Injuries and suspensions

Weekend team news

May 17, 2013

Sunday's Premier League match

Chelsea

v

Everton

We say: Draw

Chelsea captain John Terry, midfielder Eden Hazard and left-back Ryan Bertrand will miss Sunday's match. Terry (ankle), Hazard (hamstring) and Bertrand (knee) were absent as the Blues won the Europa League final on Wednesday and again miss out, but striker Demba Ba is available for selection once more after being ineligible in Amsterdam.

Forward Victor Moses (leg) and midfielder John Obi Mikel (hip) were unused substitutes for the Blues in midweek, while Oriol Romeu travelled with the squad following his long-term absence with a knee problem and is in contention for the clash.

Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed captain Phil Neville has already played his final game for the club, with the defender being ruled out of the trip to Stamford Bridge.

Neville, whose career as a Toffees player is concluding this summer, has been sidelined recently by a knee problem and he will not be fit to feature in the match this weekend - Moyes' last in charge of the Merseyside outfit before he replaces retiring Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Moyes has also revealed that midfielder Leon Osman will miss the contest due to a knee complaint.

Liverpool

v

Queens Park Rangers

We say: Home win

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will captain the side at Anfield on his 737th and final appearance before retirement in the absence of Steven Gerrard. The midfielder - and also Joe Allen before him - had shoulder surgery last weekend which ruled him out of the victory at Fulham.b Centre-back Martin Skrtel missed the game at Craven Cottage through illness but could return alongside Carragher and while defender Martin Kelly returned to full training this week after a knee ligament operation he is not in line for consideration.

QPR striker Loic Remy is available for Sunday's game. Remy has been bailed following his arrest on suspicion of rape, a claim he denies.

Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt could miss out due to the death of his grandmother, while Shaun Wright-Phillips (ankle) and Andrew Johnson (knee) are definitely out.

Manchester City

v

Norwich City

We say: Home win

Manchester City were assessing defender Kolo Toure and striker Sergio Aguero ahead of the game. Both players limped off after suffering knocks in Tuesday's win at Reading while two other defenders, captain Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastasic, were rested and could return.

Right-back Pablo Zabaleta is available again after suspension but winger Scott Sinclair could face a lengthy spell out after surgery to recover a blood clot from his shoulder.

Central defender Michael Turner is still struggling with the groin injury he suffered against Reading last month and will miss out. Turner will now seek to rest before returning for pre-season training. Norwich manager Chris Hughton has no other injury concerns and goalkeeper John Ruddy, who was left out of the England squad for the upcoming friendlies, is set to start following his return in the 4-0 triumph against West Brom last week from a lengthy lay-off with a thigh problem.

Newcastle United

v

Arsenal

We say: Away win

Central defender Steven Taylor will return to the Newcastle squad. He missed the 2-1 victory at relegated QPR last weekend, which secured the Magpies' Premier League status, through illness, but has returned to training and is available.

Midfielder Sylvain Marveaux is fully fit after a groin injury, but keeper Rob Elliot is suspended following his dismissal at Loftus Road and 38-year-old Steve Harper will make what is likely to be his final appearance for the club after 20 years on Tyneside with Tim Krul nursing a dislocated shoulder.

Arsenal have a major doubt over midfielder Mikel Arteta (calf) for Sunday. England international Jack Wilshere, set to have an operation on his troublesome ankle next week, is on stand-by should he deemed fit enough to start and play on painkillers.

Striker Olivier Giroud returns from a three-match suspension, but midfielder Abou Diaby (knee) is a long-term absentee.

Southampton

v

Stoke City

We say: Draw

Rickie Lambert and Luke Shaw are doubts for Southampton's season finale. Top scorer Lambert has been struggling with a knock to his back for a month and will be assessed, while 17-year-old left-back Shaw has had a virus.

Neither has trained this week, although manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful they could feature at St Mary's. Steve de Ridder and Vegard Forren are two others in doubt, while Gaston Ramirez and Danny Fox are suspended.

Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam sits out the match as he serves a one-game ban after being dismissed for two bookable offences in a 2-1 defeat to Spurs at the Britannia Stadium five days ago.

Two other midfielders in Glenn Whelan (groin) and Brek Shea (calf) are both doubts, the latter picking up his injury in training this week.

Swansea City

v

Fulham

We say: Draw

Swansea expect goalkeeper Michel Vorm to be fit. The Dutchman suffered concussion in the win at Wigan, but is set to make his return for the last game of the season.

Ki Sung-Yueng is doubtful with a thigh problem, but Leon Britton is fit after shaking off a virus. Ben Davies is expected to come in for Neil Taylor at left-back.

Kieran Richardson will miss Fulham's trip to Swansea this weekend with a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old came off 15 minutes into last weekend's 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool and will miss the clash at the Liberty Stadium.

Steve Sidwell is suspended for the game, while long-term absentees Mahamadou Diarra (knee), Ashkan Dejagah (ankle) and Simon Davies (hip) are out.

Tottenham Hotspur

v

Sunderland

We say: Home win

Defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has recovered from a knee injury and is available for Tottenham's crunch clash. The Cameroon international sat out last weekend's win at Stoke, but has trained with the team this week and could come back into his usual left-back position.

Long-term absentees Sandro (knee), Younes Kaboul (thigh) and William Gallas (calf) are unavailable.

Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio will need to plug the hole left by loan signing Danny Rose. The England Under-21 international left-back is ineligible to play against his parent club, to which he returned after last weekend's 1-1 draw with Southampton, and midfielder Jack Colback seems the most likely man to fill in.

Striker Stephane Sessegnon completes his three-match ban while midfielder Craig Gardner sits out the second game of his enforced lay-off, although frontman Connor Wickham is available after returning as a substitute against the Saints following a month on the sidelines with a calf injury.

West Bromwich Albion

v

Manchester United

We say: Away win

West Brom right-back Steven Reid is head coach Steve Clarke's only injury doubt. The defender picked up a knock in last weekend's defeat by Norwich but does have a chance of recovering in time to feature in Sir Alex Ferguson's final game before retiring.

Captain Chris Brunt returned from injury at Carrow Road with no ill-effects while Marc-Antoine Fortune is back from a ban.

Sir Alex Ferguson is set to leave Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand on the bench for his final game as Manchester United manager. Instead, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones will be in central defence for Ferguson's 1,500th game as United boss.

Anders Lindegaard has been promised a start in goal, whilst Rafael serves the second game of his three-match suspension.

West Ham United

v

Reading

We say: Home win

Defender James Tomkins (calf) remains a fitness concern for West Ham. Forward Andy Carroll, who has been recalled to the England squad for friendlies with the Republic of Ireland and Brazil, is set for the last appearance of his loan spell from Liverpool.

Northern Ireland George McCartney (knee) remains sidelined.

Reading midfielder Hope Akpan may be involved in the final Premier League match of the season on Sunday. Akpan was on the bench against Manchester City on Tuesday but did not play having missed the previous four matches with an ankle problem. Winger Jimmy Kebe (groin) and goaleeper Adam Federici (ankle) could miss out once again.

Wigan Athletic

v

Aston Villa

We say: Draw

Callum McManaman will miss the game after suffering an ankle injury in the 4-1 defeat by Arsenal on Tuesday that condemned the Latics to relegation.

Forward McManaman has damaged ankle ligaments and, although he does not need an operation, manager Roberto Martinez expects him to be out for up to three months, meaning he will also miss the European Under-21 Championships in Israel next month.

Martinez has concerns over a couple of knocks and niggles but wing-back Jean Beausejour will hope to return from a hamstring problem.

Aston Villa will be without suspended striker Christian Benteke. The 19-goal forward has a ban to serve following his dismissal for two bookings in last weekend's defeat by Chelsea, possibly handing Darren Bent a rare start.

Right-back Matthew Lowton could return following a thigh problem while midfielder Karim El Ahmadi (also thigh) is back in contention, but defender Ciaran Clark (foot) misses out.