FA CUP & EPL WEEKEND PREVIEW Saturdays FA Cup match Arsenal vs. Everton We say: Home win Arsenal will be without Jack Wilshere (fractured foot), who is set to be sidelined for around eight weeks. France defender Laurent Koscielny faces a fitness test on a hamstring problem also sustained while away on international duty, so captain Thomas Vermaelen is on standby to deputise. Full-back Nacho Monreal (ankle) will also be assessed as manager Arsene Wenger looks to utilise his squad. Midfielders Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and deadline-day loan signing Kim Kallstrom (back) are stepping up their rehabilitation, but Theo Walcott and Abou Diaby remain long-term absentees. Goalkeeper Joel Robles is set to continue his FA Cup run in the side by replacing Tim Howard for the quarterfinal tie at Arsenal. Captain Phil Jagielka is unlikely to feature having missed last weekends win over West Ham and Englands midweek friendly with a hamstring injury but fellow centre-back Antolin Alcaraz is fit again after six weeks out with a muscle problem. On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku is set to start having come off the bench to score the winner against the Hammers. Sundays FA Cup matches Sheffield United vs. Charlton Athletic We say: Away win Harry Maguire, Jamie Murphy, John Brayford and Stephen McGinn will all be assessed. Defender Maguire has missed the last two games due to a knee injury, while Murphy and Brayford sat out the midweek win against Peterborough with respective groin and calf problems and McGinn suffered a recurrence of a back injury in midweek. Charlton are hopeful Michael Morrison, Jordan Cousins and Simon Church will be fit. Defender Morrison suffered a thigh strain during last weekends 3-0 Championship defeat by Leicester while midfielder Cousins and striker Church also picked up knocks, with the latter forced to withdraw from the Wales squad in midweek. Full-back Chris Solly and centre-half Leon Cort remain sidelined by knee injuries although both are making progress. Fit-again goalkeeper Ben Hamer (ankle) is set to keep his place ahead of January signing Yohann Thuram-Ulien. Hull City vs. Sunderland We say: Home win Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo are in line to lead the Hull attack for their FA Cup quarterfinal against Sunderland. January signings Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic are both cup-tied, forcing manager Steve Bruce into changes up front. Maynor Figueroa is a doubt having had a gruelling friendly trip to Honduras in midweek, but otherwise there are no new injury concerns for the Tigers. Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt returns to the squad for Sundays FA Cup quarterfinal trip to Hull. The 24-year-old Scotland international was ineligible for the Capital One Cup final having played in the competition for former club Brighton earlier in the competition, but is available this weekend. Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood (shoulder) remains the only man on the long-term casualty list after undergoing shoulder surgery which is likely to rule him out for much of the remainder of the season. Manchester City vs. Wigan Athletic We say: Home win Manchester City are still without defender Matija Nastasic (knee) and striker Stevan Jovetic (hamstring) for Sundays FA Cup quarterfinal against Wigan. Striker Edin Dzeko is in contention despite reports that he was unhappy about playing 90 minutes for Bosnia-Herzegovina in midweek due to a fitness issue. With manager Manuel Pellegrini regularly playing his second-choice goalkeeper in domestic cup ties, there could be another opportunity for Costel Pantilimon. FA Cup holders Wigan are unlikely to have top scorer Nick Powell back in time when they face Manchester City in a rematch of last years final. Saturdays Premier League matches West Bromwich Albion vs. Manchester United We say: Away win West Brom look likely to be without key midfielders Chris Brunt and James Morrison for their Premier League clash at home to Manchester United. Captain Brunt and fellow senior squad member Morrison both returned with knocks from international duty for Northern Ireland and Scotland respectively and will be assessed before the match. Nicolas Anelka will begin his five-match ban while right-back Billy Jones (torn hamstring) is out, but Stephane Sessegnon and Claudio Yacob are both back in contention. Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is fit to face West Brom on Saturday even though he fell ill on international duty this week. Striker Javier Hernandez is unavailable after he suffered a knee injury in Mexicos friendly against Nigeria, but forward Juan Mata returns after being cup-tied for Uniteds Champions League defeat to Olympiacos. Centre-back Phil Jones (hip) could return but Jonny Evans (calf) and winger Nani (hamstring) are doubtful. Sundays matches Cardiff City vs. Fulham We say: Draw Cardiff midfielder Jordon Mutch is expected to start in the Premier League relegation battle against Fulham. Mutch shook off a hamstring problem and played as a substitute in last weekends 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. The 22-year-old scored the winner to hand the Bluebirds a 2-1 win at Fulham earlier this season. Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no fresh injury concerns to report. Striker Kostas Mitroglou could feature despite concerns over his hamstrings and match fitness. Midfielder Scott Parker is out after suffering a knee injury in training which is not too serious, but winger Damien Duff (knee) has likely played his last game of the season, and possibly for the Cottagers as he is out of contract this summer. Defender Fernando Amorebieta is still out, while William Kvist is likely to be absent with hamstring problems, despite playing 90 minutes for Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday night. Crystal Palace vs. Southampton We say: Draw Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis could be without Marouane Chamakh for Saturdays Premier League clash against Southampton. The striker injured a hamstring in last weekends 1-1 draw at Swansea and is struggling to be fit. Kagisho Dikgacoi did not travel for international duty with South Africa but Pulis is hopeful he can play some part against Saints. Southampton will assess their international players as they had a total of 18 players away during the week and not all have had their fitness confirmed. Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez were two of those away and will be looking to kick on after playing substantial parts against Liverpool last weekend -- their first game back since respective ankle ligament issues. Norwich City vs. Stoke City We say: Home win Norwich hope to have striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel (knee) and winger Robert Snodgrass (wrist) available, while fit-again midfielder Jonny Howson is pressing for a start after coming off the bench late on in the 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa. Defenders Joseph Yobo (muscle strain) and Martin Olsson (shoulder) are also in the squad despite missing out on international friendlies for Nigeria and Sweden respectively with minor knocks. On-loan winger Jonas Gutierrez (calf) and centre-back Michael Turner (hamstring) should start full training next week, but midfielder Leroy Fer (hamstring) and winger Elliott Bennett (knee) are still not close to a return. Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam misses the trip to Norwich as he begins a three-match suspension for stamping on Olivier Giroud in last weekends win over Arsenal. Forward Peter Odemwingie, who missed last weeks match with a calf problem, could return to the squad. Marko Arnautovic is a doubt after returning from international duty with Austria with a hamstring problem while defender Geoff Cameron did not train on Friday after playing 90 minutes for the USA. Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur We say: Home win Ashley Cole is out of Chelseas Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday with a minor knee injury. The 33-year-old left-back, who has been second choice at Chelsea to Cesar Azpilicueta in recent weeks, suffered a lateral ligament injury in training on Thursday which will keep him out for eight to 10 days. Chelsea have a number of undisclosed concerns following the midweek internationals, with defender David Luiz thought to be among them after exacerbating a groin injury while on Brazil duty, but Eden Hazard is fit to feature despite fears of an ankle knock suffered playing for Belgium.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 05:54:03 +0000
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