SATURDAY'S GAMES
BRIGHTON VS. WATFORD
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION: Brighton will be without key defender Shane Duffy through suspension. The Republic of Ireland international serves a one-match ban after collecting a fifth booking of the season against Burnley last weekend. Striker Sam Baldock (calf) is fit, but midfielder Steve Sidwell (back) remains sidelined.
Provisional squad: Ryan, Bong, Bruno, Hunemeier, Dunk, Brown, Propper, Knockaert, Stephens, Murray, Gross, Krul, Goldson, Schelotto, March, Izquierdo, Kayal, Hemed, Baldock.
WATFORD: Watford midfielder Will Hughes could be available. Hughes has been absent for the last four matches with a hamstring injury, but returned to training earlier this week. Troy Deeney, Marvin Zeegelaar and Abdoulaye Doucoure are all suspended, while Kiko Femenia (hamstring), Younes Kaboul, Craig Cathcart, Nathaniel Chalobah (all knee) and Miguel Britos (knock) remain sidelined through injury.
Provisional squad: Gomes, Karnezis, Bachmann, Mariappa, Kabasele, Wague, Holebas, Janmaat, Prodl, Capoue, Watson, Cleverley, Carrillo, Pereyra, Richarlison, Gray, Okaka.
MAN CITY VS. BOURNEMOUTH
MAN CITY: Captain Vincent Kompany will have a fitness test ahead of Saturday's clash with Bournemouth. The Belgium defender has been out for three games with a muscular injury but is now back in training and is expected to return soon. The availability of playmaker David Silva, who has missed the past two games for personal reasons, is unclear but midfielder Phil Foden (ankle) and defenders Benjamin Mendy (knee) and John Stones (hamstring) are out.
Provisional squad: Ederson, Bravo, Walker, Danilo, Otamendi, Kompany, Delph, Zinchenko, Toure, Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sane, Sterling, B Silva, Aguero, Jesus.
BOURNEMOUTH: Striker Jermain Defoe will be among a number of injury absentees. England international Defoe is scheduled to see a specialist after limping out of the midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea with an ankle issue, while midfielder Harry Arter suffered a calf problem in that game and is unlikely to be available. Striker Callum Wilson (knee) should be fit to feature at the Etihad Stadium, but full-back Charlie Daniels (groin) and forward Joshua King (hamstring) are both doubts, while Brad Smith (hip), Adam Federici and Tyrone Mings (both back) are definitely out.
Provisional squad: Begovic, Boruc, Ramsdale, S Cook, Francis, Simpson, Ake, A Smith, Daniels, Surman, L Cook, Fraser, Gosling, Pugh, Hyndman, Ibe, Stanislas, King, Afobe, Wilson, Mousset.
SOUTHAMPTON VS. HUDDERSFIELD
SOUTHAMPTON: Southampton will be without full-backs Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares. England left-back Bertrand has a hamstring problem, while Portugal international Soares has sustained an ankle injury. Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino has no other selection issues but has suggested he will rotate his squad during a busy festive schedule, which could mean a recall for defender Virgil van Dijk, who was left on the bench against Chelsea last weekend.
Provisional squad: Forster, McCarthy, Taylor, Hoedt, Stephens, Yoshida, Van Dijk, Gardos, Pied, McQueen, Romeu, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Davis, Boufal, Tadic, Redmond, Austin, Long, Gabbiadini.
HUDDERSFIELD: Huddersfield will be without Elias Kachunga and Jonathan Hogg. Forward Kachunga has been ruled out for 10-12 weeks after sustaining a knee injury in last week's win at Watford, while Hogg serves a one-game ban following his dismissal at Vicarage Road. Defender Chris Lowe will be included in the squad despite sustaining a foot injury last week, but Michael Hefele has had a setback in his recovery from an Achilles injury. Philip Billing (ankle) and Jon Gorenc Stankovic (knee) are still out.
Provisional squad: Lossl, Coleman, Malone, Cranie, Schindler, Jorgensen, Hadergjonaj, Smith, Lowe, Williams, Whitehead, Mooy, Ince, Van La Parra, Palmer, Quaner, Depoitre, Mounie.
STOKE CITY VS. WEST BROM
STOKE: Stoke will be without Bruno Martins Indi (groin) once again, while fellow defenders Kurt Zouma (hamstring) and Erik Pieters are major doubts. There are also question marks over Charlie Adam, who has been nursing a hip problem. Glen Johnson (knee) has been training and could be back involved. Jese Rodriguez has returned after spending time in Gran Canaria with his ill son but it looks unlikely he will feature on Saturday, with boss Mark Hughes saying the forward will ``take a little bit of time to get back up to speed.''
Provisional squad: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Wimmer, Shaqiri, Fletcher, Allen, Sobhi, Crouch, Diouf, Grant, Johnson, Edwards, Tymon, Berahino, Afellay, Choupo-Moting, Ngoy.
WEST BROM: Nacer Chadli and Matt Phillips could return for West Brom. Belgium international Chadli (hip) and Phillips (hamstring) have returned to training and are expected to be included in the travelling squad on Saturday. Craig Dawson may also return after a knee injury but James Morrison (Achilles) remains out for Alan Pardew's side.
Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Palmer, Hegazi, McAuley, Evans, Nyom, Dawson, Gibbs, Brunt, Field, Chadli, Livermore, Phillips, Krychowiak, Barry, Burke, Yacob, McClean, Robson-Kanu, Rondon, Rodriguez.
SWANSEA VS. CRYSTAL PALACE
SWANSEA: Swansea striker Wilfried Bony will miss out due to the hamstring strain that forced him off early at Everton on Monday. Leon Britton, placed in caretaker charge following Paul Clement's sacking, has ruled himself out of being part of the squad this weekend because of a calf strain, while Ki Sung-yeung (calf) and Leroy Fer (back) are being monitored. It remains to be seen if there is any involvement for Wayne Routledge, missing for the last two games after complaining of muscle tightness, or Kyle Bartley, who has not made a first-team appearance since August because of a knee injury.
Provisional squad: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Fer, Mesa, Carroll, Narsingh, Dyer, Nordfeldt, Van der Hoorn, Rangel, Bartley, Ki, Clucas, Sanches, Fulton, Routledge, Ayew, Abraham, McBurnie.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke is suspended. Boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed that Jason Puncheon is available for selection despite being charged with possession of an offensive weapon and assault. Midfielder Luka Milivojevic returns from suspension but Joel Ward is still unavailable due to his groin problem.
Provisional squad: Speroni, Hennessey, Kelly, Dann, Tomkins, Riedewald, Schlupp, Van Aanholt, Souare, Townsend, Loftus-Cheek, Puncheon, Cabaye, Milivojevic, McArthur, Mutch, Ladapo, Sako, Kaikai, Zaha.
WEST HAM VS. NEWCASTLE
WEST HAM: West Ham will be without Mark Noble and Michail Antonio. Skipper Noble has a slight hamstring problem and winger Antonio is sidelined by a calf injury. Manuel Lanzini is still suspended but fellow midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate returns to the squad after recovering from his hamstring injury.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Hart, Masuaku, Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Rice, Obiang, Quina, Ayew, Arnautovic, Carroll, Sakho, Hernandez, Haksabanovic, Makasi.
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is out as he continues to battle a back injury. The Serbia international is likely to be sidelined for another 10 days with the problem, and he has been joined on the sidelines by full-back Jesus Gamez, who has undergone surgery on an ankle. Midfielder Jonjo Shelvey completes a two-match ban, while manager Rafael Benitez will assess a series of knocks before he names his team.
Provisional squad: Darlow, Elliot, Yedlin, Manquillo, Mbemba, Dummett, Haidara, Lascelles, Clark, Lejeune, Merino, Hayden, Saivet, Ritchie, Atsu, Murphy, Aarons, Diame, Perez, Joselu, Gayle.
BURNLEY VS. TOTTENHAM
BURNLEY: Burnley are without James Tarkowski after the defender was banned for three games for violent conduct. Kevin Long will step back in to deputise for Tarkowski, while both Dean Marney and Jonathan Walters are close to returning to the squad after knee injuries. Goalkeeper Tom Heaton continues to make good progress from his shoulder injury but is not expected to feature over the festive period.
Provisional squad: Pope, Lindegaard, Long, Mee, Taylor, Ward, Bardsley, Defour, Ulvestad, Hendrick, Cork, Westwood, Arfield, Gudmundsson, Vokes, Barnes, Wood, Wells.
TOTTENHAM: Tottenham will have defender Davinson Sanchez back from suspension. Colombia centre-back Sanchez has completed a three-game ban following his red card at Watford at the start of the month and could go straight back into Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI due to the continued absence of fellow defender Toby Alderweireld (hamstring). Defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama (knee), who has been sidelined for more than four months, has returned to training but will not be available at Turf Moor.
Provisional squad: Lloris, Vorm, Gazzaniga, Rose, Davies, Walker-Peters, Vertonghen, Sanchez, Dier, Foyth, Trippier, Aurier, Winks, Amos, Sissoko, Dembele, Alli, Eriksen, Son, Lamela, Llorente, Sterling, Kane.
LEICESTER VS. MAN UNITED
LEICESTER: Wilfred Ndidi returns to contention. The midfielder missed the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City in midweek as he served a one-match suspension, but he is available again on Saturday evening and could be restored to the starting line-up by Foxes boss Claude Puel. It remains to be seen whether out-of-favour striker Islam Slimani will be involved, having been left out of the last five match-day squads. Matty James (Achilles) and Robert Huth (ankle) are nearing returns from their long injury absenses.
Provisional squad: Schmeichel, Jakupovic, Hamer, Simpson, Fuchs, Morgan, Chilwell, Maguire, Benalouane, Dragovic, Iborra, Choudhury, Amartey, Ndidi, Gray, King, Albrighton, Mahrez, Musa, Vardy, Ulloa, Slimani, Okazaki, Iheanacho.
MAN UNITED: Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick remain out. Jose Mourinho confirmed Valencia is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while appearing to rule midfielders Carrick and Fellaini out of the festive period. Centre-back Eric Bailly is undergoing surgery on an ankle issue, but Paul Pogba is available for the Premier League once again having returned from his three-match domestic suspension in the Carabao Cup loss at Bristol City.
Provisional squad: De Gea, Romero, Pereira, Tuanzebe, Darmian, Jones, Smalling, Lindelof, Young, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, McTominay, Pogba, Herrera, Matic, Lingard, Martial, Rashford, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Lukaku, Ibrahimovic.
Injury Table