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Premier League – Team news: Berbatov is back

Manchester United could press Dimitar Berbatov back into action when they face neighbours City in the derby.

2008-2009 Manchester United Dimitar Berbatov - 0

Manchester City v Manchester United (13:30)

Robinho is all set to play in his first Manchester derby after being left out of the City squad for their UEFA Cup trip in midweek to recover from an ankle knock picked up in the 3-0 win over Arsenal. Midfielder Gelson Fernandes is also available again.

Manchester United will welcome back striker Dimitar Berbatov to the fold after the Bulgarian resumed training following a hamstring injury. Club captain Gary Neville is also back after a lay-off, though both players are set to begin the afternoon on the bench. Paul Scholes is also back in training, but the derby at Eastlands looks to have come too soon for the veteran midfielder.

Chelsea v Arsenal (16:00)

Striker Didier Drogba is unavailable for Chelsea due to his three-match ban for throwing a coin into the crowd against Burnley, so the in-form Nicolas Anelka will keep his place. Joe Cole injured his ankle during the Champions League match against Bordeaux, so Deco is set to replace him. Defender Alex has been passed fit and may come in at the expense of Branislav Ivanovic.

Arsenal expect to see striker Emanuel Adebayor return from injury, as well as right-back Bacary Sagna. However Theo Walcott (shoulder), Kolo Toure (calf) and Abou Diaby (abdominal strain) are all out of action.

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (15:00)

Spurs captain Ledley King is set to return for the match at White Hart Lane, while Jermaine Jenas is also set to come back into the starting line-up. Roman Pavlyuchenko and Vedran Corluka are both back in contention after being cup-tied for Thursday’s UEFA Cup trip to Nijmegen.

Everton boss David Moyes has plenty of injury problems, not least up front where Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe are out (both hamstring) and James Vaughan is out until 2009 after undergoing a cartilage operation in the US. Winger Steven Pienaar has not trained for a fortnight, and defenders Tony Hibbert and Nuno Valente are also out. Tim Cahill is expected to support Yakubu in attack, meaning Segundo Castillo may come into a five-man midfield.

Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers (15:00)

Jermain Defoe is set to return to partner Peter Crouch in attack after missing the UEFA Cup match against Milan with a calf injury. Croatian playmaker Niko Kranjcar could also start after recovering from an ankle problem.

Blackburn have left-back Martin Olsson out through suspension following his red card against Tottenham, but Steven Warnock has returned from his own ban to fill in. Midfielder Vince Grella is unlikely to recover from a calf injury in time to feature.

Monday December 1 (20:00)

Liverpool v West Ham

Fernando Torres‘s latest hamstring problem – his third of the season – is set to keep him out of action for around three weeks. Brazilian full-back Fabio Aurelio is out for two weeks with a calf strain, so Andrea Dossena will move in at left-back.

The Hammers have no fresh injury concerns, but the long-term absences of Kieron Dyer and Dean Ashton mean that Gianfranco Zola is set to name an unchanged side.

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Tony Mabert / Eurosport

Written by Israel Saria

For the last 20 years I have been working as a football pundit. This experience has provided me with a very useful insight into football and the opportunity to carry out extensive research into the game including its players, the stadiums, the rules and tactics and I have also been grateful to meet a wide range of people connected to football in the UK, Tanzania, Germany .....

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