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Premier League team news: Arsenal keeper back for Spurs clash
Manuel Almunia could be set for a recall to Arsenal's starting XI for tomorrow's derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsene Wenger will make several changes from the side which beat Liverpool in the Carling Cup in midweek but Lukas Fabianski (thigh), Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott (both knee) miss out.
Samir Nasri made his first appearance of the season against Liverpool after recovering from a broken leg and is likely to be on the bench tomorrow.
Arsenal (from): Mannone, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Eboue, Song, Fabregas, Diaby, Arshavin, van Persie, Almunia, Eduardo, Vela, Gibbs, Silvestre, Wilshere, Ramsey, Bendtner.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing a defensive headache ahead of the Barclays Premier League match against Blackburn at Old Trafford tomorrow.
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are both doubtful with calf problems and Gary Neville is suspended.
Ryan Giggs also has a knock and Danny Welbeck, who scored in the Carling Cup victory against Barnsley in midweek, is sidelined with a knee injury.
Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park remain absent with groin and knee injuries respectively.
Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Brown, J Evans, Evra, Anderson, Rafael, Carrick, Scholes, Valencia, Giggs, Rooney, Barbatov, Nani, Owen, Macheda, Obertan, Fabio, Tosic.
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes expects Kolo Toure and Martin Petrov to be back in the squad for Sunday's trip to Birmingham, having missed the midweek Carling Cup win over Scunthorpe with minor injuries.
Wayne Bridge and Craig Bellamy, both rested to the bench for that fourth round tie, are also likely to be back in the side.
Hughes has virtually a fully fit squad to chose from, with only Nedum Onuoha and Robinho still recovering from injuries. Both are close to returning.
Man City provisional squad: Given, Richard, Zabaleta, Lescott, Toure, Bridge, Kompany, Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Bellamy, De Jong, Barry, Sylvinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Taylor, Weiss, Johnson.
Troubled Hull will be without goalkeeper Boaz Myhill for tomorrow's vital trip to Burnley.
The Wales international injured his medial knee ligaments in the closing stages of last weekend's goalless draw with fellow strugglers Portsmouth and will sit out the clash, though under-pressure manager Phil Brown is hopeful he will not prove a long-term absentee.
Star midfielder Jimmy Bullard did not train with his team-mates yesterday due to a shin injury and a decision is still to be made on his participation at Turf Moor.
Hull City squad: Warner, Duke, McShane, Kilbane, Sonko, Dawson, Barmby, Marney, Zayatte, Geovanni, Hunt, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Ghilas, Mendy, Altidore, Bullard, Gardner, Mouyokolo, Olofinjana, Cousin, Halmosi, Boateng, Fagan, Garcia, Cooper, Atkinson, Featherstone.
Owen Coyle will give goalkeeper Brian Jensen "every chance" to recover from the injury he sustained in last weekend's home defeat to Wigan.
X-rays revealed the Burnley stopper had suffered only slight ligament damage to his ankle so Diego Penny is on stand-by for the clash with Hull.
Stephen Jordan suffered a thigh strain in the same game but he is expected to recover in time.
The Clarets are still without long-term absentees Martin Paterson, Chris McCann (both knee) and Jay Rodriguez (ankle).
Burnley squad: Jensen, Caldwell, Mears, Eckersley, Duff, Carlisle, Bikey, Jordan, Alexander, Fletcher, Elliott, Blake, Thompson, Eagles, Penny, Kalvanes, Gudjonsson, Edgar, Easton, Nugent, Guerrero.
Wolves welcome back striker Stefan Maierhofer for tomorrow's trip to Stoke in the Barclays Premier League after the Austrian served a one-match ban.
However manager Mick McCarthy is poised to name an unchanged starting line-up, with Maierhofer on the bench as Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake continue in attack.
On-loan Chelsea central defender Michael Mancienne is available again after missing the last two games through illness.
Wolves (from): Hennessey, Hahnemann, Zubar, Stearman, Berra, Mancienne, Craddock, Elokobi, Hill, Kightly, Halford, Henry, Milijas, Surman, Castillo, Edwards, Jarvis, Ebanks-Blake, Iwelumo, Keogh, Maierhofer, Doyle.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis is expected to recall goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to the line-up to face Wolves following the Dane's late withdrawal at Tottenham last weekend with flu.
Steve Simonsen stepped in and performed heroics to secure a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane, and was again in the side that lost 4-0 at Portsmouth in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.
Pulis also has to decide whether to bring Mamady Sidibe into the reckoning after the striker's return to action at Fratton Park following a knee injury.
Tuncay also performed well at Portsmouth and could force his way into a side still missing the suspended Robert Huth.
Stoke squad: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Faye, Collins, Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Diao, Etherington, Beattie, Tuncay, Fuller, Higginbotham, Cort, Lawrence, Kitson, Pugh, Simonsen, Sidibe.
Sunderland striker Darren Bent is facing a race to be fit for the visit of West Ham, as he battles to overcome a knee problem.
The forward missed Tuesday's Carling Cup penalty shoot-out defeat by Aston Villa but is rated as better than 50-50 after returning to training yesterday.
Fellow striker Fraizer Campbell is a doubt after suffering a knock against Villa, while Phil Bardsley (shoulder) and George McCartney (hip) are also touch-and-go. Midfielder Bolo Zenden and centre-back John Mensah are ruled out.
Sunderland (from): Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Da Silva, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Turner, Richardson, McCartney, Reid, Malbranque, Cana, Henderson, Campbell, Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel could make his 200th successive Barclays Premier League performance against Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow.
Friedel is likely to replace Brad Guzan even though his fellow American made three penalty shoot-out saves in the midweek Carling Cup win over Sunderland.
Defender Stephen Warnock is battling to overcome an ankle injury suffered against the Black Cats and Nicky Shorey could deputise if he is ruled out.
Striker Emile Heskey and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker picked up knocks but Villa manager Martin O'Neill is hopeful of having them available.
John Carew and Steve Sidwell, who made way for the duo at the Stadium of Light, will be in contention for a recall to the starting line-up.
Villa (from) Friedel, Guzan, Cuellar, Beye, Luke Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Delph, Gardner, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, Heskey, Delfouneso, Clark.
Portsmouth welcome back Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jamie O'Hara, Mike Williamson and Tommy Smith at home to Wigan.
The quartet were cup-tied for Tuesday's Carling Cup win over Stoke.
Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Hermann Hreidarsson (foot tendon) are still recovering and will not feature against the Latics.
Portsmouth (from): James, Kaboul, Mokoena, Mullins, Kanu, Basinas, Belhadj, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Ben-Haim, Yebda, Dindane, Finnan, Webber, Brown, Wilson, Ashdown, O'Hara, Boateng, Williamson, Smith.
Wigan will be without Maynor Figueroa in their Barclays Premier League clash at Portsmouth tomorrow as he recovers from a knee injury.
The Honduran full-back is expected to be sidelined for up to seven weeks.
Paul Scharner is doubtful with a hamstring injury while goalkeeper Chris Kirkland remains troubled by a dislocated finger.
Wigan (from): Kirkland, Bramble, Scharner, Gomez, Melchiot, Boyce, N'Zogbia, Diame, Thomas, Scotland, Rodallega, Koumas, Sinclair, Pollitt, Cho, Kapo, Kingson, McCarthy.
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Weather for Halifax
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -6 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
