Football: Match by match Premiership analysis

Aston Villa v Everton

Yorke, Taylor 4 Leading scorer Cadamarteri 5 Last season: 3-1

Savo Milosevic is likely to spearhead Villa's attack. Dwight Yorke might play, if freed from international friendly duty with Trinidad and Tobago. Goalkeeper Michael Oakes will start only his fourth game of the season as a replacement for Mark Bosnich, who is on World Cup play-off duty with Australia. Gareth Southgate is likely to be out for six weeks due to the ankle ligament injury that he suffered while playing for England last week. Ugo Ehiogu should deputise. Midfielder Ian Taylor starts a three-match ban. Mark Draper (hamstring) and Stan Collymore (banned) may return.

Everton have not won an away game in the Premiership for 11 months. Their major injury doubt today is Dave Watson, struggling to recover from a hamstring injury. Craig Short, who has a similar injury, should be fit. Croatian defender Slaven Bilic, who has been back in training after a bout of flu, should play. Terry Phelan is hoping to overcome a calf strain. Gary Speed has recovered from a similar injury.

Blackburn v Chelsea

Sutton 11 Leading scorer Vialli 10 Last season: 1-1

Blackburn, beaten only once in the Premiership this season and one place above Chelsea, are likely to be without defender Colin Hendry for several more weeks. Hendry is still recovering from the knee ligament injury which kept him out for the recent win over Everton and Scotland's friendly in France. Norwegian Tore Pedersen is likely to continue deputising for Hendry while Swedish striker Martin Dahlin is struggling to shake off a back problem. Blackburn could go top of the Premiership if they win.

Frank Sinclair could be the only survivor of Wednesday's Coca-Cola Cup win over Southampton to feature in Chelsea's starting line-up. Dennis Wise is struggling to recover after taking a knock in midweek. Michael Duberry, out since damaging his ankle in September, could return alongside Franck Leboeuf at the back, while Celestine Babayaro will come back in for Danny Granville. Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo and Gianluca Vialli could all return while Dan Petrescu is back after international duty for Romania.

Derby v Coventry

Wanchope 9 Leading scorer Dublin 8 Last season: 2-1

Derby have won only one of their last six games and lost their unbeaten Pride Park record in midweek, defeated 1-0 by Newcastle in the Coca-Cola Cup. They are still without their influential defender Igor Stimac, out with a back problem. Italian midfielder Stefano Eranio (hamstring) played in midweek after six weeks out with a hamstring injury and should continue his comeback. Jamaica striker Deon Burton will also be back in the squad following World Cup qualification with his adopted country. Midfielder Robin van der Laan is injured.

Coventry manager Gordon Strachan is likely to start with Darren Huckerby partnering Dion Dublin up front. Huckerby went on as substitute for the former Cardiff striker Simon Haworth at Arsenal in the mid-week 1-0 Coca- Cola Cup defeat and immediately created chances. Despite receiving treatment all week for a thigh muscle injury, Huckerby is expected to be fully fit. Coventry were beaten three times by Derby last season but have lost only once in their last nine Premiership matches.

Leicester v Bolton

Marshall 7 Leading scorer Blake 6 Last season: No fixture

Leicester will be without England Under-21 striker Emile Heskey, who starts a three-match ban. Ian Marshall is expected to move into attack to replace him. Steve Walsh is still troubled by his cracked ribs but should be fit, while Kasey Keller has returned from international duty with the USA determined to regain his first team place ahead of Pegguy Arphexad. Leicester will be looking to recover the form that had taken them to into the Premiership's top six before losing at home to Wimbledon in their last game and dropping to seventh.

Bolton, 18th in the Premiership and with only two wins this season, will be without midfield playmaker Scott Sellars, who is serving the last game of a three-match ban. Gerry Taggart is still serving a six-match ban. Dean Holdsworth is available after being cup-tied and missing the 2-1 Coca-Cola defeat at Middlesbrough in midweek. Holdsworth will partner Nathan Blake up front, while Peter Beardsley is likely to play ahead of the Icelandic youngster Arnar Gunnlaugsson.

Liverpool v Barnsley

Fowler 8 Leading scorer Redfearn 6 Last season: No fixture

Liverpool will be without Paul Ince and Robbie Fowler, both suspended. Ince starts a three-match ban while top scorer Fowler misses two games. Michael Owen, who scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 midweek Coca-Cola Cup win against Grimsby, will continue up front in Fowler's place while Jason McAteer, Michael Thomas, Jamie Carragher or Patrik Berger are in contention for Ince's midfield slot. Defender Mark Wright, who has missed 12 games with a back problem, is back in training but will not feature.

Barnsley, who have now conceded 24 goals in the last five Premiership away fixtures, will be without Ashley Ward for their visit to Anfield after his failure to shrug off a strain of viral meningitis. He is the only injury doubt for Danny Wilson, whose side have not won a point away from home for over three months. Swedish defender Peter Markstedt, who signed for the Tykes from Vasteras on Thursday, could make his debut. Barnsley have lost ten of the 14 games so far this season, and are two points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Newcastle v Southampton

Asprilla 6 Leading scorer Davies 8 Last season: 0-1

Stuart Pearce and Faustino Asprilla could both be back in the Newcastle team today. Asprilla is close to match fitness after a seven- week absence following a stomach operation, while Pearce, who has been out for almost three months with a hamstring injury, has trained successfully this week. Warren Barton (hamstring) is out. John Beresford and goalkeeper Shay Given are hoping to overcome groin and shoulder problems respectively.

Southampton's Norwegian international striker Egil Ostenstad has recovered from surgery to an ankle injury that involved shaving bone from the joint, but will not play today. He played 45 minutes of a reserve team game against Luton in midweek, but manager Dave Jones does not want to risk too early a return. Central defender Claus Lundekvam (knee), striker David Hirst (hamstring) and midfielder Kevin Richardson (stomach) are doubts, but all may recover in time. Southampton will be looking for their seventh win in nine games, after losing to Chelsea in the Coca-Cola Cup in midweek.

Sheff Wed v Arsenal

Di Canio, Carbone 7 Leading scorer Bergkamp 12 Last season: 0- 0

Ron Atkinson will play an unchanged side for his first match back as Wednesday manager. The team that won 5-0 against Bolton two weeks ago did not include Benito Carbone, then out with a foot injury, but he is likely to have a place on the bench today. Midfielder Mark Pembridge continues as a stand-in left-back, while Andy Booth, who scored a hat-trick against Bolton, will partner Paolo Di Canio up front. Atkinson will also be keeping Peter Atherton as captain for today's game.

Arsenal will be without several key attacking players. Patrick Vieira is out for another two weeks with knee ligament damage while Emmanuel Petit and Dennis Bergkamp complete their three-match bans. Steve Bould is just beginning his suspension while Luis Boa Morte is on international duty with the Portuguese Under-21 squad. Nicolas Anelka is also out with an injured ankle to leave manager Arsene Wenger desperately short of forward options. Stephen Hughes has impressed recently but the youngster may be rested.

Cort 6 Leading scorer Cole 11 Last season: 0-3

Wimbledon v Man Utd

Teenager Carl Cort and Marcus Gayle will be Wimbledon's attacking partnership as Joe Kinnear's options are limited by injuries. Forwards Efan Ekoku, Jason Euell and Jon Goodman are all out injured, as is defender Brian McAllister, who has a ruptured Achilles. Ekoku has the best chance of recovery for today, but it is unlikely. Left back Alan Kimble is back in the squad after being out for more than a month with a hamstring injury, while midfielder Robbie Earle is available again after returning from international duty with Jamaica.

Gary Pallister is Manchester United's only doubt. He is back in light training but could miss his first Premiership start of the season after hurting his back in the 3-2 defeat at Arsenal. If Pallister is out make it, Ronny Johnsen could start his first game since October 4. Alex Ferguson will confirm his line-up today. Teddy Sheringham and Gary Neville, who both withdrew from last week's England squad, have responded to treatment and are fit.

Tomorrow

Leeds v West Ham

Wallace 9 Leading scorer Hartson 13 Last season: 1-0

Gary Kelly is hoping to be fit for Leeds tomorrow. The Republic of Ireland international missed the midweek 3-2 home Coca-Cola Cup defeat against Reading with a knee injury picked up in his country's World Cup qualifying match in Belgium last week. Substitute goalkeeper Mark Beeney is out with a hamstring injury picked up in a midweek reserve game. Paul Robinson is likely to be on the bench as understudy to Nigel Martyn. Leeds will be without captain David Hopkin, who starts a three-match ban, and Harry Kewell, away on international duty with Australia.

West Ham are still without Paul Kitson and Stan Laziridis, but Andy Impey is close to returning after a foot injury, and Ludek Miklosko is fit enough again after injury to come into contention with Craig Forrest for the position of first choice goalkeeper. Harry Redknapp is likely to field an otherwise unchanged side from midweek, when the Hammers beat Walsall 4-1 in the Coca-Cola Cup and Frank Lampard Jnr scored his first hat-trick at senior level.

FAIR PLAY LEAGUE

Referee Games Red Yellow Pts Ave

1 G Willard 8 3 34 49 6.13

2 P Durkin 8 2 37 47 5.88

3 S Dunn 5 1 24 29 5.80

4 M Reed 5 1 23 28 5.60

5 G Ashby 7 1 30 35 5.00

6 J Winter 8 2 30 40 5.00

7 G Poll 9 3 30 45 5.00

8 G Barber 7 1 26 31 4.43

9 P Alcock 7 0 30 30 4.29

10 P Jones 7 2 19 29 4.14

11 D Elleray 7 1 23 28 4.00

12 M Bodenham 7 0 27 27 3.86

13 D Gallagher 8 2 19 29 3.63

14 M Riley 7 1 19 24 3.43

15 U Rennie 7 0 23 23 3.29

16 A Wilkie 8 1 21 26 3.25

17 N Barry 7 0 20 20 2.86

18 K Burge 7 0 18 18 2.57

19 S Lodge 8 0 15 15 1.88

Premiership matches only; Red cards: 5pts. Yellow: 1pt; Includes abandoned Derby-Wimbledon and West Ham- Crystal Palace matches

UNFAIR PLAY LEAGUE

Games Red Yellow Pts Ave

1 Bolton 13 3 28 43 3.31

2 Chelsea 13 3 23 38 2.92

3 Everton 13 2 27 37 2.85

4 Arsenal 14 1 31 36 2.57

5=Blackburn 14 2 24 34 2.43

5=Sheff W 14 2 24 34 2.43

7 Leeds 14 1 28 33 2.36

8=Coventry 14 1 27 32 2.29

8=C Palace 14 1 27 32 2.29

10 West Ham 14 0 30 30 2.14

11 Liverpool 13 1 21 26 2.00

12 Newcastle 11 1 15 20 1.82

13 Tottenham 14 1 20 25 1.79

14 Derby 14 0 24 24 1.71

15=Man Utd 14 0 23 23 1.64

15=Soton 14 0 23 23 1.64

17 Leicester 14 1 16 21 1.50

18 Barnsley 14 0 21 21 1.50

19 Wimbledon 15 0 22 22 1.47

20 A Villa 14 1 14 19 1.36

Red cards: 5pts. Yellow: 1pt; Includes abandoned Derby-Wimbledon and West Ham- Crystal Palace matches