Arsenal are without suspended trio Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, while captain Thierry Henry (foot), Tomas Rosicky (groin), Abou Diaby (ankle), Justin Hoyte (hamstring) and Mathieu Flamini (foot) are sidelined. Robin van Persie is still recovering from his broken metatarsal but goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, midfielder Cesc Fabregas and centre-half Johan Djourou return to the squad.

Only long-term absentees Ibrahima Sonko and Bobby Convey (both knee) are absent from Reading's  squad. Striker Dave Kitson is set for his first Premiership start since damaging his knee on the opening day of the season, while Alan Bennett hopes to be in in the squad for the first time.

No corresponding fixture

Arsenal W W W D W; Reading W W W W L

Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) 13; Leroy Lita (Reading) 14

H 2-5 A 6-1 D 11-4

: C Foy (Merseyside).

Fulham central defender Philippe Christanval has a hamstring injury but Frank Queudrue has recovered from a bruised ankle and Zat Knight and Ian Pearce are also added to the squad beaten by Manchester United.

Wilfred Bouma has recovered from ankle trouble and is available for Villa — the Dutch left-back suffered the injury when on international duty. Striker Luke Moore is back in contention after shoulder surgery, while Patrik Berger, Jlloyd Samuel and Stuart Taylor have recovered from sickness but will not start.

Aston Villa 0 Fulham 0, Fulham 3 Aston Villa 3

Fulham D L W L L; Aston Villa L W L W L

Brian McBride (Fulham) 12; Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) 9

: H 5-4 A 9-5 D 21-10

: L Mason (Lancashire).

Peter Crouch will delay an operation on his nose to make himself available for the crucial matches against United and Barcelona. The striker suffered a broken nose after a clash with Sheffield United's Rob Hulse at Anfield last Saturday. Steve Finnan will make his 400th career league appearance if he plays, while Jose Reina, Craig Bellamy, Daniel Agger, Mohamed Sissoko, Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso are set to return.

Darren Fletcher is out for two weeks with ankle trouble, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is missing for the rest of the month after knee surgery. Ryan Giggs makes an historic 700th appearance for United, but it is the last league game for Henrik Larsson, who returns to Sweden in 10 days.

Man Utd 1 Liverpool 0, Liverpool 0 Man Utd 0

Liverpool W W D L W; Man Utd L W W W W

Peter Crouch (Liverpool) 13; Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 16

H 13-8 A 6-4 D 19-10

: G Poll (Hertfordshire).

Emile Mpenza may have to wait for his City debut — a lack of match sharpness means he may be on the bench at best tomorrow. Paul Dickov is back after a broken toe but Darius Vassell (hamstring), Nedum Onuoha and Trevor Sinclair (both knee) are all out.

Wigan striker Henri Camara returned as a second-half substitute against Newcastle after two months out with a knee injury, but suffered a reaction and is sidelined again. Boss Paul Jewell does not expect any new injury worries with Caleb Folan fit after an ankle knock, although Fitz Hall is suspended.

Man City 0 Wigan 1, Wigan 4 Man City 3

Man City W D L L L; Wigan L W L D W

Joey Barton & Georgios Samaras (Man City) 6; Caleb Folan (Wigan) 13

: H 10-11 A 13-5 D 21-10

: H Webb (S Yorkshire).

Magpies midfielder Kieron Dyer is in the squad after a virus. Stephen Carr (thigh), Emre (calf) and Craig Moore (hamstring) are back in training but not yet set to return. Celestine Babayaro and Peter Ramage (both hamstring), Michael Owen (knee) and Shola Ameobi (hip) are out.

Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is back in contention after a back problem — he is likely to replace Brad Jones. Defender Abel Xavier has shaken off a hamstring problem to leave Boro with no new injury worries.

Middlesbrough 1 Newcastle 2, Newcastle 2 Middlesbrough 2

Newcastle D W L W L; Middlesbrough W D D L W

Obafemi Martins (Newcastle) 14; Ayegbeni Yakubu (Middlesbrough) 16

H 21-20 A 23-10 D 2-1

: S Bennett (Kent).

Richard Hughes is set for only his third Premiership start of the season after Pedro Mendes (ankle) and Lauren (muscle tear) were ruled out by Pompey. Gary O'Neil and Sean Davis are also struggling with knocks, while on-loan Chelsea man Glen Johnson is unavailable — so Noe Pamarot should switch to right-back.

Blues captain John Terry is set to miss out with the head injury sustained in the Carling Cup final last Sunday. Terry has undergone a number of routine scans on his injury this week and is understood to require more rest. Joe Cole (foot) and Khalid Boulahrouz (shoulder) remain out.

Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 0, Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2

Portsmouth L D L W L; Chelsea W L W W W

Kanu (Portsmouth) 12; Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 28

H 9-2 A 8-15 D 5-2

: M Halsey (Lancashire).

Blades centre-back Chris Morgan should start his first match since January 1 as replacement for Chris Lucketti (foot). Winger Keith Gillespie is available again after completing a four-match suspension, but midfielders Michael Tonge and Nick  Montgomery both serve one-match bans. Strikers Christian Nade and Danny Webber are out after failing to train this week with niggles.

Everton defender Alan Stubbs is set to return to the squad after recovering from a knee problem. Stubbs was forced out of the win at Watford with the injury. It is unlikely Tony Hibbert will be in the starting line-up, also having missed the Watford game with a slight recurrence of a groin injury.

No corresponding fixture

Sheff Utd L W L W L; Everton W D W L W

Luton Shelton (Sheff Utd) 8; Andrew Johnson (Everton) 11

H 7-5 A 8-5 D 21-10

: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

On-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster is expected to be fit for Watford, after missing the Everton match with a dead leg. Richard Lee, who deputised for Foster against Everton, will drop to the bench with manager Adrian Boothroyd reporting no fresh injuries.

Addicks defender Souleymane Diawara is banned and full-back Ben Thatcher is also sidelined, so Jonathan Fortune is recalled from his loan spell at Stoke as cover. Marcus Bent (hamstring) is another concern, while Hermann Hreidarsson and recent signing Madjid Bougherra (both knee) are definitely out. Midfielder Andy Reid is struggling to shake off his hamstring problem.

No corresponding fixture

Watford L L W D L; Charlton W D L L W

Will Hoskins (Watford) 16 (0); Darren Bent (Charlton) 11

H 11-8 A 13-8 D 21-10

: P Walton (Northamptonshire).