Boxing Day Team News

Our gift to you... all the Boxing Day team news in one convenient blog post package.

After the jump.


Young doubtful for Spurs clash - Yahoo! Eurosport:

Ashley Young remains a doubt for Aston Villa's Barclays Premier League clash against Tottenham at Villa Park on Boxing Day...

Neither he nor Luke Young (groin) have trained with the team this week so remain touch and go.

Steve Sidwell is out of the reckoning as he closes in on a move to West Ham but fellow midfielders Stiliyan Petrov and Fabian Delph are returning to fitness following ankle and knee injuries respectively.

Either could feature on the bench on Sunday.

Moyes calms Jagielka injury fears - Yahoo! Eurosport

[Phil Jagielka] is still a major doubt for the Boxing Day clash against Birmingham at Goodison Park but Moyes does not expect his absence to be a lengthy one.

When asked how long he could be out, Moyes said at a press conference: 'I'm not sure. We're hoping he might not be too long but he is certainly a doubt for the game against Birmingham, as is Johnny Heitinga, so we could have a problem at centre-half if we don't get one of them fit.'

Heitinga has been out for the last two matches with a knee problem.

Midfielder Steven Pienaar is hoping to return after missing the Eastlands victory with a groin injury and playmaker Mikel Arteta is back after suspension. Striker Victor Anichebe is banned after his sending off on Monday.

Bosingwa boost for Chelsea - Yahoo! Eurosport

Jose Bosingwa returns to the Chelsea squad for Monday's crunch Barclays Premier League game at Arsenal...

Alex, Yuri Zhirkov and Yossi Benayoun remain sidelined.

De Jong back for City - Yahoo! Eurosport

Nigel de Jong will return from suspension as Manchester City look to get their Premier League challenge back on track at Newcastle on Boxing Day...

Mario Balotelli has shrugged off a minor knee ailment and is expected to be part of Roberto Mancini's squad, while Pablo Zabaleta (ankle) is also set to report fit.

Duo set to return for United - Yahoo! Eurosport

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson expects Nemanja Vidic and Anderson to be available for Manchester United's Boxing Day encounter with Sunderland despite becoming victims of a flu virus that has swept through the club's Carrington training ground.

Both men would have missed Sunday's trip to Chelsea had it not been postponed but have now returned to training, along with Michael Carrick and Nani, who have also been affected.

Paul Scholes (groin) and John O'Shea (calf) are out as United look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Trio to return for Tottenham - Yahoo! Eurosport

Tottenham should welcome back Rafael van der Vaart (hamstring), Jermaine Jenas (calf), and Younes Kaboul (hip) for Sunday's match at Aston Villa...

...William Gallas, who will undergo a fitness test to see if he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury he picked up a fortnight ago.

Ledley King (groin) has trained this week but is not fit enough to play.

Ridgewell set for Blues return - Yahoo! Eurosport

Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell is poised to return for the Barclays Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park on Boxing Day...

Midfielder Alexander Hleb has returned to training after being sidelined for almost a month with a hamstring injury suffered in the 1-1 draw at Fulham.

Boss Alex McLeish has to decide whether the on-loan Barcelona player has regained sufficient sharpness to be involved in some capacity.

Pulis can call on duo - Yahoo! Eurosport:

Forward Jon Walters... was suffering with flu last week and was a doubt for the trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen has regained full fitness after being troubled by an elbow injury and a couple of other niggles but will find it difficult to dislodge Asmir Begovic.

Striker Mamady Sidibe's progress from an Achilles injury which has sidelined him since the end of August should see him make a comeback next month.

Gerrard back for Blackpool test - Yahoo! Eurosport

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will return from a six-week absence for the Boxing Day match against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road...

Centre-back Daniel Agger has also finally recovered from a complicated calf problem which has sidelined him since September 25.

Samba set to miss Stoke clash - Yahoo! Eurosport

Blackburn are likely to be without captain Christopher Samba for the Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke on Boxing Day.

The 26-year-old has declared his intention to leave the club following the sacking of manager Sam Allardyce but he would have been a doubt anyway with an ankle problem...

Young defender Phil Jones is likely to miss most of the rest of the season following knee surgery while striker Jason Roberts is out for at least a month with a hamstring strain.

Vince Grella (Achilles), Steven Nzonzi (hamstring) and Keith Andrews (groin) remain sidelined.

Fitness test for Dembele - Yahoo! Eurosport

Boss Mark Hughes will give a fitness test to Mousa Dembele before deciding whether he will play any part in Fulham's Boxing Day derby clash with fellow relegation strugglers West Ham.

Dembele returned to training this week after spending the last five weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Matthew Briggs (calf) is out until next month while Bobby Zamora (leg) and Philippe Senderos (Achilles) should return in February.

Selection headache for Bruce - Yahoo! Eurosport

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce faces major selection problems for the Boxing Day trip to Manchester United with seven senior men missing.

Skipper Lee Cattermole is suspended after reaching five bookings for the season while striker Danny Welbeck is ineligible under the terms of his loan agreement with United.

Central defender John Mensah is likely to be out for three weeks with the ankle injury he suffered during last weekend's 1-0 win over Bolton and he joins Titus Bramble and Michael Turner (both knee) on the sidelines.

Fabregas and Van Persie set for starts - Yahoo! Eurosport

Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie are available to make their first starts together since August when Arsenal host Chelsea on Monday.

Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski returns to the squad for the Barclays Premier League clash, so Wojciech Szczesny is likely to drop to the bench.

Abou Diaby (ankle) is available but Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles), Manuel Almunia (ankle) and Kieran Gibbs (ankle) are out.

Ameobi set to miss City clash - Yahoo! Eurosport

Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi is struggling to make the Boxing Day clash with Manchester City... with a hamstring injury.

However, defender Sol Campbell has shaken off the bout of illness which threatened his participation at St Andrew`s and he and Steven Taylor will fight to keep their places as Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson belatedly return from suspension.

Keeper Steve Harper, who was an unused substitute for the 3-1 victory over Liverpool on his return from shoulder surgery, is pushing to replace Tim Krul...

Selection doubts for McCarthy - Yahoo! Eurosport

McCarthy will hope defender Christophe Berra (thigh) and midfielder Nenad Milijas (foot) have recovered from injuries suffered in the win over Birmingham a fortnight ago.

But Matt Jarvis (knee), Kevin Doyle (thigh), Michael Mancienne (knee), David Jones (foot), Jody Craddock (hip) and Steven Mouyokolo (back) are doubts. Skipper Karl Henry is unlikely to have recovered from a knee setback although he is making good progress.

Adam out for Blackpool - Yahoo! Eurosport

Blackpool will be without captain Charlie Adam when they host Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League on Boxing Day.

Adam picked up his fifth booking of the season on December 11 at Stoke and is yet to serve the resulting one-match suspension as the scheduled game against Tottenham last weekend was postponed.

Matt Gilks, Chris Basham and Billy Clarke (all knee), Marlon Harewood (hamstring) and Louis Almond (shoulder) remain sidelined.

Duo out for Wigan - Yahoo! Eurosport

Wigan will be without Honduras internationals Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa for their Barclays Premier League game at Wolves on Boxing Day as both players serve one-match suspensions.

Emmerson Boyce (hamstring) and Franco Di Santo (ankle) are still not fit to return while James McCarthy and Victor Moses are long-term casualties.

Club captain Gary Caldwell and on-loan midfielder Tom Cleverley remain doubtful after thigh and hip problems respectively.

Odemwingie boost for Baggies - Yahoo! Eurosport

West Brom's leading scorer Peter Odemwingie is fit to return for the Barclays Premier League clash at Bolton on Boxing Day...

Head coach Roberto Di Matteo will continue to monitor the fitness of midfielder Chris Brunt whose training this week has been restricted because of an ongoing groin problem.

The postponement of the Wolves game has enabled midfielder Graham Dorrans (illness) and defender Paul Scharner (leg) to fully recover.