Fa Cup Briefing
Saturday, February 16
Bristol Rovers v Southampton
On-loan midfielder Anthony Pulis is ineligible to play for Bristol Rovers having already featured in the competition for his parent club Stoke.
Centre-half Steve Elliott and full-back Ryan Green remain the only absentees with respective medial knee ligament and Achilles injuries.
Southampton defender Andrew Davies suffered a dislocated jaw, and was briefly unconscious, during Tuesday night's 3-2 defeat at Stoke and is unlikely to travel - Wayne Thomas could replace him at the back.
Skipper Youssef Safri is suspended, so Jhon Viafara should continue in midfield. Gregory Vignal (broken arm), Chris Makin (hip), Claus Lundekvam and Nathan Dyer (both ankle) remain long-term absentees.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Richard Lambert (Bristol Rovers) 14; Stern John (Southampton) 14
Match odds: H 15-8 A 6-5 D 21-10
Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)
Cardiff v Wolves
Joe Ledley (hamstring) misses out for Cardiff and Dave Jones must decide whether to draft fit-again pair Trevor Sinclair and Riccardo Scimeca into his squad. Jones could hand a recall to Stephen McPhail or stick with teenager Aaron Ramsey in the centre of midfield. Keeper Michael Oakes will hope to return to the side.
Wolves' Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, George Elokobi, Dave Edwards and Dan Jones are cup-tied but on-loan Coventry striker Kevin Kyle can play.
Michael Kightly (ankle) and Stephen Ward (knee) miss out while Neill Collins (ankle) looks set to be out of action for another fortnight. Seyi Olofinjana could return to the starting line-up.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Paul Parry (Cardiff) 8; Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolves) 15
Match odds: H 11-10 A 21-10 H 21-10
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
Chelsea v Huddersfield
Chelsea captain John Terry has been passed fit after being out with a foot injury since December.
Striker Andriy Shevchenko is a doubt with a back injury but Michael Essien, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are back from the African Nations Cup.
Huddersfield skipper Jon Worthington will undergo a late fitness test on a hamstring strain.
Striker Luke Beckett is a doubt with a back spasm and Andy Booth has been placed on stand-by to partner Phil Jevons up front. Manager Andy Ritchie does not have any other new injury or suspension worries.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) 13; Luke Beckett (Huddersfield) 9
Match odds: H 1-10 A 16-1 D 11-2
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Coventry v West Brom
Coventry will be missing Scott Dann and Daniel Fox, who are both cup-tied, while midfielder Stephen Hughes is struggling with injury.
Ben Turner and fellow defender Colin Hawkins are on the road to recovery from injury. David McNamee remains sidelined with a hamstring injury which could keep him out for another three weeks.
West Brom were without Zoltan Gera (leg), Robert Koren (calf) and Roman Bednar (groin) - who between them have scored 26 goals this season - for the midweek stalemate at home to Sheffield United but Tony Mowbray expects two of them to be fit.
Skipper Jonathan Greening misses out through suspension and Korean Do-Heon Kim will be available for the first time after the club received international clearance for the on-loan midfielder.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Michael Mifsud (Coventry) 16; Kevin Phillips (West Brom) 17
Match odds: H 15-8 A 6-5 D 21-10
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
Liverpool v Barnsley
Martin Skrtel (calf) is ruled out leaving Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez with a defensive dilemma. He is still without metatarsal victim Daniel Agger and must decide whether to risk fellow defender Sami Hyypia with one eye on next week's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
Fernando Torres is fit again after a hamstring injury but is expected to be rested while Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa are available after recovering from thigh and stomach injuries respectively.
New goalkeeper Luke Steele will go straight into Barnsley's starting line-up due to injury to first-choice Heinz Muller and replacement Tony Warner's ineligibility.
Muller has ruptured his cruciate knee ligament and Warner, on loan from Fulham, is cup-tied. Lewin Nyatanga and Jon Macken are cup-tied - Bobby Hassell and Istvan Ferenczi could step in.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 18; Brian Howard (Barnsley) 10
Match odds: H 1-6 A 11-1 D 9-2
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man Utd v Arsenal
Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra return to the Manchester United squad after sitting out the derby defeat by Manchester City last weekend because of suspension.
Louis Saha also comes into contention following a knee injury after training all week but Gary Neville and Mikael Silvestre remain sidelined.
Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are in the Arsenal squad after returning from the African Nations Cup but Gael Clichy (hamstring) and Bacary Sagna (personal reasons) are likely to miss out and Philippe Senderos (thigh/knee) is a doubt.
Theo Walcott, a late withdrawal from the 2-0 victory over Blackburn because of a thigh problem, remains unavailable. Johan Djourou (groin), Robin van Persie (thigh), Abou Diaby (calf), Manuel Almunia (sick), Denilson (hamstring) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) are also in the treatment room.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 27; Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) 22
Match odds: H 11-10 A 11-5 D 2-1
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
Sunday, February 17
Preston v Portsmouth
Youl Mawene will replace suspended Preston defender Sean St Ledger. Neal Trotman is cup-tied having played for Oldham in earlier rounds, while midfielder Lewis Neal (hamstring) is a fitness doubt.
Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin returns from a hamstring injury but new striker Jermain Defoe is cup-tied and David Nugent, recovering from a hernia operation, misses out as does Noe Pamarot (knee ligaments).
Glen Johnson returns at right-back and manager Harry Redknapp is likely to switch Hermann Hreidarsson to left back despite on-loan Frenchman Lucien Aubey's impressive debut performance as a substitute last week.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: Karl Hawley, Neil Mellor & Simon Whaley (Preston) 5; Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth) 9
Match odds: H 11-4 A 5-6 D 11-5
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Sheff Utd v Middlesbrough
Sheffield United midfielder Gary Speed (groin) is a major doubt - Chris Armstrong could play if the 38-year-old is absent, but Lee Hendrie or David Carney are also hoping for recalls.
Ugo Ehiogu (hamstring) is in a fitness race to face his former club but striker Jon Stead could return to contention after missing out for two matches with a hip problem and tonsilitis.
Middlesbrough's record signing Afonso Alves could make his FA Cup debut. Mido, who has been recovering from a pubic bone problem, is also in the squad.
Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli is set to miss out. Midfielder Lee Cattermole (knee) and defender Chris Riggott (hamstring) are missing.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Top scorers: James Beattie (Sheff Utd) 13; Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough) 11
Match odds: H 15-8 A 6-5 D 21-10
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
|
Linear Mode
