Aaron Ramsey is back for Arsenal. Liverpool’s Jordon Ibe faces up to a month on the sidelines, while the Tigers’ striker Nikica Jelavic could return against Sunderland. West Brom sweat on the fitness of their form forwards, as Tim Sherwood crosses his fingers over Ron Vlaar’s availability. Eagles captain Mile Jedinak could face severe repercussions for his apparent elbow on Diafra Sakho last week.
Aaron Ramsey has been passed fit for Arsenal’s trip to QPR. Francis Coquelin may yet feature in spite of sustaining a broken nose on Sunday and will require a protective mask if selected, though Jack Wilshere and Mathieu Flamini remain sidelined for the Gunners.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Jordon Ibe won’t be available until the end of March, after the rising star sustained knee ligament damage during the Reds’ Europa League clash against Besiktas. In better news, Steven Gerrard is progressing well in his rehabilitation.
Hull City boss Steve Bruce revealed that Nikica Jelavic, who sat out the Tigers’ last match against Stoke City, could be in line for a start against Sunderland, having returned to training on Sunday. However, Robbie Brady has been ruled out for five-to-six weeks with a calf injury, while Maynor Figueroa is a doubt after sustaining a wound against the Potters.
Baggies striker duo Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye face late fitness tests to determine their availability for the West Midlands derby, with the pair suffering from foot and knee complaints, respectively. To compound Tony Pulis’ selection headache, Victor Anichebe is still sidelined with a groin injury.
Newly-installed Aston Villa head coach Tim Sherwood said that Ron Vlaar was “touch and go” with a calf complaint ahead of the West Brom clash but did rule out Kieran Richardson and Aly Cissokho.
Sunderland were successful in their claim of wrongful dismissal with regards to Wes Brown’s sending off against Manchester United, prompting the FA to write off his one-match suspension. In other positive developments for the Black Cats, Gus Poyet declared Ricky Alvarez, Billy Jones and Jack Rodwell available for selection at the KC stadium. Adam Johnson has been suspended by the club following his arrest in light of off-field allegations.
Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson is back in training after recovering from a minor hamstring injury and will be in line for a start against former club Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.
Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak has been charged with an act of violent conduct after appearing to elbow West Ham’s Diafra Sakho at the end of the London Derby. If banned, the midfield general would be forced to sit out the Eagles next four match-ups (sot, QPR, sto, MCI), having already been sent off earlier in the campaign against Sunderland – he has until 6pm this evening to appeal.
Finally, Southampton’s defence could be set for a well-timed boost with news that Ronald Koeman will include Toby Alderweireld in his squad if the Belgian came through Monday’s training session unscathed.
All this and more has now been updated in the Team News section ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. Keep an eye on our official Twitter Stream as breaking news unfolds.
