Arsenal will have defender Kieran Gibbs (foot) back for the Champions League match with Standard Liege at the Emirates Stadium. However, strikers Robin van Persie (ankle) and Nicklas Bendtner (groin) remain sidelined. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee) is close to a comeback but Abou Diaby (calf), Gael Clichy (back) and Johan Djourou (knee) are still out.

 Martin O'Neill is looking forward to seeing a return on his £12m summer investment after Stewart Downing finally made his club debut. The former Middlesbrough player came on in the 70th minute of the 1-1 draw at Burnley, his first match since breaking a bone in his foot last May. O'Neill accepts there is a long way to go until the 25-year-old rediscovers the form which made him a regular in the England squad, but he is just delighted to see the player back on the pitch. "Just to get on the field of play is a very positive sign for him," said the Villa manager. "It might still be a bit too early as, in terms of proper fitness, it will be hard for him at the moment because of the amount of football he has not played. I'll be the first to tell you he is not entirely fit but he has been desperate to be involved with us. He will benefit from that [run out] and he can only improve from there. He's a very decent player, he's played a number of times for England and he can play. But I think if he stays clear of injury we'll see the best of him from Christmas onwards."

 Alex McLeish has hailed the contribution of stand-in skipper Stephen Carr since coming out of retirement. Right-back Carr had hung up his boots but was persuaded by McLeish to reconsider his decision midway through last season. He played a major part in City regaining their Barclays Premier League status at the first attempt before signing a two-year contract in the summer. Now the former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United player, who leads the side when Lee Carsley is not in the starting XI, is continuing in the same vein during the current campaign. McLeish said: "There is no doubt Stephen has been a really tremendous acquisition for us after plucking him from nowhere when he had announced his retirement. "His defending has been first class and he has been terrific for us and his experience is also valuable. Stephen is a quality performer. He very rarely loses a challenge in the air at the back post but has also shown a fantastic capacity to get up and down the pitch. I have been absolutely delighted with what he has brought to us since coming here."  

 Captain Ryan Nelsen is looking for his side to kick on after they ended their away-day blues. The 2-0 victory against local rivals Bolton banished a run of 10 successive defeats on the road in the league. It was just the boost Blackburn were hoping for, given they have a trip to Craven Cottage and a meeting with Fulham on Wednesday. Nelsen said: "It is our catch-up game and a crucial one. If we can get some points there things will be even better. We've won away from home, we've ticked that box now so it has to be consistency for the next few games. We had 10 very difficult matches at the start of the season, possibly the hardest of any teams. Sure we were disappointed to only get 10 points from them but now we are looking at the next batch as really important ones. A year and a half ago we were seventh, so we've been really disappointed with what has happened. The past four or five years Blackburn have been easily a top 10 club and that is where we aim to be."

 Chairman Phil Gartside says he is not in the business of "pressing panic buttons" after a string of poor results. Bolton have chalked up only one home win in the league but Gartside said now was not the time for change. He said: "The next few games are going to be important as they always are. The season is 38 games and we are confident. We have been playing some good football, it's been decent stuff. No-one presses panic buttons around here. I have been in the game long enough not to do that."

 Manager Owen Coyle has indicated he wants to make striker David Nugent's loan deal from Portsmouth permanent in January. Nugent came off the bench in the draw against Aston Villa and has made only three starts since arriving in September. But Coyle said: "David Nugent is a top-class player. If I could get him in permanently tomorrow I would love to do it. He is probably similar to one or two others in that he is a bit frustrated. But that is what we want - competition for places."

 Joe Cole has set his sights on becoming the polished provider in Carlo Ancelotti's diamond system. Cole scored his first goal for 13 months in Saturday's 4-0 drubbing of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge. "I love it in the middle," said Cole. "I think the main focus is to perform, wherever you are playing. Good players can play in several positions and I found that I had the ability to play right, left or centre and that's because I can do a broad range of things for the team - cross the ball, pass it through the middle, beat a man. Because of these things I have tended to get moved around a little bit. But now I've got back in the centre, which is more natural to me, I'm hoping to cement that place and make it my own. I've had a blinding start. I just try and play well in every game and let the manager take care of who starts matches."

 John Ruddy has hinted he would be prepared to make a permanent switch to Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell. The 23-year-old goalkeeper is currently on loan at Fir Park from Everton, with that deal set to run until January. However, with first-team football proving hard to come by at Goodison, Ruddy admits he would welcome the opportunity to spend the remainder the season in Scotland. The former Cambridge United man has made just one senior appearance for the Toffees since moving to Merseyside in 2005 and accepts that he may be forced to explore other options if he is offered no assurances that that situation will improve. "I would definitely like to stay at Motherwell beyond Christmas," Ruddy said. "There are a lot of things to be achieved before that but I don't want to talk too much about my future as we have big games coming up. I'm 100 per cent focused on doing my best for Motherwell and we'll see what happens on January 2 and that will be down to the clubs and anyone else who comes in. It's out of my hands. I've always said if I'm contracted to Everton then I want to play first-team football with them but if that's not to be I'm not afraid to leave." 

 Roy Hodgson has confirmed Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson are in contention for a first-team return in Wednesday's Barclays Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers. Central midfielder Murphy, who captains the Cottagers, has been absent for the past six weeks with knee ligament damage while striker Johnson has been sidelined for more than a month with a groin problem. However, the pair have been in full training over the past three days and Hodgson is weighing up whether to include them in his side to take on Rovers at Craven Cottage. "It's good to see them back in training," Hodgson said. "They have done two training sessions now and the good thing is that in both sessions, they have come through totally unscathed. Having them available this week isn't out of the question. The longer I can leave it for Danny and AJ, the better it is. Who knows when I have to throw them back in? But they are both in contention."  

 Defender Anthony Gardner could be forgiven for wondering what might have been as Everton visit the KC Stadium this week. The 28-year-old one-time England cap, whose career has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, endured an ill-fated loan with the Merseyside club last year. Having fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham due to injuries, Gardner was allowed to move to Goodison Park for a short spell at the end of the 2007-08 campaign. Yet various problems conspired to prevent him playing a single match for the Toffees and when a permanent move came up the following summer, it was to Hull and not David Moyes' side. After playing in four consecutive matches for Hull for the first time, he is determined not to dwell on his past misfortunes. Gardner said: "I went to Everton with an injury from Spurs and it took most of the time I was there to get it right, so I never got an opportunity. I wasn't playing at Spurs at the time and thought it was a good opportunity to maybe play some games. It didn't turn out that way but you learn from things like that. These experiences happen."  

 Dutch forward Ryan Babel has been ruled out of Liverpool's Champions League Group E match with Debrecen in Hungary after twisting his ankle in the weekend draw with Manchester City. Striker Fernando Torres will also play no part following his groin problem but may be fit to face Everton on Sunday. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, who were struggling with injuries at the end of the 2-2 draw with City, were in Liverpool's 18-man squad that travelled to Budapest. Glen Johnson, who missed the City game with a calf problem, was also in the party while Albert Riera's hamstring injury meant he was left behind for further treatment. Daniel Agger has recovered from a head injury sustained at the weekend.  

 Defender Kolo Toure could face Hull City on Saturday despite going off in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the weekend. Toure was forced to miss the second half at Anfield because of back problem. However, City's medical team say Toure has made a good recovery and there is not expected to be any lasting problem. Meanwhile, midfielder Martin Petrov could be back in training by the end of the week after a knee injury while Sylvinho's calf problem has cleared up.  

 Michael Owen has his own personal reasons for wanting Manchester United to win the Barclays Premier League crown for a record fourth successive season. The 29-year-old striker is determined to get his hands on a title-winners' medal for the first time in his career. The closest he has come was in 2002 when he was with Liverpool who finished runners-up to Arsenal. "It is something I think about a lot," he said. A surprise acquisition in the summer after his contract at Newcastle United expired, Owen now hopes he can fulfil that ambition during his time at Old Trafford. He told the club's website: "When I was first asked to sign for Manchester United I went to bed thinking about what it would feel like to join a new club and meet new staff and new players. Playing under Sir Alex Ferguson was also a big attraction and I thought about how good it would feel to run out every week at Old Trafford and play in front of so many people. But the big thing for me was the chance to win honours. Manchester United are such a great club and I would love to be part of a league-winning team."

 Portsmouth have recalled goalkeeper Asmir Begovic from his loan spell at Ipswich after an injury to England keeper David James. The Bosnia international was due to stay at Portman Road until January but has been hastily called for by Pompey boss Paul Hart after James sustained a calf injury on Sunday. Begovic made six appearances for Roy Keane's side, conceding just four goals and not tasting defeat once for the Tractor Boys.

 Tony Pulis hopes Ricardo Fuller will hit the goal trail after his solitary strike - his first in the Barclays Premier League this season - was enough to beat Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium. In a match of few chances Potters goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen saved Kevin-Prince Boateng's eighth-minute penalty after Rory Delap had kicked Aruna Dindane in the face. Fuller then struck 16 minutes from time with a smart turn and shot from the edge of the penalty area after Matthew Etherington and Dean Whitehead had exchanged passes. Pulis admitted he was just about to replace Fuller with Tuncay Sanli seconds before. "I'm really delighted I didn't. He looked nervous two weeks ago against Hull and he looked nervous (on Saturday) and I think not scoring a goal has made him a little bit edgy," said Pulis. "He is a very confident lad and he breeds off his confidence so that will give him a great lift and I'm absolutely delighted with him."

 Sunderland captain Lorik Cana has joined the calls for striker Darren Bent to be given his World Cup chance. The 25-year-old scored his ninth goal of the season in Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory over high-flying Arsenal to leave manager Steve Bruce singing his praises once again. "England really don't have another centre forward like Darren - a striker who plays on the shoulder of the last defender and is always alive in the box," Cana said. "They would miss someone like Darren if they don't take him and I think he will be a very important player for England at the next World Cup. People need to give him their confidence. Here at Sunderland, he has the confidence of everyone - team-mates, the club and fans - and he can give his best. We know we have a high-quality scorer. The goal he scored on Saturday was important for him and for us, and we are really happy for him. When you play a team like Arsenal, you all have to work together, but you also need someone who makes a difference, and Darren for us is that man."

 Harry Redknapp hailed Jermain Defoe as the finest finisher available to England manager Fabio Capello after his striker produced the best individual goalscoring performance in the Premier League for a decade. Defoe struck five times in the 9-1 demolition of Wigan at White Hart Lane on Sunday, matching Alan Shearer's haul for Newcastle United against Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. "He's an amazing finisher," said Redknapp. "When you look at England strikers, Wayne Rooney's fantastic - a complete all-round player - but as a finisher, Defoe is the best out there." 

 Midfielder Nigel Quashie is on the verge of sealing a loan move, with MK Dons a potential destination. The 31-year-old has been frozen out at Upton Park despite impressing during loan spells at both Birmingham City and Wolves last season. He said: "It has been well-documented that I am looking to go out on loan and West Ham are more than happy to allow me to do that, so I'm just looking at a few possibilities at the moment. I need to go out and get myself fit because the reserves don't come close to the level of fitness that is required for the Premier League. Hopefully, a loan period will enable me to get back to that level and then doors will start opening for me. MK Dons are one of the clubs that have shown an interest in me and if they are the right club for me to join and get some games for, then hopefully something will be sorted this week which allows me to concentrate on playing football again."

 Chairman Dave Whelan has urged the Latics to put Sunday's 9-1 defeat by Tottenham behind them and focus on winning the next two matches. "We have got two home games next - Sunderland then Birmingham at home we want six points and that's the only thing we want. A win next Saturday will lift everything, lift our supporters, and will lift Roberto [Martinez]. So please believe me Wigan Athletic are not dead in the water."

  The Barclays Premier Reserve League fixture between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham will now be played at Molineux Stadium (Ex AFC Telford United), on Tuesday 24th November 2009, kick-off 7pm.