Sunderland vs Liverpool

Managerless Sunderland face a tough ask in their bid for a first Premier League win of the season when they host Liverpool on Sunday.

Paolo Di Canio paid the price for a poor start to the season – which has yielded just one point from five league games - when he was sacked following their 3-0 loss at West Brom.

Caretaker boss Kevin Ball stepped in for Tuesday's 2-0 Capital One Cup victory over Peterborough United and will retain his place in the dugout for this fixture as Sunderland continue to search for a new manager.

Ball will take confidence from the victory, which saw midfielder Lee Cattermole play a key role. The midfielder was rarely involved during Di Canio's brief tenure and the caretaker has backed the 25-year-old to help Sunderland move away from the foot of the table.

"When I saw him on the pitch on Tuesday - bearing in mind he had not played 90 minutes for a long time - I think he produced a very accomplished performance, along with a fabulous ball for the goal," Ball told The Chronicle.

Of immediate concern for Ball is shoring up a leaky defence that has not kept a Premier League clean sheet in their last nine matches, of which six have ended in defeats.

Defenders Wes Brown (calf) and Phil Bardsley (foot) are still sidelined, while attacker Fabio Borini is ineligible under the terms of his loan move from Liverpool. Striker Steven Fletcher (shoulder) will also miss the fixture, meaning that American Jozy Altidore is set to start up front, while defender Andrea Dossena (thigh) may return against his former club.

Liverpool enter the match on the back of successive defeats to Southampton and Manchester United. Brendan Rodgers's side enjoyed their fair share of chances in the 1-0 Capital One Cup loss at Old Trafford, which saw Luis Suarez make his return from suspension.

The Uruguayan forward will play his first Premier League fixture at The Stadium of Light after serving his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Vice-captain Daniel Agger missed Wednesday's fixture at Old Trafford with a knock and is in doubt, while fellow defenders Glen Johnson and Aly Cissokho (both ankle) and Sebastian Coates (knee) are sidelined. Creative midfielder Philippe Coutinho will also miss out after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Liverpool will take heart from their good away form in the league, with Rodgers's side unbeaten in their last six matches on the road.

Striker Daniel Sturridge – who has scored four Premier League goals – has netted seven times in his last four away games in the league.

And Liverpool, who are likely to field former Sunderland players Simon Mignolet and Jordan Henderson, will be hopeful his hot streak of form on the road continues as they go in search of a fourth Premier League win this season.

Bayern Munich vs Wolfsburg

 Bayern Munich attacker Mario Gotze could make his return from an ankle injury when the Bundesliga champions host Wolfsburg on Saturday.

The 21-year-old has missed almost a month of action for the Bavarians after sustaining the knock against Chelsea in the Uefa Super Cup, but he returned to full training this week.

Gotze did not feature in Wednesday's crushing 4-1 DFB-Pokal win over Hannover, but may return to the substitutes' bench at least for the visit of Dieter Hecking's side.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola will be boosted by Gotze's potential comeback with midfield duo Thiago Alcantara (knee) and Javi Martinez (groin) still a long way off returning.

Holger Badstuber is Bayern's only other concern with a long-term knee injury.

Bayern will be confident of further success against Wolfsburg, having won nine of the last 10 meetings between the sides and drawing the other.

Wolfsburg's last win over the champions was an emphatic 5-1 thrashing in April 2009, going a long way to securing a first Bundesliga title for the Lower Saxony outfit that season, one of just three wins Wolfsburg have enjoyed over Bayern in their history.

Luiz Gustavo returned from suspension for Wolfsburg in their midweek DFB-Pokal win over second-tier Aalen and is likely to play against the club he left ahead of the new season.

The Brazilian midfielder will be charged with tracking Bayern's stellar attacking talents, but he will be keen to avoid another red card, having been dismissed in two of his three Bundesliga appearances for his new employers this term.

Gustavo's inclusion will go some way to off-setting the absence of Vieirinha, after the Portugal winger was ruled out for a lengthy period with a knee ligament injury, joining striker Bas Dost (ankle) on the sidelines.

Wolfsburg, who finished 11th in the Bundesliga last season, have won three and lost three of their six league fixtures so far this term.

Borussia Dortmund vs Freiburg

 Table-topping Borussia Dortmund will hope to put a turbulent week behind them when they entertain Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.


Despite overcoming 1860 Munich in the DFB-Pokal in midweek, Dortmund have had to deal with unwanted off-the-field issues involving coach Jurgen Klopp and star striker Robert Lewandowski.

Klopp was given a one-match touchline ban by Uefa on Tuesday following his outburst during the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Napoli and will now be forced to sit in the stands for his side's clash against Olympique de Marseille on October 1.

Lewandowski has also made headlines, with speculation over a potential move to Bayern Munich resurfacing following comments he made in the aftermath of the DFB-Pokal win, which was only settled in extra-time thanks to goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The striker initially appeared to suggest that he would sign a pre-contract agreement with the Bundesliga champions in January as his current deal runs down, although he has since moved to play down suggestions that Bayern is his confirmed destination.

Despite losing their 100 per cent Bundesliga record with a draw at Nurnberg last weekend, Dortmund will be confident of consolidating their lead at the top of the table, with Lewandowski and Aubameyang aiming to add to their fifth and sixth goals respectively so far this term.

Freiburg will travel to Dortmund having finally achieved their first victory of the season on Wednesday, after beating Stuttgart 2-1 in the cup.

Matthias Ginter and Mike Hanke got the goals for Christian Streich’s men, and they will now look to carry that form into the league to improve their current position of 17th.

Despite getting a point last time out in a 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin, Freiburg currently sit second bottom of the table with just three points from six games.

Recent history will be against the away side, who have not beaten Dortmund since May 2010 and have lost the last six meetings between the two sides, including a 5-1 hammering at Signal Iduna Park last season.

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in La Liga this weekend for what promises to be a heated derby clash.

The city rivals go into the match in third and second in the league table, with Atletico lying two points ahead of Real.

Gareth Bale could make his home debut for Real after missing the last two games through injury, providing support for Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Atletico are expected to welcome back experienced striker David Villa, who will line up in attack alongside Diego Costa, replacing Leo Baptistao.

The visitors have a 100% record to maintain when they visit the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Recent form

Real: WWDWWW

Atletico: WWWWWW

Possible starting lineups

Real: Lopez, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Arbeloa, Modric, Khedira, Isco, Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema

Atletico: Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Insua; Tiago, Suarez, Koke; Turan, Costa, Villa

Almeria vs Barcelona

Barcelona travels to Almeria on Saturday looking to record its 12th consecutive La Liga win.

The reigning champion has taken the maximum 18 points from its six fixtures so far in the top flight, scoring 22 goals and conceding just five in the process. This follows on from five straight wins at the end of last season and means the Catalan side has now dropped just four points in the last 16 La Liga games.

On Tuesday, the Blaugrana swept Real Sociedad aside at Camp Nou, with Neymar, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Marc Bartra all scoring in a comprehensive 4-1 win.

Messi has begun the season in typical fashion, netting 10 goals in all competitions, but Brazil star Neymar has also enjoyed an impressive start to life in Barcelona after his move from Santos. Dani Alves is not shocked by his compatriot's adaption to Spanish football.

"I knew of Neymar’s abilities, and I knew that he’d fit in at Barca. I’m not surprised by his good start," Alves told Barcelona's official website.

Almeria’s start to the campaign is in stark contrast to Barca's, as it has failed to pick up a win, earning just three points from six games. The hosts look unlikely to improve on that record this weekend, having taken just two points from their last 10 matches against the Catalans.

Their last four meetings have seen Barca rack up an aggregate scoreline of 19-1, including an 8-0 away victory in 2010.

Although his side will be huge underdogs again, Almeria boss Francisco Javier Rodriguez Vilchez has a full squad to choose from with the only player to miss their last game against Malaga - Christian Fernandez - coming back into contention following suspension.

Martino, meanwhile, is still struggling with injuries in defense, with Jordi Alba and Mascherano ruled out. Isaac Cuenca (knee) and Ibrahim Afellay (knee) are also absent, but Carles Puyol could feature.

Swansea City vs Arsenal

 Table-toppers Arsenal will see their Premier League title credentials tested when they visit Wales to face Swansea on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side head the division from rivals Tottenham on goal difference thanks to four victories from their first five matches and travel to the Liberty Stadium looking to extend that run.

New signing Mesut Ozil – who arrived from Real Madrid for a club record transfer fee of £42.5 million – has made a bright start to life at Arsenal and will once again be expected to star, while Olivier Giroud heads into the fixture joint top of the league's scoring charts.

Giroud has netted four goals in his five Premier League matches so far this term, while Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey is also in outstanding form.

The 22-year-old has already netted seven strikes for Arsenal in all competitions this season, including four in his last three matches.

Wenger resisted the temptation to use his stars in Wednesday's Capital One Cup third-round win over West Brom but his faith in his fringe players was rewarded as they progressed on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

"I am proud. We played with many young players and they showed they are not only good footballers but that they can fight as well," Wenger said afterwards.

With many of Arsenal's big names rested, Wenger avoided any further injuries to an already depleted squad.

Theo Walcott will miss several weeks with an abdominal problem, and midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby (both knee), and striker Lukas Podolski (hamstring) are long-term absentees.

Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla (ankle) has an outside chance of returning on Saturday, but is more likely to play on Tuesday against Napoli in the Champions League, when Tomas Rosicky (thigh) is also set to make his comeback.

Meanwhile, Swansea's Capital One Cup defence ended on Wednesday as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Championship outfit Birmingham City.

Manager Michael Laudrup also played a second-string side, making 10 changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in their last league fixture.

But their form prior to that cup defeat had been good, with a four-match unbeaten run highlighted by a superb 3-0 Europa League win at Valencia.

Swansea – who lost their first two Premier League fixtures of the season – have bounced back and climbed to ninth in the table.

Club captain Ashley Williams (ankle) missed Wednesday's defeat and is a doubt for the Arsenal match, as is midfielder Pablo Hernandez (hamstring).

Swansea have enjoyed a good record against Arsenal since earning promotion to the top flight, winning two of their four meetings, while they also forced Wenger's side to a replay in the third round of the FA Cup last season.

Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion

 Manchester United will look to build on their Capital One Cup win over Liverpool when they take on West Brom in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Premier League champions have made a stuttering start to their league campaign, winning just two of their first five matches to slip to eighth.

That has seen pressure heaped on new manager David Moyes already, with the criticism gathering pace following the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of rivals Manchester City last Sunday.

However, United quickly recovered against Liverpool as Chicharito's close-range strike helped them to victory, and Moyes will be hoping to use that momentum to see off West Brom.

"It's not frustrating," Moyes said of his side's start to the season. "I will sort it. I will fix it. I will turn it around. I have no doubt about that."

"(Wednesday) was a big game for us. We had lost at Anfield a few weeks ago (1-0 in the Premier League) and at the Etihad on Sunday, and we wanted to put that right."

Hernandez could start again for United against West Brom, given the injury uncertainty hanging over Dutch striker Robin van Persie (groin).

Van Persie - who was the leading scorer in the Premier League with 26 goals last term - has missed the club's last two matches and is a doubt for Saturday's clash.

Midfielder Tom Cleverley also missed Wednesday's win over Liverpool with a knock while Darren Fletcher (illness) is indefinitely sidelined.

After finishing eighth last season, West Brom have started slowly this term, and Steve Clarke's men were dumped out of the Capital One Cup on penalties against Arsenal on Wednesday.

They notched their first Premier League win last week at the fifth attempt as goals from Stephane Sessegnon, Liam Ridgewell and Morgan Amalfitano helped them to a 3-0 victory over Sunderland.

Striker Matej Vydra (hamstring) and midfielder Chris Brunt (groin) could return for the trip to Old Trafford, but goalkeeper Ben Foster (foot) and Zoltan Gera (knee) are long-term absentees.

West Brom have have won just five of 23 Premier League games in 2013 and will enter the match as underdogs given United's outstanding record against them; the Red Devils have won 15 of the last 18 meetings between the two clubs, with the other three being draws.

West Brom last tasted victory against United in March 1984 when goals from Cyrille Regis and Steve MacKenzie fired them to a 2-0 success.

The last clash between the two sides was highly memorable, as West Brom scored three times in the final 10 minutes to earn an incredible point in the only ever 5-5 draw in Premier League history, which was also Alex Ferguson's last match in charge of United.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho will face each other for the first time on Saturday when Tottenham Hotspur play Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

Villas-Boas, who was a coach under Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, has led his Spurs side to eight wins from nine matches in all competitions this season.

They warmed up for this weekend's match by securing a comfortable 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the third round of the League Cup on Tuesday evening.

Chelsea also earned a cup victory in midweek when they beat Swindon Town 2-0 at the County Ground.

Villas-Boas is expected to bring Roberto Soldado, Paulinho and Christian Eriksen back into the fray after the trio were among eight players rested for the match against Villa.

Danny Rose, Aaron Lennon and Younes Kaboul could miss out as they continue to recover from injuries.

Juan Mata featured for Chelsea against Swindon and Mourinho may be tempted to start the Spain international against Spurs. Samuel Eto'o is expected to retain his place in attack.

Recent form

Spurs: WWLWW

Chelsea: WWDLW

Possible starting lineups

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton; Dembele, Paulinho; Townsend, Eriksen, Sigurdsson; Soldado

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o

Sydney Roosters vs Newcastle Knights

The second game for NRL Finals Week 3 is between Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:45pm with the game to be played at Allianz Stadium. The favourite for the match is home team Sydney Roosters. View our preview and teams for the game between Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights.

The last remaining spot in the 2013 grand final will be decided when Sydney Roosters take on Newcastle Knights.

After two surprise losses in rounds 23 and 24, Sydney bounced back to their best with a comprehensive victory over South Sydney in the final round of the regular season, in which they claimed the minor premiership in the process, before last week, defeating Manly 4 – 0 in what was a magnificent clash and highlighted the Roosters defence – which has been their biggest asset all year.

With the week off to their advantage, the Roosters look well placed to make it three successive victories over Newcastle this year after accounting for the Knights 28 – 12 in round 20 and 24 – 6 in round 9.

Newcastle snuck into the year’s finals (finishing seventh) after wins against Brisbane and Parramatta in the final two weeks of the regular season but has taken full advantage of their opportunities by defeating Canterbury comprehensively in week 1 of the finals, before travelling to Melbourne, where they hadn’t won since 2004, and as outsiders, claiming the scalp of the Storm.

With nothing to lose and four straight wins behind them, they’ll present plenty of problems for the Roosters.

It was Newcastle’s hardened and experienced forward pack that laid the foundation for the recent success but up against the Roosters pack, that have been dominate all year and who will welcome back key forward Jared Waera-Hargreaves from suspension, the Knights will have to lift again.

The Roosters have kept Newcastle to only three tries in their two games this year and after momentary lapses in the last few rounds, the Roosters have displayed in their two most recent matches that their defence is back to its best.

With the likes of Sonny-Bill and Boyd Cordner set to ask plenty of questions in attack on the edge of Newcastle’s ruck, the Roosters should pack too many guns.

Instead of taking the short price about them here, jump on the $2.50 for next week’s grand final which is now on offer.

The Sydney Roosters reportedly sacked a sports nutrition company after learning six players had returned blood tests with elevated readings for the banned substance Human Growth Hormone.

In a Fairfax Media report, it is alleged details of the players’ blood test results were found on the phone of an organised crime figure after being seized by law enforcement officers.

The firm, Nubodi, was hired by the club last year in an attempt to finetune detox diets for the players, the club’s chief operating officer Brian Canavan confirmed.

Canavan said Roosters players were tested for human growth hormone without the consent of club officials or staff.

Boyd Cordner, Sam Moa and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck were three players named in the Fairfax report who had elevated HGH levels.

The trio were later re-tested by the club, with those blood tests not returning elevated levels of HGH.

There is no suggestion any player has acted improperly.

“We were very unhappy that the extended (blood) testing was conducted. It was done without our knowledge,” Canavan told Fairfax.

The Roosters, who finished the season as minor premiers and are favourites to take out premiership in a fortnight, informed the NRL’s integrity unit of the unusual test results midway through this season.

Sean Carolan, who runs Nubodi, denied the inconsistent growth hormones among some tested players was a result of taking illegal supplements.

HGH is banned by ASADA as it is used to strengthen connective tissue which reduces the probability of injury.

The Roosters face Newcastle on Saturday night in a preliminary final, with the winner to progress to the grand final on October 6.

Hawthorn Hawks vs Fremantle

Saturday’s AFL Grand Final match is between Hawthorn Hawks and Fremantle Dockers. The opening bounce is set to commence at 2.30pm local time with the game to be played at MCG. The home team Hawthorn Hawks are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Hawthorn Hawks and Fremantle Dockers.

The Dockers are delivering on the promise they’ve displayed all year and now find themselves one win away from the Club’s first ever Grand Final appearance.

In the first week of the finals they had the unenviable task of travelling to Simonds Stadium to take on Geelong.

In the first quarter it appeared that the home-side’s significant finals experience over the past decade was going to be too much for the Dockers but the Western Australian side responded well.

The Dockers defence, the best in the league all year, came to the fore and after conceding four majors in the first quarter, they were able to limit Geelong to only five more for the remainder of the match.

At the same time, the decision by Coach Ross Lyons to rest several players for the final round of the home and away season, started to reap rewards as the Dockers run was far greater to that of Geelong’s late in the game and they were able to post a 87 – 72 victory.

Another week off will have the Dockers – and their supporters champing at the bit for this weekend’s clash.

Sydney has faced, Geelong, Hawthorn (twice) and last week, Carlton in what has been a tough test for them over the past month.

The effort and commitment in each of these games, of which their only win was over Carlton, is taking a toll with several big names missing from the line-up this week through injury or suspension.

The Swans need to lift again for this week’s clash. This year, from twelve attempts, the Swans have only been successful on four occasions when taking on teams placed in the top eight and have yet to register a win against a team above them on the ladder.

Sydney hasn’t faced Fremantle in W.A. since their victory in round 20 of 2010. In their three games since then there’s been next to nothing between the two sides. Fremantle have one win by eleven points, Sydney one win by thirteen and in their most recent clash in round 8 of this year, the two sides played out a 70-all draw at the SCG.

The line given to the Swans is -20.5 and given the combination of the Dockers’ good defence and Sydney missing a couple who would normally boot them a few goals, this margin looks reachable.

Fremantle will secure their first ever Grand Final berth and cover the line in the process.

Hawthorn have selected Jonathan Simpkin to replace the injured Brendan Whitecross in their team for Saturday’s AFL grand final.

The Dockers have named an unchanged side.

Simpkin’s selection comes after he was best afield for the Hawks’ VFL affiliate Box Hill in their grand final win on Sunday, which now gives him the chance to play in two premierships six days apart.

It will be the 25-year-old’s first AFL game since round 20 and just the 18th of his career.

The hard-running midfielder-forward has had to battle enormously hard for his AFL chance.

First rookie-drafted by Sydney ahead of the 2006 season, Simpkin didn’t play an AFL game in his two years with the Swans before being delisted at the end of 2007.

He joined Geelong’s VFL side in 2008 and was eventually rookie drafted by the Cats ahead of the 2011 season.

He won the Geelong VFL side’s best and fairest award in 2011 but didn’t make his AFL debut until round nine last year.

He played four AFL games in total for the Cats, including their elimination final loss to Fremantle, before being delisted at the end of last season and joining Hawthorn as a free agent.

He has played 13 games for the Hawks this season, but was not selected for any of their previous finals and was not listed even as an emergency for last weekend’s preliminary final against Geelong.

He gained his chance with his strong VFL performance on Sunday after Whitecross sustained a serious knee injury against the Cats.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Manly Sea Eagles

Standing between South Sydney and their first grand final appearance in forty-two years, is the Manly Sea Eagles side.

Souths have accounted for Manly on both occasions the two sides have met this year. In round seven the score-line read 20 – 12 before producing a similar margin (22 – 10) in round twenty-three.

Both games were played away from ANZ Stadium and the return to venue is a big plus for South Sydney who possess a 9 – 3 winning record at the ground.

Souths earned their spot here by beating Melbourne in week 1 of the finals. Souths got the jump on Melbourne early, scoring twice in the first 25 minutes of the game.

The good start, combined with some uncharacteristic Melbourne mistakes and two disallowed (somewhat controversially) tries at crucial stages of the match, were enough to see the Rabbitohs hold on (20 – 10)

Another good start for Souths here is imperative. Manly have played two very physical encounters in the past fortnight and Souths, who have had the advantage of not having to play last week, need to start strong. Putting pressure on Manly physically, will go a long way to ensuring victory.

Manly have a much tougher road to this final.

In the first week of the finals, Manly, in a titanic match, lost to competition favourites Sydney Roosters 4 – 0.

To keep their season alive last week, the Sea Eagles again had to dig deep to hold off a fast finishing and tenacious Cronulla outfit, 24 – 18.

Their victory was helped by a good kicking game by half-back Daley Cherry-Evans and again, he’ll need to be on song with the boot not only in attacking mode but, in general play, to ensure Souths are playing from their own territory.

Manly receive a much needed boost with the likely return of fullback Brett Stewart, who returns to the line-up from a hamstring injury that has seen him miss the past three weeks.

Will he provide the injection that will spark Manly to victory in their third tough finals match in as many weeks?

Last time he was in the starting line-up, Manly produced their best performance of the year when comprehensively defeating Melbourne 28 – 8 in round 25. He’s inclusion can not be underestimated.

Teams:

South Sydney Rabbitohs
Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, Bryson Goodwin, Dylan Walker, Dylan Farrell, John Sutton, Adam Reynolds, Luke Burgess, Issac Luke, Dave Tyrrell, Sam Burgess, Ben Te’o, Jeff Lima
Interchange: Jason Clark, Roy Asotasi, Chris McQueen, George Burgess, Ben Lowe, Luke Keary, Matt King (three to be omitted)

Manly Sea Eagles
Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua, Jamie Lyon, Steve Matai, David Williams, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Brenton Lawrence, Matt Ballin, Brent Kite, Anthony Watmough, Justin Horo, Glenn Stewart
Interchange: Richie Fa’aoso, Jamie Buhrer, Tom Symonds, George Rose, Peta Hiku, James Hasson, David Gower (three to be omitted)
Referees: Ben Cummins/Gerard Sutton

Valenciennes vs PSG

Paris Saint-Germain visit Valenciennes on Wednesday looking for their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 victory at the Stade du Hainaut.

The champions have got their title defence off to an unbeaten start, having won three and drawn three of their opening six games, and moved up to second in the table with a 1-1 home draw with early pacesetters Monaco on Sunday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in that game with his second Ligue 1 goal of the campaign, and the Sweden international will have fond memories of the Stade du Hainaut, having hit a hat-trick in PSG's most recent trip there, which ended in a 4-0 success last December.

PSG have not lost to Valenciennes in their last eight Ligue 1 meetings, but had to rely on an 83rd-minute equaliser from Alex to earn a point the last time they played - a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes in May.

But former Chelsea defender Alex will miss this match against Daniel Sanchez's side with a thigh injury, while PSG boss Laurent Blanc will also be without captain Thiago Silva after he limped out of the Monaco clash with a hamstring problem.

That leaves Blanc with something of a shortage at centre-half, meaning veteran defender Zoumana Camara - who came on for Thiago Silva against Monaco - is in line to make his first start of the season.

However, having not lost in their last nine top-flight away games, PSG will be confident of having too much attacking quality for their hosts, who sit second bottom of the table.

Valenciennes go into the game low on confidence after a run of five successive Ligue 1 defeats - their most recent being last Sunday's 4-0 loss at Nice.

Sanchez's men got off to a flying start to the season with a 3-0 win over Toulouse on the opening day, but have failed to collect a single point since then.

Senegalese midfielder Abdou Camara and French forward Jean-Christophe Bahebeck are both still sidelined with thigh injuries, while Marco da Silva (knee) and Mody Traore (foot) will also miss the visit of the champions.

Chievo vs Juventus

Juventus will attempt to continue their unbeaten start to their Serie A campaign when they make the trip to Chievo on Wednesday.

The home side will enter the match full of confidence having recorded a 2-1 win over Udinese at the weekend, a result that left them in 15th position in the table having taken four points from their first four games.

They have already suffered defeat on their own patch this season, however, losing to Napoli at the end of August. They were also beaten 2-1 in the corresponding fixture by Juventus last season.

Juve, meanwhile, enter the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Hellas Verona at the weekend. They currently sit in fifth position in the table, level on 10 points with Fiorentina and Inter Milan, but two points behind Napoli and Roma, who have won all four of their league fixtures so far this season.

Sergio Pellissier and Alberto Paloschi are both expected to continue in attack for the hosts, while Alessio Sestu should also start despite suffering a minor knock at the weekend. Simeone Bentivoglio and Cyril Thereau are also pushing for inclusion against the Italian champions.

Juventus boss Antonio Conte made five changes for the win over Verona, but the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Giorgio Chiellini are all expected to return to the starting lineup.

Fernando Llorente is also expected to keep his spot in the team following an impressive display last time out, with Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic having to be content with a spot on the bench.

Recent form:

Chievo: WDLLW

Juventus: WWDDW

Possible starting lineups:

Chievo: Puggioni; Bernardini, Cesar, Frey, Drame; Radovanovic, Sestu, Estigarribia, Rigoni; Pellissier, Paloschi

Juventus: Buffon; Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci; Lichtsteiner, Pirlo, Pogba, Vidal, Asamoah; Tevez, Llorente

Bologna vs AC Milan

Bologna and AC Milan meet on Wednesday with both sides looking to recover from disappointing starts to the campaign.

Stefano Pioli's men have not won a game this season, while Milan have triumphed just once in their opening four games.

Massimiliano Allegri's side's latest defeat came in front of their own fans against Napoli, whose 2-1 victory marked the first time in 27 years that they had beaten Milan at San Siro in the top flight.

Mario Balotelli endured a typically eventful game, the striker missing the first penalty of his career, before scoring in spectacular fashion and then being dismissed after the final whistle following an argument with the referee.

The Italy international will now miss the next three games and he will join a number of first-team players on the sidelines.

Stephan El Shaarawy, Riccardo Montolivo and Kaka (all thigh) are out, as is on-loan defender Matias Silvestre (knee).

Defenders Daniele Bonera and Mattia De Sciglio, and striker Giampaolo Pazzini (all knee) are also unavailable .

Still, despite a long list of notable absentees, Allegri's men should head to Emilia-Romagna with a good deal of confidence, having done the double over Bologna last season.

Bologna have not beaten Milan since 2008, when goals from Marco Di Vaio and Francesco Valiani gave them a 2-1 win at San Siro.

Pioli's side have been in dreadful form so far this term, with their latest defeat coming at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara against Torino, who emerged 2-1 winners.

Cesare Natali found the net for Bologna in that game, but the defender will be absent against Milan after he was shown a straight red card early in the second half.

Defender Nicolo Cherubin (foot) is still on the sidelines, while midfielder Rene Krhin and defender Frederik Sorensen are yet to return to fitness.

Bayern Munich vs Hannover 96

After holding down Hannover 96 to a 2-0 defeat on matchday 5 of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will be facing their league rivals yet again in the DFB Pokal.

Goals from Mario Mandzukic and Franck Ribery in the second-half sealed the deal for Bayern, in a game where they showed their dominance, enjoying 67 per cent of the possession throughout the game.

Mandzukic, who hopes to score again against Hannover, knows that it will be a difficult feat but will draw strength from the home crowd.

"Obviously, you've not had the luck of the draw when you play the club lying fourth in the Bundesliga in the second round. It'll be tough, not least because we're playing them for the second time in a matter of days. They know much more about us. But we are at home with our fans behind us. It's a game only Bayern can win,

The Bavarians will play without the services of Jan Kirchhoff, Mario Götze, Holger Badstuber, Thiago Alcántara, Javi Martínez and Pierre Höjbjerg due to injuries, while Bastian Schweinsteiger may suit up, depending on his fitness level.

In contrast, Hannover boss Mirko Slomka's hopes remain high despite the earlier setback against the Bundesliga giants and said that his team has to score, at least, a goal to be able to win at the Allianz Arena.

The Reds, who have won four of their six games in the Bundesliga, are currently occupying fourth place with 12 points, just four points behind joint leaders Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

Christian Pander, Mame Biram Diouf and Steven Cherundolo are absentees, while Andre Hoffman's condition will be monitored.

Projected Line-ups:

FC Bayern Munich: Neuer; Rafinha,van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Lahm; Robben, T. Muller, Schweinsteiger, Ribery; Pizarro

Hannover 96: Zieler; H. Sakai, Marcelo, Sané, Pocognoli; Prib, Andreasen; Stindl, Huszti; Ya Konan, A. Sobiech

Elche Vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid make their first trip to Elche in 24 years on Wednesday looking to claim their fifth win in six La Liga games this season.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have dropped just two points so far this term - in a 2-2 draw at Villarreal - and go into the match at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on the back of a 4-1 win over Getafe on Sunday.

Real came from a goal down to beat their city neighbours at the Bernabeu, with Cristiano Ronaldo grabbing a brace.

The last time Real faced Elche, they did the double over them with 3-1 and 4-2 victories in the 1988-89 top-flight campaign, and the capital club have only lost one of their last 10 meetings against the newly promoted side.

Fran Escriba's team made it back into La Liga for the first time since 1989 by winning the Segunda Division last season, but they have yet to win on their return to the top tier.

However, they have only lost twice in their opening five games, and can take heart from the fact that they have not been beaten in either of their home matches.

But worryingly for Escriba, whose side have kept just one clean sheet this term, Real have scored 10 goals in their last two matches.

Ancelotti will definitely be without world-record signing Gareth Bale after the Wales international picked up a thigh injury in the warm-up before their game with Getafe.

Bale underwent tests on Monday which showed fatigue in the muscle, but the manager said after the Getafe fixture that he should be fit for the Madrid derby against Atletico on Saturday.

Fabio Coentrao, Marcelo (both hamstring) and Xabi Alonso (foot) are also unavailable, but Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos gave the Italian a boost when they returned to full training on Monday.

Elche have injury concerns over Cristian Sapunaru (knock) and Sergio Pelegrin (hernia) ahead of the match, with the former more likely to be available than the latter.

West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal

 Steve Clarke believes West Brom can cause an upset in the Capital One Cup when they face Arsenal at the Hawthorns on Wednesday.

Albion picked up their first league win of the season against Sunderland on Saturday and Clarke is hoping to see his squad maintain that form.

They face Arsenal – a side they have not beaten in three years – and although Arsene Wenger is expected to use some of the younger players in his squad, Clarke still has the visitors as favourites to progress.

"We can be dangerous underdogs," he told the club's official website. "As a team the last two performances have been good.

"Arsenal at home is a difficult game – it’s a good game.

"I've got a nice squad of players who all want to play. It's up to me to get the right mix on the pitch on Wednesday.

"I've got players who need to play and players who want to play.

"Hopefully winning on Wednesday night and progressing in the cup will be good for the squad, because we have a big squad, so the longer you stay in the cup competitions the better."

One player who will be pushing for a start is young striker Saido Berahino, who netted a hat-trick in the second-round win against Newport County.

Arsenal have triumphed on their last four visits to the Hawthorns and will be confident going into the tie after their victories over Marseille and Stoke in the last week.

Wenger has generally used the Capital One Cup to introduce some of his young players, which means the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong, Serge Gnabry and Chuba Akpom could start.

One youngster who will not be involved is Gedion Zelalem after the midfielder was ruled out for two months earlier in September.

He is joined on the sidelines by Santi Cazorla (ankle), Abou Diaby (knee), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee), Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Tomas Rosicky (thigh), Yaya Sanogo (back) and Theo Walcott (hip) as the injuries begin to mount for Wenger.

West Brom have fewer concerns, although they are without some important members of their squad.

Chris Brunt (groin), Ben Foster (foot) and Shane Long (hamstring) will all be missing for Albion, while Steven Reid (knock). Matej Vydra (hamstring) and George Thorne (knee) are doubtful for the clash.

Manchester United vs Liverpool

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is set to make his return from suspension to face rivals Manchester United in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.

The Uruguayan completed his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic by missing the club's 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted a decision on Suarez's participation in the Capital One Cup is yet to be made but he claimed the 26-year-old will be ready to play should he be called upon.

"It has been a really difficult time for him not playing games," he said. "How he has prepared himself over the last number of weeks has been fantastic.

"He's really champing at the bit to help the team. Everyone knows the depth of his quality and his attitude. Once he gets back on the field again he will show what he has shown since he's been here."

Suarez has scored four goals in five Capital One Cup appearances for Liverpool, and will be keen to make a goalscoring return to the side at Old Trafford.

United's ability to call on their main goal threat is shrouded in doubt, however, after Robin van Persie missed Sunday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City with a groin injury.

These teams have met on four occasions in this competition in the past – two of them in finals – with Liverpool boasting a superior record having won three of those.

Their last encounter in the Capital One Cup came in the 2003 final, when goals from Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen helped Liverpool clinch the trophy at the Millennium Stadium.

As well as Van Persie, United have injury concerns over Phil Jones (ankle) and Rafael (hamstring), and David Moyes may use the competition to rotate his players after the disappointing defeat on Sunday.

Rodgers may have Suarez available for selection, but he will be without Glen Johnson (ankle), Philippe Coutinho (shoulder), Joe Allen (hamstring) and Aly Cissokho (ankle), while Sebastian Coates is sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

The Northern Irishman will also assess the fitness of Daniel Agger (rib) before deciding whether to play the Denmark international.

1860 Munchen vs Dortmund

1860 Munich will be hoping to pull off a cup upset when they welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena for Tuesday’s DFB Pokal tie.

Schwarzgelben have been held away to lower division Offenbach, Dusseldorf and Greuther Furth in this competition over the past three season, and you can get odds of 5/1 (6.00) on this one going into extra time after a stalemate in 90 minutes.

Klopp admits he is not expecting an easy game when his team travel to Munich, particularly with the fixture representing the third match in just six days for last year’s Champions League finalists, who also have a number of injury concerns to contend with.

Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer both went off injured in Saturday’s draw at Nuremburg and are unlikely to be risked tonight, while Mats Hummels persistent struggles with a back injury mean the visiting side may have a rather unfamiliar look to it.

This is good news for Die Lowen’s new boss Friedhelm Funkel, whose impressive track record of promotions with Germany’s less glamorous teams suggests he understands how to get a team punching above their weight, and will relish hosting this evening’s visitors in front of a sell-out 71,000 crowd.

That bet would have paid out in 16 of 1860’s last 17 competitive home matches, as well as seven of Dortmund’s last nine away cup ties against lower league sides, so should be safe this evening.

Manchester City vs Wigan Athletic

Wigan will be hoping for a repeat of last season's cup heroics when they take on a buoyant Manchester City in the Capital One Cup third round on Tuesday.

Back in May, a last-minute goal from Ben Watson saw the Latics lift the FA Cup at the expense of Tuesday's illustrious opponents, who were mired in talk surrounding the future of then manager Roberto Mancini.

The Italian was sacked soon afterwards, and his replacement, Manuel Pellegrini, will lead City into the rematch on the back of a resounding 4-1 victory against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Latics have also changed manager since then, with former Bolton Wanderers and Burnley boss Owen Coyle replacing Roberto Martinez, who moved to Everton after overseeing relegation to the Championship.

Both sides enter the competition at this stage, alongside the rest of England's European representatives.

City enjoyed a fine start to their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win at Viktoria Plzen last Tuesday while Wigan, having qualified for the Europa League courtesy of their FA Cup triumph, were pleased with the 0-0 draw garnered from their first European tie away against Belgium's Zulte Waregem.

With both sides strongly fancied to challenge for honours  in their respective divisions before the season began, neither have had the start they may have desired in the league - although they both head into the encounter buoyed by superb wins at the weekend.

City gave arch-rivals United a masterclass in the derby on Sunday, with two goals from Sergio Aguero and one apiece from Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri leading them to an emphatic triumph.

Meanwhile, Wigan - League Cup runners-up in 2006 - claimed a 2-0 win over Ipswich courtesy of goals from home debutants Ryan Shotton and Nick Powell.

Last May's FA Cup aside, the head-to-head record in recent years between the sides suggests that City will book a safe passage, with the Premier League side having won the previous seven encounters before Wigan stunned them at Wembley.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Andre Villas-Boas has hit out at the Football League ahead of Tottenham's Capital One Cup third-round tie with Aston Villa on Tuesday.

The Portuguese has lamented the fact his side travel to Villa Park for their third game in six days following a 3-0 Europa League win over Tromso and a 1-0 victory against Cardiff City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Prior to those confidence-boosting wins, the latter of which was sealed with a stoppage-time goal, Villas-Boas claimed that the hectic schedule is asking too much of his players and could prove to be dangerous.

"How can a game be scheduled after two days, immediately putting careers at risk with injuries?" he said.

"I find it absolutely incredible that we have to risk injuries to our players in a game that they play on that Tuesday. The problem is that it puts the players in a very difficult situation.

"It's also nothing new in English football. I had the same thing once with Wolverhampton (Wanderers) and Chelsea, when I was at Chelsea, and I spoke the same way."

The game will represent Spurs’ first involvement in this year’s competition due to their European commitments, but Villas-Boas expressed his concerns over the welfare of his squad.

"The second day of recovery is the most dangerous day for a player to pick up an injury," he said.

"If this is not taken into account I think it's bad. Other things have to be respected - televised games, fixture organisation, the police - comes into account because of the fixtures that are being played on the Tuesday and Wednesday.

"But the problem is that in the end Tottenham were chosen to play on Tuesday, with only the Monday to recover from the last match, and that puts us in a very difficult position."

Villa, semi-finalists in last year’s competition, booked their place in the third round with a comfortable 3-0 home win over League One side Rotherham United.

But they will face Spurs without star striker Christian Benteke, who limped out of Saturday's 1-0 victory against Norwich.

The Belgian will not be risked after Paul Lambert made clear that the priority was to get his striker back in time for the game against Manchester City on Saturday.

"Hopefully it’s not too bad. We’ve got a game Tuesday but the most important one is the one on Saturday."

Lambert is also wary about the quality of Spurs' squad, as he admits his side are "running on empty": "Any cup game you get, you want to be at home. But we're up against a top, top side. Andre has some top players but that's what you have to come up against.

"It will be a great game. I am pretty sure the stadium will be full or not far off it."

Tottenham won 4-0 on their previous visit to Villa Park back in December and you have to go back to January 2008 for the last time Villa beat them at home.

Swindon Town vs Chelsea

Swindon Town manager Mark Cooper is excited at the prospect of pitting his wits against Jose Mourinho in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

The League One outfit came through a first-round tie with Torquay United, before being rewarded for an impressive 2-0 success away at QPR with a third-round home draw against Chelsea.

And Cooper, who replaced Kevin MacDonald in charge at the County Ground last month, is relishing the chance for his side to take on such high-quality opposition.

"It's another fantastic test for the players," the 44-year-old said.

"It’s great for the club, I'm sure it will be a full house. It will be all about the players and the club and the fans.

"We'll prepare the best we can but we'll have to prepare to play against some of the best players in the world."

Swindon - who won the Capital One Cup in 1969 as a Third Division side, beating Arsenal 3-1 in extra time - have had a mixed start to their League One campaign.

Cooper’s side have taken 11 points from their eight games so far, and occupy 11th place after their 3-2 win over Bristol City on Saturday.

Meanwhile, their Premier League opponents have had a similarly indifferent start to their own campaign, despite Mourinho’s much-heralded return to Stamford Bridge.

After consecutive home wins over Hull City and Aston Villa, Chelsea went four games without a win in all competitions - drawing with Manchester United before losing to Bayern Munich on penalties in Super Cup, Everton in the Premier League and Basel in the Champions League.

However, Mourinho's men bounced back at Stamford Bridge on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Fulham, thanks to goals from Oscar and John Obi Mikel.

Mourinho twice led Chelsea to Capital One Cup glory in three years during his first spell in charge, beating Liverpool and Arsenal in the 2005 and 2007 finals to claim the club’s third and fourth triumphs overall.

His successor Avram Grant also took the side to the final in 2008, but they were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham in extra time.

Chelsea will be hoping for a repeat of the last time they met Swindon, when goals from Gavin Peacock and Dennis Wise handed them a 2-0 win in the Premier League in 1994.

But Swindon were victorious in the only previous Capital One Cup meeting between the two, running out 3-0 winners back in 1963.

Juan Mata will start for Chelsea on Tuesday, Mourinho has confirmed, after the Spaniard was missing from the squad on Saturday.

Mourinho has also revealed that David Luiz, Michael Essien, Ryan Bertrand and Cesar Azpilicueta will all feature.

Barcelona vs Real Sociedad

Barcelona will go in search of a sixth successive victory in La Liga on Tuesday when they host Champions League contenders Real Sociedad at Camp Nou.

Gerardo Martino's side recorded a 4-0 win at Rayo Vallecano to maintain their 100% start to the campaign at the weekend, despite coming out second best on the possession stats in a league game for the first time in five years.

Pedro scored a hat-trick in that rout and looks likely to keep his place in attack, despite Alexis Sanchez hoping for a recall in attack.

Andres Iniesta was rested against Rayo and could return in midfield, while Daniel Alves is also expected to take his place at full-back ahead of Martin Montoya.

Socided drew 0-0 with Malaga in their last league game, making it four matches without a win in La Liga.

Haris Seferovic and Antoine Griezmann were both named on the bench for Saturday's goalless draw, but are in line for a return against the defending champions.

Recent Form

Barca: WWWWWW

Sociedad: DWLDLD

Possible starting lineups

Barca: Valdes, Adriano, Macherano, Pique, Alves, Song, Iniesta, Fabregas, Neymar, Messi, Pedro

Sociedad: Bravo, González, Carlos Martínez, Inigo Martínez, José Ángel, Bergara, Pardo, Prieto, Griezmann, Vela, Seferovic

Cardiff City vs Tottenham

Cardiff City can maintain their unbeaten home run in the Premier League by grabbing all three points from Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Welsh side have already managed to upset former English champions Manchester City by nabbing a 3-2 victory on home turf last month, and they have only recorded one defeat in their first four fixtures.

Two draws make up the campaign so far for Malky Mackay's side, while Tottenham head into the match after their Europa League excursions, which resulted in a 3-0 win over Tromso.

In the league, Andre Villas-Boas's men have been on a winning run minus their North London derby 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, but they bounced back with a victory over Norwich City.

Goalkeeper David Marshall could return to the fold for Cardiff following a hip injury, which kept him out of the Welsh side's 1-1 draw with Hull City last weekend.

For the visiting side, Villas-Boas is expected to be without full-back Danny Rose, who picked up an ankle injury during their Europa League encounter, while Mousa Dembele should keep his place in the team, despite getting a knock in midweek.

Despite Jermain Defoe's brace in Europe, Roberto Soldado could be given the nod ahead of his fellow striker for the trip to Cardiff.

Recent form

Cardiff City: LWDD

Tottenham Hotspur: WWLW

Possible starting lineups

Cardiff City: Marshall; Theophile-Catherine, Turner, Caulker, Taylor; Kim, Cowie, Gunnarsson, Medel, Bellamy; Campbell

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton; Dembele, Paulinho; Townsend, Eriksen, Sigurdsson; Soldado

PSG vs Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain host Monaco on Sunday evening as two of the wealthiest teams in the world go head to head in France's capital.

Both sides have started their domestic campaign in fine style, remaining undefeated during their opening five fixtures, and both will be keen to strike an early blow in the race for the Ligue 1 title.

PSG lie two points behind Monaco, but manager Laurent Blanc will be confident that strikers Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic can net against a veteran Monaco defence.

However, Claudio Ranieri's side have conceded just two goals this season, registering three clean sheets in moving one point clear of Saint-Etienne at the top of the table.

Ranieri will be hoping that Radamel Falcao can add to his four Ligue 1 goals as he continues to impress after his summer move from Atletico Madrid.

Recent form

Paris Saint-Germain: DWWWW

Monaco: WWDWW

Possible starting lineups

Paris Saint-Germain: Sirigu; Maxwell, Thiago Silva, Van Der Wiel, Marquinhos; Matuidi, Thiago Motta, Verratti, Lucas; Ibrahimovic, Cavani

Monaco: Subasic; Carvalho, Abidal, Kurzawa, Fabinho; Obbadi, Joao Moutinho, Kondogbia, Ferreira Carrasco; Ocampos, Falcao

AC Milan vs Napoli

The clash of the Serie A weekend takes place at the San Siro on Sunday as AC Milan play host to last season's runners-up Napoli.

Both sides had the Champions League to contend with in midweek, with AC Milan beating Celtic 2-0 and Napoli managing a fine victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Milan have a number of injuries persisting, nine in total, including Kaka and Riccardo Montolivo, who are both certain to be out.

Rafael Benitez has a full-strength squad to choose from and could well pick the same team that started against Dortmund on Wednesday night.

Recent form

Milan: LWD

Napoli: WWW

Possible starting lineups

Milan: Abbiati; Zaccardo, Zapata, Mexes, Constant; Muntari, De Jong, Nocerino; Matri, Niang, Balotelli

Napoli: Reina; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Zuniga; Behrami, Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Insigne; Higuain

Real Madrid vs Getafe

Real Madrid welcome Getafe to the Bernabeu on Sunday looking for their 14th consecutive home win in the Spanish top flight.

The Liga giants have not dropped points on their own turf since drawing 1-1 with Espanyol last December and will be confident of recording another victory against a side they have put four goals past in each of their last three home meetings.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored seven goals in those three games, with the Portuguese superstar boasting an overall record of 11 goals in seven appearances against Luis Garcia’s men since joining the Blancos in 2009.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side go into the encounter with 10 points from their four Liga games so far this season and on the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw at newly promoted Villarreal last weekend.

That match saw world-record signing Gareth Bale’s first appearance for Madrid, and the Welshman marked the occasion with a goal.

Ronaldo was also on the scoresheet at El Madrigal, and looks poised to continue his remarkable record against Getafe after following that goal up with a hat-trick in Real’s 6-1 Champions League demolition of Galatasaray on Tuesday.

Bale is in line to make his first start for the club after coming on as a substitute at the Turk Telecom Arena, although goalkeeper Iker Casillas looks set to miss out after suffering a rib injury in Istanbul.

Marcelo (thigh) and Raphael Varane (knee) are doubtful, while Ancelotti will definitely be without long-term absentee Xabi Alonso (foot), although Fabio Coentrao may be available after recovering from a muscle problem.

Getafe make the trip across Madrid after securing their first Liga victory of the season against Osasuna last time out and can also take heart from the fact they came from behind to defeat Madrid 2-1 at home last term.

However, Garcia’s side have lost their last six top-flight away games and have won just once in the nine games they have played at the Bernabeu - a 1-0 success in February 2008.

Manchester City vs Manchester United

The first Manchester derby of the season will take place on Sunday afternoon when Manchester City and Manchester United meet at the Etihad Stadium.

The city rivals have made identical starts to the campaign under new managers Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes, with both picking up seven points from four games.

City come into the match off the back of a 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday evening.

Moyes also saw his United side pick up a Champions League victory in midweek, as Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 4-2 at Old Trafford thanks to a brace from Wayne Rooney.

City defenders Gael Clichy, Micah Richards and Martin Demichelis are out injured, so captain Vincent Kompany could make his first Premier League start of the season.

Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero could continue their partnership in attack.

Moyes may decide to make changes to the United side that beat Leverkusen, with Nani available after his European suspension and Ashley Young pushing to start.

Phil Jones and Rafael will miss the match so Chris Smalling is expected retain his place at right-back.

Recent form

Man City: WLWD

Man Utd: WDLW

Possible starting lineups

Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Kolarov; Navas, Toure, Fernandinho, Nasri; Aguero, Dzeko

Man Utd: De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Fellaini, Valencia, Nani Rooney; Van Persie

Arsenal vs Stoke City

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has backed the team to continue their impressive run of form when they welcome Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

After an opening-day 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, Arsene Wenger's side have bounced back strongly with six straight victories in all competitions.

The most recent of those came in a 2-1 success away to Marseille on Wednesday in the club's opening Champions League fixture.

That followed an equally impressive performance in a 3-1 triumph at Sunderland last Saturday, a result that has left them second in the Premier League.

"We've won the last six games, four of them away from home," Szczesny told Arsenal Player.

"We know the momentum is with us. The games are coming thick and fast because we play in every midweek games so I'm sure we can keep that going, keep the momentum going and keep getting results.

"I think it's just the desire of the whole team to defend well. We've been defending really well and then scoring goals on the counter attack."

Wenger has no fresh injury worries, with Santi Cazorla (ankle), Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Abou Diaby (knee), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) definitely out, while Yaya Sanogo (back) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) remain doubtful.

The return to training this week of Mikel Arteta opens up the possibility of him potentially being involved in some capacity. The 31-year-old midfielder has yet to feature this season due to a quadricep injury, but Wenger revealed on Friday that his "leader" is closing in on a return.

Mesut Ozil could make his home debut after starring against Sunderland, while midfielder Aaron Ramsey will look to continue his strong run of form that has seen him open the season with six goals in all competitions.

Mark Hughes has had an impressive start to his tenure as Stoke manager.

The Britannia Stadium outfit lost their first Premier League game with Liverpool, but have bounced back with wins against Crystal Palace and West Ham before securing a 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City last Saturday.

History, though, is against his side, with Stoke failing to take a single point from their five Premier League visits to the Emirates Stadium.

Stoke's last trip to Arsenal ended in a 1-0 defeat in February, courtesy of a Podolski strike.

Centre-back Marc Muniesa remains the only injury doubt for Stoke, but Hughes will be hopeful he recovers from a groin strain to feature.

Marko Arnautovic could make his first start since his transfer-window move from Werder Bremen after the striker caught the eye on his debut as a 70th-minute substitute in the stalemate with Manchester City.

Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona

Barcelona will be out to stretch their unbeaten La Liga run to 17 games when they travel to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Gerardo Martino's men have made an excellent start to the season, picking up 12 points from their first four games while scoring 14 goals.

Reigning champions Barca sit joint-top of the table with Atletico Madrid, and make the trip to face another side from the Spanish capital to whom they have not lost since 2002.

The Catalan club won both outings between the two sides in emphatic fashion last season, dishing out a 5-0 thrashing at Rayo in October 2012, before easing to a 3-1 success at the Camp Nou in March.

Their visit to the Campo de futbol de Vallecas in 2011-12, meanwhile, resulted in a 7-0 success.

Lionel Messi scored four goals in last term's encounters and the Argentine talisman approaches this contest in fine form, having netted his 24th hat-trick for Barcelona in a 4-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Messi, who has also scored six goals in three league appearances this season, will once again be expected to play a prominent role in the Barca side, but Martino's men will be without Jordi Alba, who has a hamstring injury.

Carles Puyol (knee) is close to recovery, but this game is likely to come too soon for the Barcelona captain, while Ibrahim Afellay (thigh) is also out.

Rayo have endured a dismal start to the campaign, tasting victory in just one of their four matches thus far.

That win came on the opening day of the season against newly promoted Elche, but since then Paco Jemez's men - who finished eighth last term - have collapsed, conceding 12 goals in their last three games.

Striker Lass Bangoura, sent-off in the defeat to Levante, is still suspended for Rayo, Nery Castillo is a doubt while Iago Falque (groin) and Jose Carlos (knee ligament) are both long-term absentees.

Schalke 04 vs Bayern Munich

Schalke 04 host Bayern Munich as they look to continue the good form in both Germany and Europe. Both the sides overcame their opponents, 3-0 respectively. Bayern defeated CSKA Moscow in a after a well fought first half whereas Schalke defeated Steaua which was a well-deserved victory after a good spirited display from the German side.

Bayern are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga whereas looked well against CSKA with a 3-0 score-line. Schalke are also going through a purple patch after winning the 5 out of 6 matches and also overcame their rivals in the Champions league 3-0.

“We will see what happens. Everybody definitely has to give their very best - Bayern will be favourite to beat us this weekend," the 20-year-old Julian Daxler told reporters.

"But they are coming to our stadium, so I think we have a realistic chance to get a point or maybe even three out of the match."

Schweinsteiger made it to the bench in the last game and made a late appearance whereas Gotze is nearing his recovery. Thiago and Martinez are still out injured.

Schalke look strong on paper after the arrival of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Aogo and are still optimistic about their chances against Bayern, making a poor start to the campaign.

Bayern sit second on the league table, two points behind Dortmund. They got their campaign back on track with back-to-back league and Europe victories and will be looking forward to continue the run of form. 

With Robben in red-hot form and Bayern finally pu

Nurnberg vs Borussia Dortmund

That 2-1 loss to SSC Napoli was the Westphalians’ first, German Supercup and DFB Cup included, of the 2013/14 campaign but they have more than just that to bounce back from at the Grundig Stadion.

A year ago, a traditionally battling Nürnberg side held Dortmund to a draw. After five games of the season, Borussia had just eight points with FC Bayern München already seven clear. That was one of the setbacks which ultimately left the Yellow-Blacks with too big a mountain to climb for the remainder of the season. “Bayern soon ran away from us and that didn’t necessarily help our motivation,” admitted coach Jürgen Klopp to bundesliga.com.

The boot is now on the other foot and, with five straight wins, it is Dortmund who get the chance to march away from Bayern with victory on Saturday. Their Bavarian title rivals are in action later on in the evening, giving Dortmund the chance to open up a morale-boosting five-point cushion at the top. “We want the points so we’re top of the table on Saturday evening too,” said BVB's sporting director Michael Zorc.

The former Dortmund midfielder and club legend is as aware as anybody of how hard it is to come away from Nuremberg unscathed. “We’ve never had it easy here,” he admitted. “But we’ve often been successful. Our task will be to find our way back into the Bundesliga rhythm after missing out on victory in the Champions League, and we need to be 100 per cent focused on this game.”

Klopp is not expected to ring in the changes with the Dortmund coach sticking with his exciting, attack-minded style of play which revolves around the intuition of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. “Micki brings a lot of imagination and additional skill to our game with his passes, dribbling and turns,” said Nuri Sahin.

There could also be a starting berth for the league's joint-top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, left out initially on Wednesday, but capable of rousing Dortmund to a late rally with a shot against the woodwork. “Auba brings his pace into an already quick team,” continued Sahin, who is likely to be pulling the strings in the midfield along with Sven Bender, in the continued injury-enforced absence of Ilkay Gündogan.

55,000 fans witnessed the fireworks in Naples while almost as many should fill the Grundig Stadion on Saturday, providing a similarly electric atmosphere. “The thought of playing in front of 50,000 fans is pure motivation for us,” said Nürnberg coach Michael Wiesinger. “BVB have a lot of quality so we’re going to have to be alert and careful.” Hiroshi Kiyotake and Co. determined to be “the first team to steal points off Dortmund”, as their forward Daniel Ginczek put it.

Nürnberg: Schäfer - Chandler, Nilsson, Pogatetz, Plattenhardt - Stark, Hasebe, Drmic, Kiyotake, Hlousek - Ginczek

Dortmund Weidenfeller - Großkreutz, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Blaszczykowski, Mkhitaryan, Reus - Lewandowski

Chelsea vs Fulham

Chelsea will be desperate to end their four-match run without a win when they host Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Meetings between the two west London sides are normally tight affairs, and Chelsea have won just one of their last five league fixtures against Martin Jol's men.

And the match takes on extra significance for the Europa League holders given their slow start to the season which was capped on Wednesday with a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Basel in the Champions League.

New signing Samuel Eto'o has failed to impress in his first two matches for the club after joining from Anzhi Makhachkala, while fellow striker Fernando Torres is still short of form.

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is aware that the club's record this term has been poor, but stopped short of calling it a crisis.

"It's not a disaster but it's not ideal. A club like this wants to win the majority of games it plays," Cahill told the club's official website.

"That's the expectation. It's a blow but it's not the be all and end all.

"We need to win our next game now, as simple as that. The manager will stress that."

Jose Mourinho's unbeaten record in Premier League fixtures at Stamford Bridge is a staggering 62 matches and although Chelsea's struggles will give Fulham a boost, Jol's side are in poor form themselves.

After a 1-0 triumph at Sunderland on the opening day, Fulham have failed to win in the league, leaving them in 14th position in the table.

Fulham looked set for all three points at Craven Cottage last Saturday against struggling West Brom, but conceded in injury time, as Gareth McAuley's header salvaged a point for the visitors in a 1-1 draw.

Dimitar Berbatov has failed to score in his four Premier League fixtures this season, while loan signing Darren Bent has started just once.

Bent is likely to return from a hamstring injury for the match, while Berbatov – who limped off against West Brom with a hamstring problem of his own – is a doubt.

Attacker Bryan Ruiz (ankle) was also substituted against West Brom and is likely to miss out, while goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder) and defenders Aaron Hughes (thigh) and Matthew Briggs (hernia) will not feature.

Chelsea have a clean bill of health and will be hopeful of extending their 14-match unbeaten league run against Fulham.

Liverpool vs Southampton

Southampton head to Anfield on Saturday as the last team to defeat Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Brendan Rodgers' side have taken 10 points from their opening four top-flight games of the season to extend their overall unbeaten run to 12 matches after a strong finish to last term.

But this sequence only began after they fell to a 3-1 loss at St Mary's in March, when Morgan Schneiderlin, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez netted for Mauricio Pochettino's men.

Liverpool's goalscorer on that occasion - Philippe Coutinho - will miss Saturday's encounter with Southampton after suffering a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out of action for around six weeks in Monday's 2-2 draw at Swansea City.

The Brazilian playmaker has been in fine form in the opening weeks of the campaign, but joins Glen Johnson, Aly Cissokho (both ankle) and Sebastian Coates (knee) on the sidelines.

Wales international midfielder Joe Allen could be in line for a return after his hamstring problem, but Liverpool will once again be without Luis Suarez, who serves the last match of his 10-game suspension.

In the absence of the Uruguay international and Coutinho, Rodgers will continue to rely on Daniel Sturridge for attacking inspiration as the striker looks to continue his red-hot run of goalscoring form.

The former Chelsea man has scored 11 goals in his last nine Premier League outings, including four in four this season despite struggling with a thigh problem.

Southampton go into the game without a Premier League victory since their opening-day win at West Brom and having failed to score in their last two fixtures against West Ham and Norwich City respectively.

Club-record signing Pablo Daniel Osvaldo is still on the hunt for his first Southampton goal since joining from Roma in August and is likely to lead the line again with Pochettino having a fully-fit squad to choose from.

However, Pochettino’s side have won only one of their last five Premier League away games and just one of their previous eight visits to Anfield - a 2-1 success in December 2003.

Fremantle Dockers vs Sydney Swans

The second game for AFL Finals Week 3 is between Fremantle Dockers and Sydney Swans. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:45pm with the game to be played at Patersons Stadium. The favourite for the match is home team Fremantle Dockers. View our preview and teams for the game between Fremantle Dockers and Sydney Swans.

The Dockers are delivering on the promise they’ve displayed all year and now find themselves one win away from the Club’s first ever Grand Final appearance.
In the first week of the finals they had the unenviable task of travelling to Simonds Stadium to take on Geelong.
In the first quarter it appeared that the home-side’s significant finals experience over the past decade was going to be too much for the Dockers but the Western Australian side responded well.
The Dockers defence, the best in the league all year, came to the fore and after conceding four majors in the first quarter, they were able to limit Geelong to only five more for the remainder of the match.
At the same time, the decision by Coach Ross Lyons to rest several players for the final round of the home and away season, started to reap rewards as the Dockers run was far greater to that of Geelong’s late in the game and they were able to post a 87 – 72 victory.
Another week off will have the Dockers – and their supporters champing at the bit for this weekend’s clash.
Sydney has faced, Geelong, Hawthorn (twice) and last week, Carlton in what has been a tough test for them over the past month.
The effort and commitment in each of these games, of which their only win was over Carlton, is taking a toll with several big names missing from the line-up this week through injury or suspension.
The Swans need to lift again for this week’s clash. This year, from twelve attempts, the Swans have only been successful on four occasions when taking on teams placed in the top eight and have yet to register a win against a team above them on the ladder.
Sydney hasn’t faced Fremantle in W.A. since their victory in round 20 of 2010. In their three games since then there’s been next to nothing between the two sides. Fremantle have one win by eleven points, Sydney one win by thirteen and in their most recent clash in round 8 of this year, the two sides played out a 70-all draw at the SCG.
The line given to the Swans is -20.5 and given the combination of the Dockers’ good defence and Sydney missing a couple who would normally boot them a few goals, this margin looks reachable.
Fremantle will secure their first ever Grand Final berth and cover the line in the process.

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich says his side are preparing for “footy war” ahead of Saturday night’s AFL preliminary final against Sydney at Patersons Stadium.
The Dockers are strong favourites to win the match given their hot recent form and home ground advantage.
In contrast, Sydney have been ravaged by injuries, with key players Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett, Rhyce Shaw, Tom Mitchell and Sam Reid all out of action.
However, Pavlich said the defending premiers shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially given their reputation for playing a hard-nosed, contested brand of football.
“You admire a lot of teams in the AFL but certainly Sydney – their culture, leaders, the way they go about their business – we very much respect what they’re about,” Pavlich said on Thursday.
“And that’s why we’re preparing ourselves for what we call footy war, because it’s going to go until the end.
“They are contested, big-bodied players.
“What they’re about is exactly what we’d like to be about as well. We understand how hard a game it’s going to be.”