SATURDAY'S MATCHES
Burnley
Southampton
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Graziano Pelle
KEY STAT: Burnley have five points fewer after 15 games (12) than they did in 2009-10 when they were relegated from the Premier League at the season end (17).
- BURNLEY
Striker Sam Vokes is still not ready to be considered. The Wales international, who has not featured since March because of a knee injury, played 90 minutes for the development squad in midweek but will not be brought in for first-team action just yet. Centre-back Michael Duff looks set to miss a fourth game with his calf problem while Stephen Ward (ankle) and Matt Taylor (Achilles) are still some way off.
Provisional squad: Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Mee, Reid, Wallace, Kightly, Cisak, Sordell, Marney, Jutkiewicz, Boyd, Gilks, Keane, Long, Barnes, Arfield, Ings, Chalobah, Jones.
- SOUTHAMPTON
Southampton expect to have midfielder Toby Alderweireld back from a hamstring problem. James Ward-Prowse is also set to be in the squad after resuming full training following two months out with an ankle problem. Morgan Schneiderlin, however, is missing with a groin injury. Forward Jay Rodriguez has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a knee problem, so remains out.
Provisional squad: Forster, Bertrand, Clyne, Yoshida, Fonte, Wanyama, Long, Davis, Tadic, Pelle, Mane, Davis, Gardos, Isgrove, Reed, Targett, Mayuka, Hesketh, Alderweireld, Ward-Prowse.
Chelsea
Hull City
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Willian
KEY STAT: Cesc Fabregas (81) is now clear in sixth place in the all time Premier League assist ranking; one ahead of David Beckham (80).
- CHELSEA
Goalkeeper Petr Cech will make his first Premier League start after Thibaut Courtois suffered a minor injury in training. Playmaker Cesc Fabregas will serve a one-match suspension as Jose Mourinho reverts to the majority of his first-choice line-up. Defender John Terry and forwards Eden Hazard and Willian were rested for the midweek defeat of Sporting Lisbon, which saw Mourinho make six changes to the side which lost for the first time this season last weekend at Newcastle.
Provisional squad: Cech, Ivanovic, Luis, Fabregas, Zouma, Ramires, Oscar, Hazard, Drogba, Mikel, Schurrle, Salah, Remy, Costa, Matic, Willian, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Schwarzer, Beeney, Loftus-Cheek, Christensen.
Expert Analysis: Diego Costa -- Lacking Fitness. Costa has looked a little out of sorts in recent weeks and is finding it difficult to rediscover and create the goal-scoring opportunities which appeared to come so naturally when he burst onto the Premier League scene. However Jose Mourinho offered a little insight into the Spanish striker, advising "it is his lack of conditioning" which is affecting his performance on the pitch. Having struggling for most of the season with a hamstring complaint, Costa has been unable to train fully and as a consequence has suffered physically. Fitness is paramount -- particularly in one of the most demanding leagues in the world -- and players will struggle to reach optimal levels during the season due to demanding fixture schedules. Ben Dinnery
- HULL
Hull captain Curtis Davies could be handed a recall. The centre-half has been dropped for the last two matches, but manager Steve Bruce could revert to a back three at Stamford Bridge, opening up a vacancy at the back. Gaston Ramirez has completed a three-game ban, but fellow loanee Hatem Ben Arfa is set to continue his exile from the squad.
Provisional squad: McGregor, Jakupovic, Davies, Rosenior, Robertson, Chester, Dawson, Bruce, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Livermore, Brady, Aluko, Quinn, Ramirez Hernandez, Aluko, Jelavic.
Crystal Palace
Stoke City
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Jonathan Walters
KEY STAT: Of all regular goalkeepers, Asmir Begovic has the lowest saves to shots ratio in the Premier League this season, keeping out just 53.5 percent of opposition shots on target.
- CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney could return to the Eagles starting line-up. Delaney was on the bench for the goalless draw against Tottenham last weekend but is now considered fully fit, having recovered from a calf injury. Midfielder Jason Puncheon will be assessed after missing training on Thursday through illness while Joe Ledley (hip) and Adrian Mariappa (knee) are both ruled out.
Provisional squad: Speroni, Hennessey, Kelly, Fryers, Delaney, Dann, Ward, Hangeland, Jedinak, Bannan, McArthur, Bolasie, Thomas, Puncheon, Gayle, Campbell, Johnson, Doyle, Chamakh, Zaha.
- STOKE
Stoke are likely to be without defender Marc Muniesa. The Spaniard tweaked his hamstring during last weekend's victory over Arsenal and is set to be replaced by either Marc Wilson or Robert Huth, both of whom are fit after injury. Striker Jonathan Walters has an ongoing problem with his knee but is expected to feature while Steve Sidwell, Peter Odemwingie (both knee), Victor Moses (thigh) and Dionatan Teixeira (broken foot) are all sidelined.
Provisional squad: Begovic, Sorensen, Butland, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters, Cameron, Bardsley, Nzonzi, Adam, Ireland, Wilson, Whelan, Walters, Arnautovic, Bojan, Assaidi, Diouf, Crouch, Shenton.
Leicester City
Manchester City
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Frank Lampard
KEY STAT: Only one of the last nine meetings between Leicester and Man City in all competitions has ended in a home win (HW1 D3 AW5).
- LECEISTER
Kasper Schmeichel has been ruled out for at least six weeks for Leicester after breaking a metatarsal in training. Ben Hamer will deputise in goal but boss Nigel Pearson will look to sign a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window. Captain Wes Morgan returns from suspension, Ritchie De Laet is available after illness, Leonardo Ulloa (leg) is fit, Dean Hammond (calf) is back in training and Matt Upson is close to a return after a long-term foot injury but will not play.
Provisional squad: Hamer, Moore, De Laet, Konchesky, Wasilewski, Drinkwater, James, King, Cambiasso, Albrighton, Mahrez, Knockaert, Vardy, Ulloa, Nugent, Schlupp, Wood, Powell.
Expert View: Kasper Schmeichel - Fractured Metatarsal. Stress fractures of the foot, and in particular the fifth metatarsal, can be problematic when healing -- optimistic guidelines envisage two months but it can take considerably longer. Fairly common among young players, the injury is attributed to overuse either through too much training or too many matches, but other factors can include the football boot -- number of studs and configuration -- plus the type of playing surface. BD
- MAN CITY
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is set to return. The defender was not risked for the midweek Champions League victory at Roma after a spell out with a hamstring injury. Playmaker David Silva could start after returning from a knee injury as a substitute in Rome, while midfielder Yaya Toure is available after his European suspension. City must continue without star striker Sergio Aguero, who is out with a knee injury.
Provisional squad: Hart, Caballero, Zabaleta, Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Mangala, Boyata, Kolarov, Clichy, Milner, Navas, Nasri, Silva, Toure, Fernando, Ferndinho, Lampard, Dzeko, Jovetic, Pozo.
Sunderland
West Ham United
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Adam Johnson
KEY STAT: The Hammers have failed to score in four of their last six Premier League games against Sunderland.
- SUNDERLAND
Steven Fletcher could return to the Sunderland starting line-up. Fletcher was an unused substitute in last week's goalless draw at Liverpool after limping off during the defeat to Manchester City with a back injury, but is fit to return. Sebastian Coates is available again after being ineligible for the trip to Anfield, but Emanuele Giaccherini (ankle) and Billy Jones (hamstring) are both still ruled out.
Provisional squad: Pantilimon, Mannone, Reveillere, Brown, O'Shea, Vergini, Coates, Cattermole, Rodwell, Bridcutt, Gomez, Larsson, Johnson, Buckley, Alvarez, Mavrias, Fletcher, Wickham, Altidore.
- WEST HAM
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is Sam Allardyce's only injury concern. The 27-year-old recently broke the record for Premier League appearances for a Hammers player but will not add to his tally due to a problem with his Achilles tendon. Allardyce has a selection headache in attack with Andy Carroll, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Carlton Cole and Mauro Zarate all fully fit and in contention to feature against the Black Cats.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Cresswell, O'Brien, Reid, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson, Kouyate, Song, Nolan, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Zarate, Carroll, Sakho, Valencia, Cole.
West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa
7:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Joleon Lescott
KEY STAT: Alan Irvine's side have netted 57 percent of their goals from set pieces, which is the highest proportion in the top flight.
- WEST BROM
Captain Chris Brunt will again miss out. The midfielder has failed to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered in last week's 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat to West Ham. Jonas Olsson is out following an operation on his Achilles but Saido Berahino is set for a recall after being dropped to the bench for the goalless draw at Hull and Claudio Yacob is available following a ban.
Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Pocognoli, Gamboa, Dawson, Lescott, McAuley, Yacob, Davidson, Wisdom, Baird, Varela, Gardner, Morrison, O'Neil, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Blanco, Sessegnon, Samaras, Ideye, Berahino, Anichebe.
- ASTON VILLA
Aston Villa pair Ron Vlaar and Fabian Delph could be in contention to return. Captain Vlaar has been out since early November with a calf injury while England rookie Delph dislocated his shoulder in October but both have returned to training and may make surprise returns. Tom Cleverley (bruised foot) is a doubt and fellow midfielder Ashley Westwood will miss around a month with a knee injury. Forward Andi Weimann returns from suspension but defenders Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker remain out, as does midfielder Joe Cole.
Provisional squad: Guzan, Given, Hutton, Lowton, Okore, Clark, Vlaar, Herd, Cissokho, Delph, Richardson, Sanchez, N'Zogbia, Cleverley, Grealish, Bacuna, Agbonlahor, Weimann, Benteke, Robinson.
Expert Analysis: Ashley Westwood -- Medial Collateral Ligaments. Collateral ligaments were the injury of the game week 15 as Sergio Aguero stole the headlines after two minutes against Everton but on Sunday Ashley Westwood suffered a similar fate during the hard fought win over Leicester. The Villa midfielder was stretchered from the field of play moments before half-time with manager Paul Lambert fearing the worst -- however a scan on Monday confirmed the injury was not as bad as initially feared with damage to the inner stabilising ligament of the knee [MCL]. It is hoped Westwood could return in around a month although 4-6 weeks in the first instance would provide a more realistic timeframe.
Arsenal
Newcastle United
9:30 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Olivier Giroud
KEY STAT: 23 points is the second worst tally of points under Arsene Wenger after 15 games (2012-13 -- they had 21).
- ARSENAL
Arsenal will be without midfielder Aaron Ramsey due to a hamstring problem. Defenders Laurent Koscielny (calf), Nacho Monreal (ankle) and Calum Chambers (suspended) are all not available, so right-back Mathieu Debuchy could be asked to move over to centre-half, but otherwise Arsenal report no fresh injury problems from the midweek Champions League win over Galatasaray in Istanbul. Captain Mikel Arteta (calf), Theo Walcott (groin), Mesut Ozil (knee), goalkeeper David Ospina (thigh), Abou Diaby (calf) and Jack Wilshere all continue their rehabilitation.
Provisional Squad: Szczesny, Gibbs, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Flamini, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Welbeck, Giroud, Martinez, Podolski, Campbell, O'Connor, Maitland-Niles, Ajayi, Akpom.
- NEWCASTLE
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini is set to be passed fit. Boss Alan Pardew is closely monitoring the Argentinian's recovery from a hamstring injury but is keen to make the minimum of changes from last weekend's win over leaders Chelsea. Daryl Janmaat is also available after shrugging off a minor problem but Moussa Sissoko and Steven Taylor are suspended and Rolando Aarons is ruled out for a month with a hamstring strain. Goalkeepers Tim Krul and Rob Elliot are both out which means young Jak Alnwick gets a start.
Provisional squad: Alnwick, Janmaat, Dummett, Williamson, Coloccini, Streete, Haidara, Tiote, Anita, Cabella, Colback, Gouffran, Ameobi, Riviere, Cisse, Perez, Armstrong, Woodman, Abeid.
Expert Analysis: Rob Elliott -- Thigh Strain. Elliot has been ruled out until January after the Newcastle goalkeeper suffered a tear to the quadriceps muscle -- thigh -- during the win over Chelsea last weekend. Elliot had waited patiently for his opportunity this campaign and following an ankle injury to Tim Krul (out until January) the former Charlton stopper was set for an extended spell in the first team. However hopes of managing an ongoing thigh problem were dashed when the excessive force caused by kicking damaged muscle fibres which will see him miss the Festive fixture period. Youngster Alnwick is set to seize the moment. BD
SUNDAY'S MATCHES
Manchester United
Liverpool
5:30 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Robin van Persie
KEY STAT: Only Everton v Liverpool (20) has seen more red cards than Liverpool v Manchester United of all fixtures in Premier League history (15).
- MAN UTD
Team news to follow...
Expert Analysis: Chris Smalling -- Groin Strain. Jonny Evans was afforded an earlier than expected return to the United side when Chris Smalling broke down at Southampton on Monday night. The defender has suffered from a number of muscular issues this season but, following his sending-off during the derby, Smalling was looking to establish himself in the heart of defence. However with barely 10 minutes on the clock Smalling pulled up with what was later confirmed a minor groin grade one tear. The England international has been ruled out for around two weeks but, given the player's history, I wouldn't be surprised to see Smalling sidelined for a little while longer to minimise the risk of recurrence. BD
- LIVERPOOL
Striker Mario Balotelli is back in training and could return to the squad. The Italy forward has been sidelined since Nov. 8 because of a groin problem sustained on international duty. Midfielder Adam Lallana will be in the squad despite breaking two ribs just over a week ago while centre-back Kolo Toure is expected to have recovered from a groin injury which kept him out of the midweek Champions League draw against Basle.
Provisional squad: Mignolet, Johnson, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno, Lucas, Henderson, Lallana, Gerrard, Sterling, Lambert, Jones, Manquillo, Enrique, Toure, Can, Coutinho, Allen, Markovic, Balotelli, Borini.
Swansea City
Tottenham Hotspur
8:00 AM PT
FANTASY PICK: Wilfried Bony
KEY STAT: Swansea have now thrown away 16 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season; more than any other team and with those points would be top of the table.
- SWANSEA
German goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel will make his first Premier League start since May. Tremmel deputises for the suspended Lukasz Fabianski, who was sent off in Swansea's 3-1 defeat at West Ham last weekend and subsequently lost his appeal against his red card. Defender Neil Taylor returns after missing out at Upton Park because of suspension and Argentina central defender Federico Fernandez is available after being sidelined for six weeks with calf trouble.
Provisional squad: Tremmel, Rangel, Bartley, Williams, Taylor, Britton, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Bony, Cornell, Amat, Fernandez, Richards, Shelvey, Carroll, Dyer, Gomis, Emnes, Barrow, Tiendalli, Fulton.
- TOTTENHAM
Team news to follow...
MONDAY'S MATCH
Everton
Queens Park Rangers
12:00 PM PT
FANTASY PICK: Steven Naismith
KEY STAT: Rob Green has been forced into a save on average every 23 minutes which is a more regular rate than any other shot-stopper this season.
- EVERTON
John Stones could make an unexpected comeback. The 20-year-old defender, who sustained an ankle injury against Manchester United on October 5, is back in training ahead of schedule and in contention for a place in the squad. Steven Naismith, James McCarthy (both hamstring) and Darron Gibson (knee) will also be given a chance to prove their fitness, but midfielder Gareth Barry is suspended and Christian Atsu's hamstring injury is still being assessed.
Provisional squad: Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka, Stones, Baines, Garbutt, McGeady, McCarthy, Gibson, Barkley, Osman, Mirallas, Lukaku, Hibbert, Pienaar, Besic, Naismith, Eto'o, Alcaraz, Kone, Oviedo.
- QPR
QPR striker Charlie Austin is suspended. Austin was sent off in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Burnley after receiving two yellow cards and misses the trip to Goodison. Defender Steven Caulker is fit despite needing hospital treatment on a cut sustained to his head while falling over during a social occasion with team-mates last Sunday.
Provisional squad: Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Traore, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Dunne, Caulker, Yun, Hill, Isla, Henry, Barton, Fer, Mutch, Phillips, Kranjcar, Hoilett, Vargas, Zamora.
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