PREVIEW: Team news and statistics ahead of this weekend's games
Today
Chelsea v Cardiff City
CHELSEA captain John Terry misses the game after being allowed to take leave by manager Carlo Ancelotti. Left-back Ashley Cole (ankle) is out, while knee injuries sideline midfielder Deco and right-back Juliano Belletti. Some regulars, including striker Nicolas Anelka and goalkeeper Petr Cech, will be rested.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones has major selection problems, with Jay Bothroyd (ankle) a major doubt. Stephen McPhail (pancreas) joins Mark Hudson (ankle), Miguel Comminges (thigh), Gavin Rae (hamstring), Joe Ledley (hips), Josh Magennis (broken fibula) and Kelvin Etuhu (ankle) on the sidelines, while Tony Capaldi is cup-tied. Michael Chopra and Gabor Gyepes will be asked to battle through illness.
Top scorers(all competitions): Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 22, Peter Whittingham (Cardiff) 18. Match odds: H 1-6; A 14-1; D 6-1. Referee: Andre Marriner.
Derby County v Birmingham City
RAMS manager Nigel Clough could name an unchanged starting line-up – but there will be a change to the squad as new signing David Martin is ineligible having played against Derby for Millwall in the third round of the competition. Lee Croft could replace Martin on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Birmingham striker Christian Benitez is available after recovering from an ankle injury. Manager Alex McLeish has to decide whether to recall wide players James McFadden and Sebastian Larsson or persevere with Craig Gardner and Keith Fahey, who replaced them in the defeat at West Ham. Left-back David Murphy and midfielder Teemu Tainio have resumed training after knee problems but will not be considered.
Top scorers(all competitions): Rob Hulse (Derby) 8, Lee Bowyer (Birmingham) 6. Match odds: H 2-1; A 11-8; D 9-4. Referee: Martin Atkinson.
Manchester City v Stoke City
CAPTAIN Kolo Toure has recovered from a knee injury and returns to partner Joleon Lescott in central defence, with Vincent Kompany (groin) out. Craig Bellamy (knee) is also sidelined, while new signing Adam Johnson is cup-tied having played against City for Middlesbrough earlier in the competition.
Stoke captain Abdoulaye Faye has missed the last two matches with a back problem but may be ready to return, while manager Tony Pulis has confirmed one or two other unnamed players had minor knocks which will all need to be assessed prior to the evening kick-off. Ricardo Fuller could return to the starting line-up at the expense of Tuncay Sanli.
Top scorers(all competitions): Carlos Tevez (Man City) 19, Dave Kitson (Stoke) 6. Match odds: H 4-9; A 7-1; D 3-1. Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Reading v West Brom
READING are without defender Zurab Khizanishvili, who is cup-tied having played in the third round for parent club Blackburn. Matt Mills is available after a ban and he should take Khizanishvili’s place in the centre of defence.
Midfielders Gylfi Sigurdsson and Marek Matejovsky are close to returns from a foot and abdominal injury respectively.
On-loan forward Frank Nouble is ineligible for West Brom, having played earlier in the competition for West Ham. Striker Ishmael Miller (ankle), defender Marek Cech (hamstring), winger Jerome Thomas (suspended) and midfielders James Morrison (heel) and Giles Barnes (Achilles) all remain unavailable.
Top scorers(all competitions): Gylfi Sigurdsson (Reading) 9, Graham Dorrans (West Brom) 12. Match odds: H 9-5; A 6-4; D 23-10. Referee: Chris Foy.
Southampton v Portsmouth
SAINTS are without January signings Jose Fonte, Dan Seaborne, Jon Otsemobor and Jason Puncheon. Defenders Fonte, Seaborne and Otsemobor and winger Puncheon are cup-tied so Wayne Thomas, Chris Perry and Radhi Jaidi come in at the back and Michail Antonio should start on the flank. Lee Barnard is available and manager Alan Pardew checks on fellow forward David Connolly (groin). Full-back Graeme Murty (ankle) is sidelined.
Portsmouth will be without the suspended Ricardo Rocha, who was sent off in the midweek draw with Sunderland. They may also be unable to call upon Serbian defender Dusko Tosic, who has reportedly signed for the club but is yet to receive international clearance. Michael Brown (back), Kevin-Prince Boateng (ankle), Anthony Vanden Borre (leg), Hermann Hreidarsson (Achilles) and John Utaka (hamstring) are also doubts.
Top scorers(all competitions): Richard Lambert (Southampton) 24, Aruna Dindane Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) 6. Match odds: H 13-8; A 13-8; D 23-10. Referee: Howard Webb.
Sunday
Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham
LOAN signings Vladimir Weiss and Jack Wilshere are cup-tied having played in the competition for parent clubs Manchester City and Arsenal respectively this season. Manager Owen Coyle claims his squad also have a “few bumps and bruises” but hopes to have the majority of players from the midweek trip to City available. Gary Cahill, Ivan Klasnic, Sean Davis and Gavin McCann will not figure because of injury.
Spurs defender Michael Dawson has an ankle complaint and will need a check ahead of the match. Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko could return from a groin problem and Harry Redknapp will wait before deciding on Ledley King (knee) and Luka Modric (illness). Aaron Lennon (groin), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (groin), Jonathan Woodgate (groin) and Carlo Cudicini (wrist, pelvis) are out, while Younes Kaboul and Kyle Walker are cup-tied.
Top scorers(all competitions): Ivan Klasnic (Bolton) 10, Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) 20. Match odds: H 5-2; A 11-10; D 23-10. Referee: Phil Dowd.
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
DEFENDERS Matt Lawrence (hamstring) and Claude Davis (groin) face fitness races and manager Neil Warnock’s defensive headache is compounded by the fact left-back Lee Hills is ineligible. Winger Kieron Cadogan and striker Stern John are also cup-tied after playing in the competition while on loan elsewhere this season.
Villa’s Stiliyan Petrov and Gabriel Agbonlahor have ankle and leg injuries respectively and are rated as doubtful by manager Martin O’Neill. Emile Heskey (groin) and Stephen Warnock (shin) will have late checks, while the likes of Brad Guzan, Nathan Delfouneso, Steve Sidwell, Curtis Davies and Habib Beye could start.
Top scorers(all competitions): Darren Ambrose (Crystal Palace) 15, Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 12. Match odds: H 7-2; A 5-6; D 12-5. Referee: Kevin Friend.
Fulham v Notts County
FULHAM manager Roy Hodgson is set to name an unchanged side. Midfielder Zoltan Gera (knee) and left-back Paul Konchesky (foot) are back in light training after recent injuries but are not in contention, while in-form striker David Elm should continue up front alongside Bobby Zamora. Kagisho Dikgacoi (ankle), Andrew Johnson, Clint Dempsey and John Pantsil (all knee) are long-term absentees.
County will be at full strength. Delroy Facey has returned from a loan spell at Lincoln but the best he can hope for is a place on the bench, while striker Sean Canham is cup-tied. Caretaker boss Dave Kevan has named the same starting line-up for the last two league matches, so the likes of Ade Akinbiyi, Luke Rodgers, Graeme Lee, Jamie Clapham and Matt Hamshaw will hope to force their way into the reckoning.
Top scorers(all competitions): Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 12, Lee Hughes (Notts County) 22. Ma tch odds: H 1-2; A 6-1; D 3-1. Referee: Alan Wiley.
