Nicklas Bendtner is back for Sunderland’s home game with Wolves this weekend. Kieran Gibbs and Gervinho are still doubts for Arsenal, Yaya Toure remains a “maybe” for City, while Alex McLeish has injury concerns ahead of Villa’s trip to Old Trafford:
Nicklas Bendtner is available for Sunderland ahead of this weekend’s home game against Wolves. The big Dane is set to return alongside Stephane Sessegnon up front and, with four goals and an assist in his last six appearances, should be afforded further chance for Fantasy returns against the out-of-sorts midlanders. John O’Shea and Fraizer Campbell are also in with a shout of a comeback, while Lee Cattermole is a doubt, according to Martin O’Neill.
Yaya Toure could be set to return for City at Norwich tomorrow lunchtime. Having limped out of last Sunday’s loss at Arsenal, Toure was sidelined for the midweek win over West Brom but Roberto Mancini has revealed the Ivorian “maybe” has a chance to feature at Carrow Road, as City look to close the gap at the top to two points.
Roy Hodgson received some positive injury news this morning, after Chris Brunt and Liam Ridgewell were both passed fit to face Blackburn. The pair had missed the midweek trip to Old Trafford due to knee problems but have recovered in time for tomorrow afternoon. Jerome Thomas and Martin Fulop remain doubts, though the duo have returned to training, while Gabriel Tamas is still unavailable.
Marc Tierney has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign after undergoing a groin op. The left-back had played every minute of the season until Gameweek 17 before succumbing to the problem and, after a few months out, returned to the Norwich reserves last week only to break down once again. The Canaries tweeted earlier today that they hope to have him back for pre-season – Adam Drury seems the likely candidate to continue in the back-four as a result of Tierney’s absence. Daniel Ayala has also been ruled out of the final five fixtures by Paul Lambert, who also revealed Zak Whitbread is out of tomorrow’s clash with City due to a calf injury.
Danny Guthrie and Cheick Tiote are both on course for a return to action in the Gameweek 34 home clash with Stoke. Guthrie has missed the last two with a calf injury, while Tiote was subbed off at half time in the win at Swansea last Friday but, with Newcastle facing a blank Gameweek this weekend, the midfield pair are afforded extra time to recover as Alan Pardew’s side look to pick up their sixth win in a row against the Potters.
Paul Scholes is set to return for United this Sunday as the league leaders take on Villa. The midfielder was rested for the 1-0 defeat at Wigan and, while Sir Alex Ferguson maintains he has no regrets over resting him, United’s loss was their first since Scholes returned from retirement in Gameweek 21 in a run that had previously seen then drop just two points in twelve games.
Kieran Gibbs is a doubt for Arsenal’s home game with Wigan on Monday evening, according to Arsene Wenger. The left-back’s availability is rated as “50-50” by his manager, while Gervinho is rated as “80-20” – Andre Santos and Yossi Benayoun look likely to continue in the pair’s absence. Wenger also revealed Abou Diaby will miss out yet again, though the midfielder will return to full training next week.
Steve Kean is optimistic that Bradley Orr and Martin Olsson will be available for this weekend’s trip to West Brom. The Blackburn defenders both picked up knocks in Tuesday’s loss to Liverpool but the Rovers boss revealed they should both be in the frame for the crucial Baggies clash.
Scott Parker is back for Spurs’ FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea this weekend. The midfielder missed out in the home defeat to Norwich due to tight hamstrings but is fit and available, according to Harry Redknapp. Younes Kaboul is ruled out with the knee problem that forced him off before half-time in the Canaries match, while Niko Krancjar is also out after picking up a knee problem in training. The Spurs boss also revealed there are “one or two knocks” to consider ahead of Sunday’s Wembley showdown.
Ashley Cole is back for Chelsea for the derby with Spurs. In this afternoon’s press conference, Roberto Di Matteo revealed the left-back is fit once again, though his recent replacement, Ryan Bertrand, is a doubt due to a calf problem. Oriol Romeu has picked up an illness and is unlikely to feature.
Alex McLeish could be without Chris Herd and Stephen Warnock for Sunday’s trip to United. The pair are currently doubts, with head and ankle problems respectively. While Marc Albrighton may miss out once more, Fabian Delph could make a surprise return. The midfielder was expected to be ruled out for the season after picking up an ankle injury during a loan spell at former club Leeds but has recovered far quicker than anticipated and could feature from the bench at Old Trafford. Ciaran Clark could also return to bolster the midfield ranks – the 4.5 priced FPL defender has mainly been played in the middle by McLeish and could be a real differential punt in Villa’s double Gameweek 35 if he proves his fitness this weekend.
