest infection, on the sidelines. Powell's place on the left side of the defence is likely to be taken by Jordan Stewart as Adrian Boothroyd's men aim to bounce back from last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Bolton. Milan Baros is pushing for a recall. Baros, back to full fitness following his recovery from the foot injury he picked up at the World Cup, pressed his claims for a starting role with two goals for the reserves against Portsmouth in midweek. Holland left-back Wilfred Bouma is also bidding for a start, having come through 90 minutes for the reserves after a groin problem, while Didier Agathe comes into the squad for the first time after the former Celtic utility player signed a short-term deal this week following a trial. Sunday's matches
Arjen Robben is back in the squad after missing four games with a calf injury which he suffered in the warm-up at Middlesbrough. Joe Cole is out because his knee injury flared up after coming on for the last 10 minutes of Tuesday's Champions League tie against Werder Bremen. It is a setback for England midfielder Cole who has not started a game since he injured his knee in pre-season. Danish youngster Daniel Agger ousted veteran defender Sami Hyypia against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, and did well against Chelsea in the Community Shield in Cardiff pre-season and could retian his place. Elsewhere Liverpool have favoured a high-speed pairing up front in Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy, which could leave Peter Crouch on the bench. Benitez will also consider Jermaine Pennant in a right-wing role after his excellent display in Eindhoven. John Arne Riise is still out with an ankle injury. | Blackburn Rovers | v | Manchester City |
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Blackburn striker Francis Jeffers is available after a recent red card was overturned. Jeffers was sent off in a reserve match against Manchester United, incurring a three-match suspension, only for the club to successfully win an appeal. Midfielder Steven Reid is definitely out after today undergoing a scan to discover the cause of a niggly back problem. Dietmar Hamann is set to make his debut. The German midfielder picked up a foot injury in pre-season but is now fit and should take over from Ousmane Dabo, who starts a three-match ban after his appeal against Monday's red card at Reading was turned down. Fellow new signing DaMarcus Beasley could be on the bench but Darius Vassell (knee), Nedum Onuoha and Sun Jihai (both hamstring) and Andreas Isaksson (ankle) all miss out. | Tottenham Hotspur | v | Fulham |
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Martin Jol is without the injured Aaron Lennon. Lennon is out for six weeks with a cartilage problem that requires surgery. Striker Dimitar Berbatov, struggling with a persistent groin injury, is also set to miss out with Jol rating his chances as 'very doubtful'. Midfielders Danny Murphy and Hossam Ghaly, who both missed the trip to face Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup with calf and groin injuries respectively, should be back in contention. Wayne Routledge is unavailable. The England under-21 winger joined Fulham in a one-year loan deal with the terms of the contract preventing him from playing against his club Spurs. Claus Jensen should be fit after recovering from his calf strain but Ahmad Elrich (knee), Simon Elliott (calf) and Jimmy Bullard (knee) are out. | West Ham United | v | Newcastle United |
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Alan Pardew will resist making too many changes. West Ham have a quick turnaround following their UEFA Cup defeat to Palermo but Pardew wants his strongest side out against Newcastle. Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez could make their first Premiership starts. Marlon Harewood is pushing for a place in the side after making a big impact from the bench against Palermo. Newcastle will give late fitness tests to defenders Titus Bramble and Steven Taylor. Bramble suffered knee and ankle injuries in the 1-0 UEFA Cup victory over Levadia Tallinn, while Taylor missed the midweek game with a badly bruised foot. Peter Ramage is on stand-by to partner Craig Moore, while Celestine Babayaro is battling a hamstring problem, Olivier Bernard is fighting for match fitness and Nolberto Solano is out with a hamstring strain. | Manchester United | v | Arsenal |
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Cristiano Ronaldo returns after sitting out the midweek Champions League triumph over Celtic through suspension but Ryan Giggs is ruled out for a month with a hamstring strain. Park Ji-Sung (ankle) is out for three months but Nemanja Vidic and Alan Smith are available. Arsenal have doubts over captain Thierry Henry (foot) and Robin van Persie (hip). Defender Kolo Toure is, though, expected to play despite hobbling off against Hamburg in the Champions League on Wednesday night with a hip injury. Goal-scoring midfielder Tomas Rosicky is pressing to keep his place in the starting XI, although Freddie Ljungberg was rested in midweek and could return. Philippe Senderos (shoulder), Gael Clichy (foot), Lauren (knee) and Abou Diaby (ankle) are all around four to six weeks away from a return. |
16 / 09 / 2006 11:53