Saturday 23rd January 2010
FA Cup Fourth Round Team News
We bring you the teams news for all the FA Cup games that are set to take place this weekend.
Preston vs Chelsea
Chelsea will be without left-back Ashley Cole for Saturday's match at Preston in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Cole is suffering from an ankle problem and will be replaced by Yury Zhirkov. Goalkeeper Hilario will replace the rested Petr Cech.
Michael Essien has been ruled out for up to six weeks following the knee injury he sustained on duty with Ghana in the African Nations Cup.
Preston boss Darren Ferguson will again be without Paul Parry and Barry Nicholson.
Former Cardiff winger Parry remains sidelined with a knee problem while midfielder Barry Nicholson (broken leg) is a long-term absentee.
However, defender Youl Mawene has been making steady progress after suffering knee ligament damage during the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in November.
He has trained this week and could come into contention for the 23,000 sell-out clash in new boss Ferguson's first home match in charge.
Preston defender Neal Trotman has completed his loan move to League One outfit Huddersfield until the end of the season.
Ferguson said: "We are going to have to be at our maximum and Chelsea need to have an off day if we are to have a chance."
Reading vs Burnley
Brian Laws has been boosted by the return to fitness of Jay Rodriguez, Chris McCann and Martin Paterson ahead of Burnley's trip to Reading in the FA Cup fourth round.
The trio have been sidelined with injuries since September but made their comebacks in a reserve game on Tuesday and should all be available for selection.
Steven Fletcher had to come off with a knock to his ankle in last week's defeat at Manchester United but should feature and Clarke Carlisle has returned to training after overcoming a side strain.
Club captain Steven Caldwell will miss out again though after suffering a setback in his recovery from a groin problem, while David Nugent is ineligible for FA Cup matches under the terms of his current loan deal from Portsmouth and Andre Bikey is still with Cameroon at the African Nations Cup.
Reading are hopeful of having top-scorer Gylfi Sigurdsson available.
The Icelandic midfielder - who scored a last-minute penalty at Anfield in the third-round replay win at Liverpool - missed the 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest last weekend with a foot injury.
The 20-year-old has scored eight times this season and is hopeful of being fit as the Royals look to avenge last season's play-off defeat to the Clarets.
Defender Matt Mills picked up his fifth booking of the season against Forest but will be available after the cut-off date for suspensions expired.
New signings Andy Griffin and Gunnar Thorvaldsson both made their debuts at the City Ground and will remain in contention.
Noel Hunt and Chris Armstrong (both knee) and Julian Kelly (shoulder) remain sidelined for Brian McDermott's side.
Accrington vs Fulham
Fulham could welcome back midfielder Simon Davies from a foot injury for Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round trip to Coca-Cola League Two outfit Accrington Stanley.
Striker Bobby Zamora, though, will not be risked as he closes in on a comeback from his shoulder injury.
Clint Dempsey (knee), Paul Konchesky (ankle), John Panstil (knee) and Diomansy Kamara (knee) are all still sidelined.
Accrington have Luke Joyce back.
The midfielder was suspended for their third-round victory over Gillingham on Tuesday after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 4-2 defeat against Bury on December 28.
Winger Chris Turner was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench against Mark Stimson's side following an ankle injury but he will go head-to-head with Jimmy Ryan for a place in boss John Coleman's starting XI.
Defender Leam Richardson, who is still yet to feature this season, will play no part as he remains sidelined with a groin injury.
It is the first time in 51 years that Accrington have made it to the fourth round of the competition.
Aston Villa vs Brighton
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is set to make wholesale changes - several of them enforced - for the home FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton.
Striker Emile Heskey (foot), central defender Richard Dunne (hamstring) and skipper Stiliyan Petrov (Achilles) suffered injuries in the Carling Cup semi-final win over Blackburn on Wednesday and are rated doubtful.
Striker John Carew and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker are already on the injury list and still ruled out.
The likes of Luke Young, Steve Sidwell, Fabian Delph and Habib Beye are expected to start with youngsters Shane Lowry, Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton also part of the squad.
Marcos Painter will be missing from the Brighton side.
The on-loan Swansea defender is cup-tied so Jim McNulty is poised to return at left-back.
Goalkeeper Michel Kuipers suffered a knock towards the end of last week's victory at Walsall but the former Dutch marine has been passed fit.
Boss Gus Poyet, a cup winner with Chelsea in 2000, therefore has no new injury worries with defenders Adam El-Abd and Colin Hawkins the only absentees.
El-Abd has begun running after a foot injury and will step up his training next week, but Hawkins is set to go under the knife in a bid to clear up his long-term heel problem.
Bolton vs Sheffield United
Bolton boss Owen Coyle will be without Mark Davies for the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Sheffield United after William Gallas' tackle on Wednesday left the midfielder with ankle ligament damage.
Davies had to be taken off on a stretcher after the controversial challenge during Wanderers' 4-2 defeat at Arsenal and it is not yet known how long he will be sidelined for.
Ricardo Gardner (groin) and Gavin McCann (ankle) will also miss out, while Danny Shittu is still with Nigeria at the African Nations Cup.
Sheffield United new boy Mark Yeates will have to wait to make his debut.
The winger, who has joined the Blades from Middlesbrough, is cup-tied having already featured in the competition.
Manager Kevin Blackwell has had a potentially tough selection poser taken off of his hands after defender Matthew Kilgallon this week joined Sunderland.
Marcel Siep will therefore partner captain Chris Morgan at the back.
Strikers Darius Henderson, Jamie Ward and Henri Camara are all pushing for places in the starting line-up after Blackwell opted to partner Richard Cresswell with Ched Evans last weekend.
The Blades earned their fourth-round trip to Bolton by seeing off QPR 3-2 in a third-round replay at Loftus Road.
Cardiff vs Leicester
Gavin Rae is facing a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of Cardiff's FA Cup fourth-round clash against Leicester.
The central midfielder was forced to miss a second successive match due to a hamstring injury as the Bluebirds squeezed past Bristol City in Tuesday's third-round replay, but he is recovering strongly.
However Dave Jones has plenty of other concerns in Aaron Wildig (back) and Solomon Taiwo (illness), who is the latest player to be struck down by the virus that has ravaged the club for the last week or so.
Michael Chopra was sick during the clash in midweek while others were suffering in the dressing room afterwards but almost all are expected to battle through.
Midfielder Stephen McPhail has been back in training for the past three weeks after recovering from stage one malt lymphoma and a thigh injury, although no date has been set for his return.
Joe Ledley will play his penultimate match for the club prior to a lengthy lay-off after his double hip operation was moved back by a couple of days, meaning he can now take part in Tuesday's league encounter against Bristol City. Striker Josh Magennis (broken fibula) remains sidelined.
Leicester's Bruno Berner has been ruled out.
The defender is still to recover from the calf injury which forced him off during the 3-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday on December 12, so on-loan Manchester City defender Ryan McGivern is likely to continue at left-back.
But boss Nigel Pearson will again be without the services of long-term absentees Aleksandar Tunchev and Stephen Clemence, who remain sidelined through injury.
Ashley Chambers will also miss out after joining Grimsby on loan until the end of the season.
The Foxes will be looking to end a two-game winless streak following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich and a narrow 1-0 defeat at Swansea.
Derby vs Doncaster
Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll is not expected to make any changes for his side's FA Cup fourth-round clash at Derby on Saturday afternoon.
Rovers clinched a trip to Pride Park with a 1-0 third-round win at Brentford on Tuesday night and O'Driscoll has no new injury or suspension problems.
Skipper Brian Stock came through his first full 90 minutes at Brentford unscathed after returning to the starting line-up for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery in last Saturday's league win over Watford.
Midfield team-mate Martin Woods is back in training following a groin injury, but is not expected to return to the squad against Derby, while the likes of James Hayter, Byron Webster, John Spicer and Sam Hird are expected to start on the substitutes' bench.
Derby will be without on-loan striker DJ Campbell, who has scored three goals in seven appearances for the Rams since arriving in November but does not have permission from parent club Leicester to play in the competition.
Rob Hulse, Chris Porter and Kris Commons are all vying to fill the void, with manager Nigel Clough to decide who will partner Steven Davies in his starting line-up.
Clough has no other new injury or suspension worries and Shaun Barker is expected to shake off a knee injury to take his place in defence.
New signing Russell Anderson, who arrived on a free transfer from Burnley last week in time to make his first appearance, will start on the substitutes' bench again.
Everton vs Birmingham
Birmingham newcomer Michel could finally make his debut in the FA Cup clash with Everton at Goodison Park.
The 24-year-old play-maker, signed from Sporting Gijon for £3 million, was included in the squad for last weekend's Barclays Premier League game at Portsmouth which was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
City manager Alex McLeish has no other new injury worries ahead of the fourth-round tie after a four day warm weather training break in Malta.
Full-back David Murphy has returned to training after recovering from a fractured knee cap but is not included in the squad.
Midfielder Leon Osman returns for Everton.
The 28-year-old missed last week's victory over Manchester City with a hamstring problem.
Everton's long-standing injury list appears to be shortening with Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling (both hamstring) likely to return for next week's league visit of Sunderland.
Mikel Arteta and Victor Anichebe, who both sustained serious knee injuries last season, are almost ready for their comebacks.
Notts County vs Wigan
Wigan captain Mario Melchiot is determined to face Notts County in the FA Cup and will wear a mask to cover a broken nose.
Paul Scharner could also retain his place in the team despite suffering a swollen ankle and knee in the victory against Wolves last weekend.
Hendry Thomas will sit out the fourth-round tie at Meadow Lane after being sent off at Molineux.
Notts County will have a virtually full-strength squad.
Caretaker boss Dave Kevan has no fresh injury or suspension worries to contend with, so cup-tied striker Sean Canham will be the only absentee from the Magpies squad at Meadow Lane.
Defender Stephen Hunt will be hoping to retain his place in the starting line-up after returning from an injury lay-off in time to play the full 90 minutes of Tuesday's FA Cup victory over Blue Square Premier outfit Forest Green.
County, who have also knocked out League Two rivals Bradford and Bournemouth in this year's competition, will be playing in the fourth round for the first time in 15 years.
Portsmouth vs Sunderland
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce could be spoilt for choice ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round trip to Portsmouth.
The Black Cats, who have been plagued by injuries and suspensions in recent weeks, will welcome back defender Michael Turner from a four-match ban.
Bruce has confirmed that keeper Craig Gordon, who has been out with a broken arm since November, will start and Lee Cattermole and Andy Reid (both hamstring) and Kieran Richardson (calf) are fit, although Cattermole has complained of soreness following his exertions in training.
John Mensah (hamstring) will just miss out and full-back George McCartney has been sidelined by a virus.
But only Anton Ferdinand (ankle) and Nyron Nosworthy (knee) otherwise remain on the casualty list, while new signing Matthew Kilgallon is ineligible having already played in the competition for former club Sheffield United.
Portsmouth have not ruled goalkeeper David James out, despite the England international reportedly being on the brink of a move to Stoke.
The Potters are back in the hunt for the England goalkeeper but no deal was done before the deadline for this weekend and Portsmouth director of communications Gary Double confirmed the former Liverpool man was present at the club's Eastleigh training ground on Friday.
Steve Finnan (groin) and Younes Kaboul (infected toe) both return to the side at Fratton Park on Saturday, but Tommy Smith (groin) and Richard Hughes are sidelined with injuries. African Nations Cup quartet Kanu, Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda and Aruna Dindane remain absent.
Southampton vs Ipswich
Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane has a striking poser to puzzle over ahead of the FA Cup trip to take on Southampton on Saturday.
Pablo Counago came off the bench to score a 97th-minute winner against Coventry last weekend and Keane must decide whether to hand him a start in place of on-loan Crystal Palace man Stern John.
John, though, headed his first goal for the club in the same game to end a 32-game wait for a goal. He is eligible to play in the competition.
Keane will stick with Arran Lee-Barrett in goal after he agreed a new contract extension as Brian Murphy and Richard Wright remain sidelined.
Murphy injured ankle ligaments warming up at Leicester a fortnight ago and is close to a return while former England international Wright will be out long-term with a knee injury.
Winger Luciano Civelli is now not expected to make a return from his knee injury this season and striker Jon Stead sits out the final match of a four-game suspension following his Boxing Day dismissal.
Southampton could hand a debut to new signing Lee Barnard.
The Southend striker has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club and is available to face the Tractor Boys, while academy graduate Matthew Paterson has moved the other way to pen a permanent deal with the Shrimpers.
But midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is suspended as he starts a three-match ban for his sending-off during Wednesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy win at MK Dons.
His absence leaves boss Alan Pardew light in midfield with skipper Dean Hammond sidelined with an Achilles problem.
Recent signings Dan Seaborne and Jon Ostemobor are cup-tied and fellow defenders Rahdi Jaidi (eye) and Graeme Murty (ankle) are still crocked, but full-back Dan Harding could return after missing out in midweek with a cold.
Striker David Connolly should also be available after resting a groin injury. On-loan Reading winger Michail Antonio is eligible and will expect to keep his place after his goal sank the Dons.
West Brom vs Newcastle
Newcastle striker Peter Lovenkrands will miss the FA Cup fourth-round trip to West Brom on Saturday as his compassionate leave continues.
The 29-year-old flew back to England for Monday night's 2-2 draw with the Baggies at St James' Park just days after returning to his native Denmark following the death of his father, Bent.
Lovenkrands, who scored his side's second equaliser in that game, has since flown home once again and will not be involved in the squad at The Hawthorns.
New signing Danny Simpson, who completed a permanent move to Tyneside on Wednesday evening after a successful loan spell, is a doubt after damaging an ankle on Monday evening.
Long-term absentee Joey Barton is still unavailable but the likes of Tim Krul, Tamas Kadar and Nile Ranger will once again come into contention.
West Brom have the same squad that picked up a 2-2 league draw against the Magpies.
Whether Roberto Di Matteo opts to makes changes to the starting XI that lined up on Monday remains to be seen but the two-time cup winner is certainly taking the competition seriously.
Roman Bednar started as the lone man in attack but was replaced by Ishmael Miller just after the hour mark, and the fit-again striker will be hoping to get more minutes under his belt as a flurry of games approach.
Bednar was part of four changes for the Magpies clash as Di Matteo responded to the 3-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest, with Youssouf Mulumbu, Robert Koren and Marek Cech also coming in.
James Morrison (heel) is still the only man on the sidelines but he is looking to return before the end of the month, while Abdoulaye Meite remains on African Nations Cup duty with Ivory Coast following their progression into the quarter-finals.
Wolves vs Crystal Palace
New signing Geoffrey Mujangi Bia is poised to make his Wolves debut in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round clash with Crystal Palace at Molineux.
Winger Mujangi has been signed on loan from RSC Charleroi for the remainder of the season with an option for the deal to become permanent in the summer.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will be forced to make one defensive change with full-back Richard Stearman suspended after his sending-off against Wigan last weekend.
McCarthy confirmed out-of-form striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake will retain his place in the starting line-up against Neil Warnock's side.
Crystal Palace will be without Lee Hills.
The young left-back is cup-tied having played in the competition earlier this season while on loan at Oldham.
Danny Butterfield, who recovered from a hamstring injury to make a substitute appearance at Plymouth last week, could come into the back four.
Palace expect in-demand teenage striker Victor Moses to be in the squad.
The England Under-19 star is poised to be sold during the transfer window but, barring any dramatic developments ahead of the weekend, he will travel to Molineux.
Nick Carle is unlikely to be involved as he weighs up a move to China while Sean Scannell (hamstring), Paddy McCarthy (shoulder) and Darryl Flahavan (jaw) are still missing.
Tottenham vs Leeds
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon is still nursing a groin injury and will miss the FA Cup clash against his former club Leeds.
Tom Huddlestone is also out of the tie at White Hart Lane as he has a knee injury but midfielder Jamie O'Hara is available.
Ledley King will be rested, while Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (groin) and Carlo Cudicini (wrists and pelvis) are on the sidelines.
Leeds striker Luciano Becchio is expected to return to his side's starting line-up.
The Argentinian was rested for the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat to Carlisle when Mike Grella partnered leading goalscorer Jermaine Beckford.
But the South American proved a handful alongside Beckford at Manchester United in the previous round and is likely to return.
Central defender Patrick Kisnorbo could also be back in contention after missing out in midweek - Leigh Bromby stepped up to partner Richard Naylor in central defence - while goalkeeper Shane Higgs is still dogged by a thigh problem, so Casper Ankergren will continue.
It will be the first meeting between the two sides in over six years. Tottenham beat Leeds at Elland Road 1-0 in a Premier League game in January 2004 after winning at White Hart Lane 2-1 the previous August.
Stoke vs Arsenal
Arsenal will be without midfielder Abou Diaby (calf) and will rest full-back Bacary Sagna (shoulder) for Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Stoke.
Former captain Sol Campbell is in line to make his return after signing on a short-term deal, and fellow veteran defender Mikael Silvestre could also feature along with fit-again youngster Jack Wilshere following a hamstring problem while Lukasz Fabianski is expected to come into goal.
However, Fran Merida (ankle), Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Samir Nasri (hamstring) remain sidelined, along with Nicklas Bendtner (groin), Kieran Gibbs (foot), Robin van Persie (ankle) and Johan Djourou (knee). Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are away at the African Nations Cup.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis appears poised to have a full-strength squad to choose from.
Although Abdoulaye Faye and Rory Delap hobbled off with knocks in the first half of Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Liverpool, both are almost certain to be involved for the visit of the Gunners.
With Pulis again failing to land England goalkeeper David James on loan from Portsmouth prior to today's noon deadline, Thomas Sorensen will continue between the posts.
Scunthorpe vs Manchester City
Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland is likely to return to the team against Scunthorpe on Sunday in the FA Cup fourth round.
Ireland was on the bench in midweek after recovering from injury with City defeating Manchester United 2-1 in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg.
Manager Roberto Mancini intends to use two-goal hero Carlos Tevez sparingly at Glanford Park if at all.
Roque Santa Cruz and recent signing Patrick Vieira are both sidelined with calf injuries.
Scunthorpe will welcome back Josh Wright on Sunday.
The midfielder has been struggling due to illness and missed the 1-1 draw against Cardiff last weekend.
Captain Rob Jones remains a doubt with a hamstring injury which has kept him out of the past two league games, so Cliff Byrne and David Mirfin are expected to continue their central-defensive partnership.
Goalkeeper Josh Lillis, a boyhood City fan, kept his place in boss Nigel Adkins' side for the draw against the Bluebirds but will battle it out with fit again number one Joe Murphy for a place in the starting XI.
Defender Kenny Milne remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
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