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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

David Moyes: Manchester United are underdogs in Liverpool game

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT

• Liverpool are 11 points ahead of the home side
• 'They possibly do come here as favourites'

David Moyes has said that Liverpool are favourites for their game with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, though the manager claimed that Brendan Rodgers's team have benefited from not playing in Europe this season.

Moyes's declaration that United are underdogs against Liverpool is the first time in a generation the Merseyside club have been billed as favourites by a manager of the 20-times champions. United's domination over their fierce rivals has secured them 13 titles since Liverpool won their last in 1990, with Moyes's predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson, leading the club to all of these.

Asked if it was accurate to suggest Liverpool are favourites on Sunday, Moyes said: "It may well be. Their league position suggests they're ahead of us. They possibly do come here favourites."

Liverpool are 11 points better off than United and seven behind the leaders, Chelsea, who have played a match more. Yet Moyes claimed that Liverpool's fixture list at the opening of the season and the lack of continental competition has aided their campaign. The Scot previously complained about United's own start, which included playing Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in their first five matches, while Rodgers's side faced only United of the potential title contenders in the corresponding run.

Moyes said: "Liverpool and Brendan might have benefited from being out of Europe. Certainly this year we think it's been a big benefit. I think Liverpool were an improving side last year. A lot of people questioned it but I always felt they would be there or thereabouts.

"Their fixture list … gave them a great opportunity to start the season well. They've grown in confidence from that and securing [Luis] Suárez on a new contract has been a big boost for the club."

Despite his comments about Liverpool, Moyes, left, does not want United to miss out on continental competition. "I'm planning to be in Europe. I want to be in Europe and I'm planning to win the games to get in there," the Scot said.

After Liverpool, United hope to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Olympiakos in the Champions League before the Manchester derby on Tuesday. "Positive results would make a big, big difference if we could do that and we will try and do so. People could change their views. But I can only take one game at a time," Moyes said. "You know what we are. We are a work in progress. But I hope we can show what we are capable of in those games. We are capable of winning those games. The players have shown it to me recently. Definitely with the exception of Olympiakos game I think we have played quite well."

With 10 matches left Moyes is confident his side can have a successful end to the campaign. "I think Manchester United have always been in strong positions coming into the end of the season. We're maybe not in as strong a position as we'd like to be but I think in every other season they've been very good at this stage coming into the final furlong. We've got big games coming up this month."

A win over Liverpool would provide a welcome fillip. "It would be a big boost," Moyes said. "It would be an important three points. I think everybody knows the importance of Manchester United-Liverpool games. We've played them twice this year – once in the league and once in the cup. They've been tight games."

Moyes believes the match remains the nation's biggest game. "I think it is. There has been great history between the two clubs over a long period. It's the biggest club game in the Premier League," he said. "As I said before there has been great rivalry between the two clubs. Liverpool are having a very good season. They're our next game at home and we have to do all we possibly can to beat them.

"Every game of football is always important and any game that features Manchester United and Liverpool is a massively important game."

However Moyes is not interested in denting Liverpool's attempt to win a first championship in 24 years. "My biggest goal is not affecting their title challenge, my biggest goal is to get Manchester United winning the title," the manager said. "That is my goal and will be my goal every year I am in the job. Will it be to stop others winning the league? No that won't mean much to me. The important thing is us winning our games."

Jamie Jackson

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Manchester United experiencing what Liverpool have – Brendan Rodgers

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT

• 'Any club will suffer if they're not in Champions League'
• 'We are second on merit,' says Liverpool manager

Brendan Rodgers has warned Manchester United there will be lasting consequences for failing to secure Champions League football and said Liverpool would move out of reach with victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Liverpool manager has watched a remarkable swing in fortunes against United this season and heads to Old Trafford 11 points above David Moyes's team, having finished 28 points below Sir Alex Ferguson's champions last term. Progress at Anfield is even more impressive given Liverpool's problems in the transfer market since falling outside the European elite in 2009-10, with targets Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian favouring Champions League clubs in the past year alone.

Rodgers knows from experience that Liverpool's global reputation and history of success could not compete with the lure of the Champions League for leading players. He believes United will not be immune from the problem should Moyes's side – in sixth and nine points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, having played two games more – need to rebuild from a position of weakness this summer.

The Liverpool manager said: "This is a worldwide club, a monumental club, but when you're not in the Champions League we found it difficult because the best players want to play in the best competitions. This was Liverpool and we weren't in the Champions League and in order to get in some of the type of players we want, that's where we need to be and are trying to be. Any club will suffer the same when they're not in there. There is no doubt it will hurt you but they [United] will know that."

Rodgers says Liverpool's experiences since 2009-10 show there is no easy route back into the Champions League and that a slide from title contention can soon become permanent. Kenny Dalglish, the last Liverpool manager to win a league title, 24 years ago, claimed this week: "Liverpool are on a crest of a wave going to Old Trafford and United are on the crest of a slump."

The current Liverpool manager said: "It's not simple to get back in. You think every year is the next year. I was reading a Jan Molby interview today about the great Liverpool teams of the past. He said when they missed out one year became two and then all of a sudden it was 20 years since they last won the title. It can get away from you very quickly. It's our focus and drive to arrive in there. We have a long way to go but show great potential to be in there. I believe if we can get to that level then it gives us a massive advantage as a club."

Liverpool are unbeaten in the Premier League this year, winning seven and drawing two of their last nine games, and Champions League aspirations have turned increasingly towards a first championship since 1990. Rodgers, though bullish about his side's form, claims Liverpool "still have a lot of work to get into the Champions League" and denied his players arrive at Old Trafford as the superior team.

He said: "I think it is dangerous to think that. They are still the champions and until that changes all we can do is go there and look where we are at. We are second in the league on merit. We have performed consistently for a long period of time and that makes us a very dangerous opponent. We know we are dangerous but I would never disrespect them and what they have done over a long period of time."

That said, Rodgers is adamant United will not be able to catch Liverpool, should his side win at Old Trafford for the first time in five years on Sunday. "We are 11 points clear now. If it goes to 14 they can't do it. Even 11 is going to be very tough because we are entering into a period where we are stronger. We were brilliant over the last 10 games of last season and we have been doing the same pattern this year. Our first job is to consolidate fourth and then work upwards. That is the aim."

Andy Hunter

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Arsenal's Arsène Wenger launches internal inquiry into injury crisis

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT

• Wenger 'concerned' key absences coincide with title run-in
• Kim Kallstrom may make debut at Tottenham on Sunday

Arsène Wenger will conduct a comprehensive investigation into his club's training methods and medical procedures in an effort to establish whether Arsenal could have avoided the spate of injuries that risks sabotaging their season.

The manager admits he is "concerned" that Arsenal will go into Sunday's north London derby shorn of at least four key players, after Mesut Özil joined a casualty list that already featured Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere. A hamstring strain forced the German to limp off at half-time in Arsenal's Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday and will keep him out of action for between three and six weeks. Thus the £42m summer signing will miss not only the match with Tottenham Hotspur, but also the pivotal meetings with Chelsea and Manchester City. It was hoped that Ramsey, at least, would be fit in time for those fixtures but his participation now also looks in jeopardy as he struggles to recover from a thigh problem that has incapacitated him since Boxing Day.

"I am concerned that this happens," said Wenger. "If you look at our overall injury list going into such a decisive part of the season, we have not Wilshere, not Walcott, not Özil, not Ramsey and we went to Bayern without [Kieran] Gibbs and [Nacho] Monreal. We are analysing very deeply why it happened and to see if there is a link between all these injuries."

In a season in which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yaya Sanogo and Nicklas Bendtner have also been stricken for long periods, the manager is especially worried about the frequency with which his players succumb to muscular injuries of the sort that have afflicted Ozil, Ramsey and Gibbs.

"For Walcott it's completely bad luck. Wilshere – I don't think it is linked with the other injuries, it's more linked with his history and the kick he got. But the rest, maybe we have to find why it happened." Asked whether he would review his training and medical procedures, Wenger said he would assess "everything".

"It's very difficult to find any obvious reason why. For example, a player like Özil –he was rested against Stoke, then he goes to Germany and he trains different, sometimes on a different ground with different sessions. He played the whole game [for Germany against Chile] and the whole game for us against Everton and he produced on that day, doing more physically than usually and he paid for it the next day. Why? I don't know."

The manager said he was especially bothered about Ramsey's lingering thigh trouble. "That's our worry at the moment, Ramsey is taking longer than expected," he said. "He had a first setback and then he planned to join in [training] on Thursday but he had recurring pains in his thigh. Of course he's now a little apprehensive because of the setback. We have to be very cautious with him. When will he be back? I believe it's two more weeks now."

In better news for Wenger, Kim Kallstrom is available to make his long-awaited debut on Sunday. Arsenal fans were underwhelmed when, at a time when they were crying out for another striker, Wenger made a 31-year-old midfielder with back trouble his only January signing. But given the current injury problems, Kallstrom's availability is well timed. If the Swede who arrived from Spartak Moscow can recover his match sharpness quickly, he could make an important contribution to Arsenal as the campaign reaches its climax.

Paul Doyle

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'Does anyone care? asks Chelsea's José Mourinho over kick-off scheduling

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT

• Poor scheduling hampers clubs in Europe, says Mourinho
• Chelsea hoping for more game-preparation time

José Mourinho has called for elite clubs, the Premier League and television-rights holders to deliberate and strike an agreement over better match-scheduling in a bid to improve the prospects of English teams in European competition.

The Chelsea manager watched Manchester City and Arsenal go out of the Champions League in midweek and with his own side due to play Galatasaray next Tuesday in the second leg of their last-16 tie, has been baffled by the decision to move his side's game at Aston Villa to 5.30pm on Saturday evening.

His dismay has been heightened by Manchester City being asked to play in the 12.45pm fixture at Hull City despite their trip to Barcelona on Wednesday, a move he considers unfair on the side fourth in the table.

It has prompted Mourinho to call for a sense of order when it comes to the fixture list, particularly given that Galatasaray's league game at Kardemir Karabukspor was brought forward to Friday in order to give the side more preparation time for the match at Stamford Bridge. The same luxury is not afforded to Premier League teams.

"Do people not care that English teams are struggling in Europe?" he said. "Why don't they? I care. Television deserves to be powerful because, without them, nothing would be the same, but there is space in the calendar that could be filled with communication.

"They should ask the players if it's the same, having two or three days to prepare. Ask [Didier] Drogba on Monday: is it the same for him to play on Friday ahead of the trip to London, or on Saturday with the game coming up on Tuesday? I don't understand why Galatasaray can play on Friday and we have to play on Saturday. If we played at 7.45pm on a Friday night, it makes a difference to whom?

"Fewer spectators at Villa Park? I don't think so. It'd still be a full-house. And for television? It wouldn't make a difference. It would be the only match, so the share [of the market)]would be fantastic.

"Would it be good for English football and for Chelsea? Yes. But I'm trying to get this for all of us, not just for me. For example, I don't understand why City, a team who must come from Europe on Wednesday night, must play at 12.45pm on Saturday.

"And why did they have to play Wigan [in the FA Cup quarter-final] on Sunday when Barça had played Saturday and had the extra day [for Wednesday's game between the sides]? If we must all play on Saturday, why not play us at 12.45pm and them at 5.30pm? We have an extra 'day' to recover, and so would they. I think everyone would agree on that but there is something in this country that goes outside my understanding. I don't understand."

Mourinho, who will be without the injured David Luiz and Ashley Cole as he seeks to secure his first victory at Villa Park, hopes to include Fernando Torres in his squad, despite the striker having tweaked a groin in the buildup to last weekend's victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

A win would move Chelsea 10 points clear of Arsenal and Liverpool, for 24 hours at least. "But the table is fake," Mourinho said. "We could have 30 points more than them and have played 10 matches more, so it means nothing. When everybody has the same number of matches – I don't know when this will happen, maybe the last week of the competition – only then is when the table is real."

Dominic Fifield

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Robin van Persie and Luis Suárez embody clubs' contrasting fortunes | Andy Hunter

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:29 PM PDT

Manchester United and Liverpool's leading goalscorers' differing form has impacted on their clubs going into Sunday's meeting

It may offend a manager's principles, sting their pride, but it pays to indulge a world class asset. The contrasting fortunes of Luis Suárez and Robin van Persie confirm that ahead of their encounter at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Indicators and explanations are multiple for the dramatic transformations at Manchester United and Liverpool. There is the 40-point swing between the clubs since this time last year, managerial impact and the fact that, for the first time in decades, Liverpool head into enemy territory at the business end of a campaign with something precious at stake while United compete for honour. Or Europa League qualification. The role reversal is encapsulated at an individual level by the Holland and Uruguay strikers. Both top their club's goalscoring chart this season, both have felt compelled to declare contentment with their employers and both should be fuelling expectation at Old Trafford. Only one is.

If it appeared improbable last summer that Suárez would remain part of the Liverpool team, never mind a matured figure inspiring a Premier League title challenge on a new £200,000-a-week contract, then it was inconceivable Van Persie's place in the biggest league game in English football should be in question.

One year ago he had effectively accomplished the championship triumph that Suárez seeks with Liverpool by guiding United to a 15-point lead over closest rivals Manchester City by the end of March. Now he cuts a disaffected, disconnected figure on the pitch and is in danger of losing his starting position to Danny Welbeck. A timely interview for United's official matchday programme, in which Van Persie denied wishing to leave Old Trafford or talk of a "bad understanding" with David Moyes, does not gloss over that.

United could never admit it but there are lessons to be learned from Brendan Rodgers's treatment of Liverpool's brilliant No7. Should Moyes still envisage an integral, long-term role for Van Persie at United, that is.

The United manager offered an arm around the shoulder to Van Persie following his hasty withdrawal from the 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion last Saturday. The substitution was a necessity after the striker narrowly escaped the second yellow card that would have brought suspension against Liverpool but the 30-year-old responded with a stroppy, disbelieving stroll from the pitch. The reaction, and the underwhelming performance that preceded it, strengthened the argument that Van Persie has since denied in print – namely that the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the departure of compatriot René Meulensteen as coach and the style of play under Moyes has provoked deep discontent.

When Van Persie complained of team-mates occupying his spaces after the Champions League defeat to Olympiakos, Dutch national coach Louis van Gaal and Ronald de Boer followed with similar observations about United's football stifling the talent and enjoyment of their £24m signing from Arsenal. Doubts over the striker's satisfaction with United are not a media creation and it must be a source of envy for Van Persie to witness how Rodgers has maximised Suárez's gifts while he searches for answers within Moyes' system.

Liverpool have thrown an arm around Suárez more often and in far more desperate circumstances than Moyes faced at The Hawthorns but, unlike United and Van Persie, their indulgence of the striker extends to the manager's tactics. Rodgers made Suárez the fulcrum of his Liverpool team the moment he arrived at Anfield from Swansea City, making the bold and quick decision to jettison the club's £35m record signing, Andy Carroll, to build around the Uruguayan's penetrating runs, menacing skill and creativity instead.

The result has been a vast improvement in the former Ajax captain's goalscoring return, from 17 goals in 40 appearances in his one full season under Kenny Dalglish to 30 goals in Rodgers' debut campaign and a remarkable 24 goals in 23 league outings this term. The rapid development of Liverpool's attacking threat has allowed Daniel Sturridge to flourish alongside and add 18 league goals this season so far. Playing to Liverpool's obvious strengths in the final third has brought Rodgers's team into title contention and the cusp of a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10. It has also compensated for deficiencies in other departments. United's, by contrast, have continually been exposed.

Dalglish, the last Liverpool manager to attack a vulnerable United from a clear position of strength, cited Van Persie's form ahead of Ferguson's retirement in his assessment of the champions' rapid regression, albeit as an old adversary of Ferguson might. "United won the league by 11 points last year but last year they had Van Persie," he said. "Van Persie has scored a decent amount of goals this year but he has not played in the same number of games as last year and United have not had the same level of performance as they had last year. It is strange to say when you are talking about only one player but if you are not conceding many and you have a striker like Van Persie banging them in up front then you are going to be hard to beat.

"When there is a change of manager sometimes it can be beneficial but I think it would be hard for anyone to see Fergie moving after 27 years, someone else coming in and it being beneficial. But, at the same time, I don't think anyone could have foreseen what is happening there at the moment. And by the way I cannot see Fergie getting any pleasure out of it. I don't think anyone at Manchester United is happy with what is going on. They will try and use the transfer window to rectify it a bit, but it might take them two or three transfer windows to get to where they want to be. And it might be more difficult to sign the players they want if they are not in the Champions League."

Moyes spoke in glowing terms about Van Persie on his first pre-season tour as United manager, putting Wayne Rooney's nose briefly out of joint as an unintended consequence, and injuries have undoubtedly disrupted work on what should be one of the most potent strike partnerships in Europe. Injuries, however, do not account for Van Persie's isolation when he has been fit this season – one that has yielded a creditable 11 goals in 17 league games compared to last year's return of 26 in 38 Premier League appearances – or why his understanding with Rooney has slipped into reverse. Rooney received one pass from Van Persie in the games against Albion and Olympiakos. In Athens, the pass came from the kick off that followed the hosts' opening goal and helped explain the tactical complaint he issued afterwards.

Suárez went public with several and sometimes contradictory grievances when attempting to leave Anfield for Arsenal last summer, including alleged broken promises by his manager, but being marginalised or misused by Rodgers was and could never be one of them. The Liverpool striker also had a club captain in Steven Gerrard willing to listen to his misgivings and able to persuade him to stick around for one more shot at the Champions League. Nemanja Vidic is not in that position having committed himself to Internazionale from next season. Liverpool and Suárez have stability, United and Van Persie do not. How rapidly times change.

After 28 league games last season United had amassed 71 points and Liverpool 42. Ahead of Sunday's north west derby it is 48 and 59 respectively. The tactical indulgence or otherwise of the clubs' leading goalscorers has been instrumental.

Andy Hunter

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Gus Poyet welcomes Lee Congerton to Sunderland as sporting director

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT

• Manager expects to influence Congerton's thinking
• Congerton comes as highly rated operator

Lee Congerton's appointment as Sunderland's new sporting director has been hailed as potentially the club's best signing in years but Gus Poyet hopes he does not enjoy too much autonomy.

Although Sunderland's manager broadly welcomes the arrival of the highly rated former Hamburg technical director and Chelsea chief scout, Poyet has emphasised that, when it comes to player recruitment, he expects to influence Congerton's thinking.

"The club made a decision but I was only involved at the last stage," said Sunderland's manager. "I met Lee for the first time this week and I'm looking forward to working with him.

"The more he understands me, the better for the club. If not, it's not going to work. From my viewpoint it's clear: I know what I need and my information is very precise.

"When I ask for a player, I don't just want someone who is 6ft 3in and can head the ball – there are 250,000 people like that. I want a specific player. That's going to be hard work – the only bad part for Lee. I will be specific. But I think we need a director of football."

Congerton replaces Roberto De Fanti, Sunderland's former director of football, who was sacked in January after six disappointing months in the job.

Louise Taylor

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Alan Pardew asks Fabricio Coloccini to deliver Newcastle team talk

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT

• Centre-half will stand in for banned manager at Fulham
• 'Colo will find a way to offer some assistance, I know he will'

Fabricio Coloccini has been invited to stand in for Alan Pardew and deliver Newcastle's half-time team talk at Fulham on Saturday.

With Newcastle manager serving the first game of a three-match stadium ban for head-butting Hull City's David Meyler, United's captain is poised for an enhanced role in the coming weeks.

"Colo can express his opinion at half-time because my opinion won't be there," said Pardew, who will watch events at Craven Cottage unfold via a live feed in a nearby hotel room where he will be accompanied by a video analyst. "I want to try a couple of experiments in terms of dealing with the team a bit differently and one of them involves Colo. I've said to Colo: 'You need to take a bit more of an active role in the next three games.'"

He has every confidence that his Argentina centre-half will ease the burden on John Carver, the club's assistant manager who will deputise for Pardew during a stadium ban that precedes a further four-game touchline suspension.

"Colo is not the type of person to do some Churchillian speech, that's not his way," Pardew said. "But he will find a way to offer John some assistance, I know he will."

The respect is mutual. "We are all behind the manager," Coloccini said. "He is like our team-mate. The players and the club support him. He knows what he did but it is finished. All of us can do something wrong."

If the captain is softly spoken, there seems little danger of Carver becoming tongue tied. "John's naturally vocal in the changing room so that's not going to change," said Pardew, who, despite not being prevented from contacting Carver by mobile phone, intends to leave his assistant alone on Saturday afternoon.

"The change for John will be that we can't predict Fulham's exact team. So at 2pm that team will come in and John's going to have to make a couple of tactical calls. Our predictions are usually 99% right but there's always one or two players who might come in and surprise you. John will have to decide what to do about them."

Carver can be combustible but he is expected to be on his best behaviour. "Some of the reporting about myself and my team was over the top after Hull," Pardew said. "But, having said that, we can't say we've been totally innocent, even before this incident, so we all need to address our behaviour. My staff all need to watch themselves."

Louise Taylor

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Manchester United v Liverpool: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 12:01 PM PDT

If Liverpool want to establish themselves as perennial title challengers then winning at Old Trafford has to become a regular occurrence. Brendan Rodgers' team have a chance to start a new trend as the last time Manchester United lost at home to their fiercest rivals was the 4-1 humiliation of 2008-09. David Moyes remains resolute in the midst of a trying inaugural season in charge of the champions but with Liverpool 11 points better off a victory could prove pivotal in turning his team's fortunes around. Jamie Jackson

Kick-off Sunday 1.30pm

Venue Old Trafford

Last season Man Utd 2 Liverpool 1

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee M Clattenburg

This season G20, Y66, R1, 3.4 cards per game

Odds H 6-4 A 2-1 D 5-2

Manchester United

Subs from Lindegaard, Evans, Vidic, Ferdinand, Buttner, Giggs, Young, Fletcher, Valencia, Kagawa, Nani, Welbeck, Hernández, Cleverley

Doubtful Evans (calf), Hernández (knee), Nani (hamstring), Da Silva (foot)

Injured None

Suspended None

Form WWDDLW

Discipline Y52 R2

Leading scorers Rooney, Van Persie 11

Liverpool

Subs from Jones, Coutinho, Lucas, Sakho, Cissokho, Touré, Kelly, Aspas, Moses, Alberto, Teixeira

Doubtful None

Injured José Enrique (knee, Apr), Coates (knee, Apr)

Form WWWWDW

Discipline Y40 R0

Leading scorer Suárez 24


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Tim Sherwood's plain talking delivers the message to Tottenham | David Hytner

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:56 AM PDT

Manager's forthright manner and uncomplicated approach is moulding a new mentality in the White Hart Lane dressing room

If a Tottenham Hotspur player misses an easy pass in training, Tim Sherwood will not hold back. If the Benfica manager makes a patronising gesture on the touchline, Sherwood will not hold back. If the "silence is deafening" at boardroom level about his prospects in the job, Sherwood will not hold back.

It is fair to say that a picture has formed with regard to Sherwood's management style. Players, opponents, employers; they are all the same to him – to be treated with respect when they merit it and delivered unsugared truths when they do not.

There has been something gloriously unreconstructed and off-message about Sherwood since he succeeded André Villas-Boas at White Hart Lane in mid-December and it has been made all the more eye-catching by his status as a managerial novice.

The Capital One Cup quarter-final at home to West Ham United on 18 December was his first game as a manager at any level. And this is not just any level. This is Tottenham, the club who have finished in the Premier League's top five in each of the past four seasons and have pretensions to do even better.

The 45-year-old has attacked what has to be considered as a daunting challenge with wisecracks and conviction and it has been on his terms at every turn. Confronted, initially, by the chairman, Daniel Levy, and contractual negotiations (a combination to have anybody reaching for those squeezy stress balls), Sherwood made it plain that he would be no caretaker or interim appointment. He wanted an 18-month deal. And he got it.

In January, when Levy wanted to horse-trade players, Sherwood said that the squad needed streamlining. Chopping and changing, he suggested, tended to bring more problems and it did not take a genius to deduce his views on last summer's wholesale changes, when the technical director, Franco Baldini, oversaw the arrival of seven new faces. They have not been so magnificent and, of them, Sherwood seems to have faith in only the midfielder Christian Eriksen. There were no signings in January.

Sherwood has demanded that his players reflect the force of his personality and the depth of his desire, and the dynamic with them has been the most fascinating aspect of his tenure. The message has been consistent and, normally, extremely quotable but it boils down to what he said on 26 February, before the Europa League last-32 second-leg tie against Dnipro. "You can either play for a big club or you can't," Sherwood said. "Some of them have to still prove that they have got that character to be able to play for Tottenham."

Sherwood, characteristically, has not hidden his reservations. He has dished out some hard-hitting criticism after poor performances – most recently the 4-0 capitulation at Chelsea last Saturday, when he accused the players of lacking "guts".

He wants to create the culture where players dig each other out after lapses, whether in training or matches; of creative tensions firing standards. "You must not want to be someone's mate all the time," Sherwood says. "They need to drag it out of each other." The message appears to be getting through. The players held a lengthy and heated inquest after Chelsea.

Sherwood has stood accused of going too far with his views, of breaking the unwritten rule about keeping such things in-house. Glenn Hoddle and Gary Lineker, the pundits, have suggested that this is the quick way to lose the dressing room.

The manager brooks no argument, not least with people who "haven't been in the game for a long time". The players are either with him or otherwise and those who are not are "probably the ones you don't want anyway", as he said on Thursday after the 3-1 Europa League last-16 first-leg home defeat by Benfica.

It is plain that there are those he does not want. Who are they? Sherwood has not named names and, broadly speaking, the squad have shrugged it all off. There are quibbles within the group, such as the prominence that Sherwood has afforded to the 19-year-old midfielder Nabil Bentaleb. The public criticism has not yet overstepped a line, largely because it has remained collective. The players are, it should be said, used to hearing Sherwood speak his mind at the training ground.

And yet the targets know who they are. They are the players who know they are playing badly and/or are not selected regularly. They need not study the tea leaves; rather, look at the team sheet. Sherwood's gunboat diplomacy, particularly as Levy actively explores the possibility of taking the Holland manager, Louis Van Gaal, after the World Cup finals, is not without risk.

Sherwood has been and will continue to be true to himself. What you see is what you get and it is easy to see certain parallels with Harry Redknapp, the manager who brought Sherwood back to the club he played for, initially as a coach in 2008 and later as the youth technical co-ordinator.

Sherwood's arm-around-the-shoulder, I-believe-in-you routine has served to revitalise the striker Emmanuel Adebayor, while he is no clip-board manager, obsessed with heat maps and statistics. He is unafraid to make bold selections –witness the attacking line-up in his first league game at Southampton – and, generally, to go for it.

Results have dipped since the 5-1 home defeat by Manchester City on 29 January and Sherwood approaches the derby against Arsenal at White Hart Lane on Sunday in desperate need of victory. Pull it off and the quest for Champions League qualification would be back on; lose or draw and it could appear to be over.

Sherwood's openness with his emotions has been a refreshing feature, even if they have boiled over in the past week or so. First, there was the touchline row with the Chelsea assistant Steve Holland and then the verbals with Benfica's Jorge Jesus, who followed up his Dr Evil dance moves on his team's first goal with a scoreline signal after the third.

The pressure is relentless; the experience utterly draining. Sherwood, though, is not a man who will be nagged by regret.

David Hytner

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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:54 AM PDT

Pepe Mel has mustered a mere four points since taking over at West Bromwich and will be without six members of his squad including the captain, Chris Brunt, while Nicolas Anelka has parted company with the club. Swansea are in a similar dire run, claiming three points from their last six games, but Garry Monk could welcome back Michu after a three-month injury layoff. Samar Maguire

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Liberty Stadium

Last season Swansea 3 West Bromwich 1

Referee M Atkinson

This season G19, Y57, R3, 3.3 cards per game

Odds H 10-11 A 3-1 D 5-2

Swansea City

Subs from Taylor, Cornell, Lamah, Routledge, Tiendalli, Cañas, Pozuelo, Tremmel, Vázquez, Richards, Ngog, Emnes, Michu

Doubtful Hernández (hamstring)

Injured Shelvey (hamstring, 29 Mar), Bartley (hamstring, unknown)

Suspended Flores (one match)

Form DLDWLW

Discipline Y45 R2

Leading scorer Bony 9

West Bromwich Albion

Subs from Daniels, Myhill, Dawson, Sinclair, Dorrans, Sessègnon, Vydra, Bifouma, Roofe, Nabi

Doubtful None

Injured Reid (knee, 22 Mar), Yacob (hamstring, 22 Mar), Lugano (knee, Apr), Brunt (knee, May), Jones (hamstring, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LDDLDL

Discipline Y56 R0

Leading scorer Berahino 4


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Aston Villa v Chelsea: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:28 AM PDT

One must wonder how much longer José Mourinho will play down Chelsea's chances. On Friday he spoke of how they are ahead of schedule but refuses to acknowledge that with a seven-point lead heading into this weekend, Chelsea are one of the favourites for the title. Win against Villa, who have lost seven of their eight home games to teams in the top 10, and he must publicly recognise their credentials. Alan Smith

Kick-off Saturday 5.30pm

Venue Villa Park

Last season Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee C Foy

This season G17, Y43, R3, 2.9 cards per game

Odds H 13-2 A 6-11 D 10-3

Aston Villa

Subs from Steer, Clark, Bennett, Holt Lowton, Albrighton, Sylla, Tonev, Helenius

Doubtful None

Injured Carruthers (knee, Aug), Kozak (leg, unknown), N'Zogbia (achilles, unknown), Okore (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form WLDLLW

Discipline Y55 R0

Leading scorer Benteke 9

Chelsea

Subs from Schwarzer, Hilário, Blackman, Kalas, Ake, Lampard, Torres, Oscar, Mikel, Salah, Ba

Doubtful Torres (groin)

Injured David Luiz (groin, 22 Mar), Cole (knee, Apr), Van Ginkel (knee, Apr)

Suspended None

Form WWWDWW

Discipline Y45 R1

Leading scorer Hazard 13


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Our favourite things this week: from David Luiz to basketball jerseys

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:26 AM PDT

Featuring the advantages of introversion, fair play in the Bundesliga, a scandal over beer prices and life in a bookies

Paul Campbell

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Tottenham have laboured in recent weeks and it feels as though they must win this one to keep their Champions League dream alive. They have a decent record at home to Arsenal of late and when they won the corresponding fixture last season, there was talk of their rivals being in a "negative spiral". Arsenal, though, fought their way back from the crisis, which has become a speciality of theirs. Blood and thunder looms. David Hytner

Kick-off Sunday 4pm

Venue White Hart Lane

Last season Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee M Dean

This season G19, Y72, R4, 4.2 cards per game

Odds H 2-1 A 6-4 D 12-5

Tottenham Hotspur

Subs from Friedel, Gomes, Fryers, Bentaleb, Chadli, Townsend, Kane, Sigurdsson, Walker, Sandro

Doubtful Walker (groin), Dembélé (hamstring), Adebayor (ankle)

Injured Chiriches (back, 22 Mar), Capoue (ankle, 29 Mar), Dawson (hamstring, 29 Mar), Lamela (back, Apr)

Suspended None

Form LWLWWD

Discipline Y49 R3

Leading scorer Adebayor 8

Arsenal

Subs from Fabianski,Jenkinson, Sanogo Vermaelen, Zelalem, Kallstrom, Gnabry Hayden, Miyaichi, Podolski, Bendtner

Doubtful Gibbs (ankle)

Injured Diaby (knee, unknown), Özil (hamstring, Apr), Ramsey (thigh, Apr), Wilshere (foot, May), Walcott (knee, Aug)

Suspended None

Form LWDLWD

Discipline Y38 R3

Leading scorer Giroud 12


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Everton v Cardiff City: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 11:12 AM PDT

The statistics do not make happy reading for Cardiff, who visit Goodison for the first time since 1962 (a game Everton won 8-3), despite last weekend's win over Fulham. Not only have they lost their last seven on the road, their main problem, the concession of late goals, having left 18 slip by in the last 15 minutes of games, could well be worsened by their hosts. Everton have the third highest tally of 13 late goals scored. Alan Smith

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Goodison Park

Last season n/a

Referee R East

This season G4, Y16, R1, 4.5 cards per game

Odds H 4-11 A 8-1 D 4-1

Everton

Subs from Robles, Jagielka, Pienaar, Naismith, Osman, Deulofeu, Hibbert, Garbutt, Gueye, Vellios

Doubtful Jagielka (hamstring), Pienaar (knee)

Injured Koné (knee, Apr), Gibson (knee, Apr), Traoré (hamstring, May), Oviedo (broken leg, Aug)

Suspended None

Form WLLWLD

Discipline Y42 R1

Leading scorer Lukaku 10

Cardiff City

Subs from Lewis, Théophile-Catherine, Daehli, Eikrem, Cala, Bellamy, Zaha, Taylor, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Cowie, McNaughton

Doubtful Turner (leg), Cala (bug), Taylor (leg)

Injured Hudson (hamstring, unknown)

Suspended None

Form WLLDLW

Discipline Y35 R0

Leading scorer Campbell 5


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Anelka 'highly unprofessional' for terminating contract

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 10:57 AM PDT

• Striker tweets that he has ended his contract
• Club say they have received nothing formal from player

Nicolas Anelka's troubled West Bromwich Albion career descended into further acrimony on Friday night after the Premier League club branded the Frenchman "highly unprofessional" for announcing that he was terminating his playing contract via Twitter. Albion have not received anything official from Anelka or his representatives and the club made it clear that they are deeply unhappy with the player's latest controversial act.

The Midlands club released a statement a couple of hours after Anelka – who was recently given a five-match ban and an £80,000 fine by the Football Association for the quenelle gesture he made at Upton Park in December – had taken to social media to say that he was tearing up the remaining three-and-a-half months of his contract.

Anelka wrote: "Following discussions between the club and me, proposals have been made that I rejoined the group under certain conditions that I cannot accept. Wishing to keep my integrity, so I decided to free myself and to terminate the contract linking me with West Bromwich Albion until 2014, and now."

Albion, who had suspended Anelka on full pay in the wake of the FA's verdict and were planning to complete their own investigation into the quenelle gesture by next week, were initially caught off guard by the striker's comments about his exit. The club are furious with the player for taking it upon himself to announce on Twitter he is quitting The Hawthorns.

Albion's statement said: "The club notes Nicolas Anelka's comments on Twitter this evening [Friday]. However, the club has received nothing formally regarding the termination of Nicolas Anelka's contract from either him or his advisers. The club regards the release of such a statement on Social Media as highly unprofessional and will make a further statement when appropriate."

Signed on a free transfer last summer, Anelka's time at Albion has been nothing short of a disaster and it was a foregone conclusion that the 35-year-old would be released at the end of the season. He has started 11 matches in the Premier League for Albion and delivered his only goals for the club at Upton Park, in the match when he made the quenelle gesture.

Signed on a free transfer in the summer, Anelka's time at Albion would be instantly forgettable but for the 3-3 draw at Upton Park. He was a major disappointment on the pitch and delivered his only goals for the club in that fixture at West Ham – a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Stuart James

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Scudamore: FFP is unsustainable

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 10:27 AM PDT

• Around half the Championship clubs face big fines
• Talks ongoing about gulf between it and Premier League

The Premier League has called into question the future of the Football League's new financial fair play rules, warning that as they stand they are not viable.

Judging by their annual results, around half of the teams in the Championship could face a substantial fine or a transfer embargo, having fallen foul of the FFP rules agreed by the Football League in 2012. Some clubs that have spent heavily – including Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers – are believed to be considering legal action, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers from League One.

By going public with his concerns and revealing that the Premier League is in talks with the Football League to agree a way of better managing the gulf between their rulebooks, Richard Scudamore, the Premier League's chief executive, could sound the death knell for the rules in their current form.

"I think the Championship clubs and the Football League themselves are taking a long hard look at what they have done with their own rules," said Scudamore. "Obviously we have some concerns but these are concerns we expressed at the time when they introduced them."

The rules were the idea of the former Football League executive chairman Greg Clarke, who remains in a nonexecutive role, and were designed to try and stop clubs gambling unsustainably on getting into the Premier League. But some of those clubs argue that given the munificence of the Premier League's parachute payments, now up to £59m over four years, it will become impossible to compete with relegated clubs and remain within guidelines. Others argue that the step down from the Premier League is too great in terms of TV income and leaves clubs unable to avoid a sizeable loss in their first year back in the Football League.

Under the Championship's rules, agreed by a majority of 21 to three following two years of detailed debate, clubs losing more than £8m can be fined or have a transfer embargo imposed. QPR could face a fine of up to £48m if they repeat their recently announced annual losses of £65m.

"We thought the transition between leagues was going to be very difficult and I think there is a mood certainly around our clubs and I think with Shaun Harvey [the Football League chief executive] and the board of the Football League to sit around in a room and see if we can actually come up with something that makes that transition a little bit more manageable," said Scudamore.

The Premier League's chief executive believes there is too much of a gap between the Football League's rules and its own recently introduced financial controls. "There needs to be some proportionate linkage because we have our rules which allow X and their rules that only allow Y and if you can't bridge that delta then it's difficult. But certainly we are in discussions with them about how we might be able to reconcile that."

He added: "Their numbers wouldn't work for us and our numbers wouldn't work for them." Asked whether it was desirable for around half of the Championship's clubs to be in breach of the Football League's rules, Scudamore said: "If that is right, as a regulator you don't want to get yourself into a position where half your clubs will breach the rules, that's really not where you want to be."

Scudamore insisted that the Premier League's own less stark financial controls, including a cap on salary increases, were having an effect. "It's too early to state formally because we don't get the first reporting period until the end of this season but taking a look at the contract profiles and what people are doing then, yes, people are respecting that," he said. "We are in the first year of three in terms of the aggregate acceptable loss but in the reports that are coming through, the clubs are trying to bring their losses down so I think we are in good shape."

Owen Gibson

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Hull City v Manchester City: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 10:27 AM PDT

This time last week, Manchester City were in with a chance of an unprecedented quadruple. Now, with the League Cup already safely secured, they have only the Premier League to focus on. It will be intriguing to see how they bounce back following the defeats to Wigan and Barcelona but Hull will look to use the momentum gained from their FA Cup run to move closer to safety. Alan Smith

Kick-off Saturday 12.45pm

Venue KC Stadium

Last season n/a

Live BT Sport 1

Referee L Mason

This season G17, Y54, R4, 3.6 cards per game

Odds H 6-1 A 4-7 D 7-2

Hull City

Subs from Harper, Bruce, Faye, Koren, Boyd, Quinn, Henderson, Sagbo, Aluko, Fryatt

Doubtful Livermore (thigh)

Injured Brady (groin, unknown), McShane (broken leg, Aug), Dudgeon (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LWLWDL

Discipline Y43 R3

Leading scorers Brady, Jelavic 3

Manchester City

Subs from Pantilimon, Wright, Lescott, Boyata, Nimely, Clichy, Milner, Navas, García, Rodwell

Doubtful None

Injured Agüero (hamstring, unknown), Jovetic (hamstring, 22 Mar), Nastasic (knee, 22 Mar ) Richards (leg, 22 Mar)

Suspended None

Form WDLWWW

Discipline Y49 R0

Leading scorer Agüero 15


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Manchester United's David Moyes: 'Robin van Persie wants to stay' – video

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PDT

Manchester United manager David Moyes dismisses rumours on a possible transfer of Robin van Persie, saying the Dutch striker is very happy with the club

The Fiver | 'Absolutely no man-management skills'

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:32 AM PDT

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

TIM

Tim Sherwood, a "source" told the Sun in January, "is not afraid to speak out". Thanks, "source". We hadn't noticed. As the man himself said this week, "I am singing it from the heart, not from the script – I'm not an actor, I work on impulse." On Thursday night he impulsively declared that Benfica's finger-waving manager Jorge Jesus "lacks class", and what's more he thinks it would be a good idea to ignore him completely when Spurs are in Lisbon for their Big Vase round of whatever second leg. "Nah, not for me thank you," he declared. "I have no intention of speaking to him."

Good plan, Tim. If you don't much like someone, it's often best to avoid them completely. And he wouldn't be the first Spurs manager to refuse to talk to a person he considered disrespectful, after all. Glenn Hoddle did it once, when one particularly insolent player criticised him in the press. Midfielder, this player was. Name of Sherwood. "The day after the article came out I tried to have a meeting with Hoddle," he sobbed. "He just said, 'I don't want to talk to you.' And those were the last words he ever said to me … In the end, the situation got so bad I wrote a formal letter of grievance."

OK, but a man's allowed to change his mind, isn't he? And to his great credit, Sherwood seems a principled chap. Take, for example, his criticism of Dimitar Berbatov in 2007, towards the end of the sulky Bulgarian's time at Spurs. "He is a big character in the dressing room and if he starts poisoning the rest of the boys you've had it," Sherwood said. "You need players in this situation, players who are going to fight for you." Like Sherwood himself fought for his managers. Take, say, Mr Roy at Blackeye Rovers, who wistfully recalled: "Tim became very disenchanted with the club. Being such an important character, his discontent was able to spread to a lot of other players. These people didn't have the strength of character or experience to stand up to somebody who was finding fault with most things."

Finding fault with most things, eh? Doesn't sound like Tim. He just sings from the heart. And, besides, he was younger then, and still learning. He's older now. Wiser. "When you get to this late stage of your career," he said a full decade ago, "you do start to think about the possibility of management and what you have learned from your different bosses." So, let's see exactly what he's learned, and how well he learned it:

Thing No1: "George Graham has a simple philosophy: 'If you don't lose goals you don't lose games.' If there's a secret behind his success, I think that's it." Result: Spurs, having kept a clean sheet in 54% of games this season before his appointment, have been running at 29% since.

Thing No2: "I've learned a hell of a lot from Glenn Hoddle – and all of it his how not to do the job. His biggest fault is he has absolutely no man-management skills. The art of successful management involves keeping everyone in the squad happy." The result: Sherwood accuses his players of being "lazy and unprofessional" and "too nice to each other". He shouldn't have to worry about their feelings, he reveals: "They are men. I'm a manager, not a babysitter."

Thing No3: "Kenny Dalglish's great managerial talent was that not only did he know every one of his own players but everybody else's as well. He would study the opposition and tell us what their players were good and bad at. He was a genius, the absolute guv'nor." Result: Luisão left totally unmarked by an ill-prepared Spurs defence at set pieces and scores for Benfica. Twice.

In summary, don't pay any attention to anything the man says. Or does. Many moons ago, when the Fiver was just a glint in Tim Berners-Lee's eye, the PFA used to publish, on actual paper, an annual guide to England's professional footballers. One of them once attempted to summarise Sherwood's character in two words. The ones they chose? "Previously enigmatic".

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"He is at the end of his contract in the summer" – and with that, Arsène Wenger's inexplicably thick patience with Nicklas Bendtner finally ran out.

FIVER LETTERS

"Is our fiercely neutral Fiver about to be unmasked as a (very) secret Gooner fanzine, with three main stories this week about the Arsenal? I will scan my inbox anxiously today around tea-time(ish) to have my suspicions confirmed" – Michelle Nicholson.

"Tim Sherwood says Jorge Jesus lacks class. Is that because the Benfica manager refuses to stalk the touchline in a gilet?" – Alistair Drummond.

"Re: Nasty Leeds' managing director, David Haigh's claim that people keep adding two and two to get 550 (yesterday's Bits and Bobs). I always thought it equalled five in circumstances such as those he is describing. Surely he's protesting too much?" – Bill Iliffe.

"Immature titters here in Baltimore as the mention in yesterday's Bits and Bobs of Alan Pardew 'nutting' an opposition player implies (in urban American English) something a little more Bendtner-esque. Happy weekend" – Volker Stewart.

"Re: rollovers (this week's Fiver letters). Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you rollover twice, you should be giving three prizes away, not two. I know you're tightwads at Fiver Towers, but this is on a par with Dusty Bin" – Tom Blacker.

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our letter o' the day is: Alistair Drummond, who wins a copy of the very enjoyable Falling for Football, courtesy of the kind gents at Magic Spongers.

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BITS AND BOBS

Sergio Agüero and Mesut Özil are hamstringnally challenged, and will miss the next few weeks of the title race.

Uli Hoeness will not appeal his sentence in the jug for tax evasion and has stood down as Bayern Munich president. "Tax evasion was the biggest mistake of my life," howled Hoeness.

Hull manager Steve Bruce has accepted a written apology from Alan Pardew for inappropriate use of the noggin.

And José Mourinho still won't have Chelsea as title favourites. "I keep saying the same, the table is fake," he cooed.

STILL WANT MORE?

'An enduring three-quarter-sized giant of the age'. But enough about Barney Ronay, here's Barney on Xavi.

The Fiver knows a thing or two about abject failure, so we were a bit radged off to miss out on inclusion in this week's Joy of Six: nearly men and women.

You know the drill: a bald man, some newspapers, and puns.

Ten things to look out for this weekend, including bars that charge over £5 for a bottle of craft beer and people who wear odd trainers. Wait, hang on …

Saturday is Alec Stock Day at QPR. Simon Burnton wonders whether it's time for other clubs to make similarly respectful gestures. John Beck Day at Cambridge. Neil Redfearn Day at 47 different clubs?

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)

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'WHAT POWER HAVE YOU GOT? WHERE DID YOU GET IT FROM? IN WHOSE INTERESTS DO YOU EXERCISE IT? TO WHOM ARE YOU ACCOUNTABLE? AND HOW CAN WE GET RID OF YOU?'

Simon Burnton

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Southampton v Norwich City: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:30 AM PDT

Southampton have won one of their last eight home games but will struggle to find a better chance to improve that run against Norwich whose away form – having lost the previous four away from Carrow Road – could yet be very costly. They are four points clear of the bottom three but do have a favourable run with Sunderland, Swansea, West Bromwich and Fulham after this. Alan Smith

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue St Mary's Stadium

Last season Southampton 1 Norwich 1

Referee K Friend

This season G13, Y45, R1, 3.6 cards per game

Odds H 8-13 A 6-1 D 3-1

Southampton

Subs from Gazzaniga, Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Targett, Ward-Prowse, Ramírez, Reed, Stephens, Do Prado, Gallagher

Doubtful Wanyama (calf)

Injured Cork (ankle, unknown), K Davis (knock, unknown)

Suspended None

Form WLLWDW

Discipline Y51 R0

Leading scorer Rodriguez 11

Norwich City

Subs from Bunn, Howson, Hooper, Pilkington, Elmander, Garrido, Whittaker, R Bennett, Becchio

Doubtful None

Injured E Bennett (knee, 22 Mar), Gutíerrez (calf, 22 Mar), Turner (hamstring, 22 Mar), Fer (hamstring, Apr)

Suspended None

Form DLWLDL

Discipline Y44 R2

Leading scorer Hooper 5


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Manchester City looking for redemption after Barcelona defeat – video

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:17 AM PDT

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says his team is focused on bouncing back after losing to Barcelona in the Champions League

Stoke City v West Ham United: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:07 AM PDT

Stoke are without Jonathan Walters and Charlie Adam through suspension but are in good form, having lost just once – to Manchester City – in their last six. West Ham have lost once in five matches with Sam Allardyce named manager of the month in February. West Ham, who have conceded just one in their last four games on the road, have won and drawn in their last two league visits to the Britannia Stadium. Daniel Clark

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Britannia Stadium

Last season Stoke 0 West Ham 1

Referee C Pawson

This season G8, Y24, R0, 3.0 cards per game

Odds H 5-4 A 12-5 D 9-4

Stoke City

Subs from Sorensen, Muniesa, Shotton, Palacios, Assaidi, Wilkinson, Etherington, Guidetti

Doubtful Assaidi (knee)

Injured Huth (knee, Aug)

Suspended Walters (first of three), Adam (second of three)

Form DWLDDW

Discipline Y63 R4

Leading scorers Adam, Crouch 6

West Ham United

Subs from Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Reid,

Armero, Johnson, Razak, Diarra, Diame, C Cole, Collison, Nocerino, J Cole, Vaz Te

Doubtful None

Injured Borriello (hamstring, unknown), O'Brien (shoulder, April)

Suspended None

Form LWWWWD

Discipline Y45 R1

Leading scorer Nolan 7


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Arsenal's Arsène Wenger on Nicklas Bendtner and Mesut Özil – video

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:39 AM PDT

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger says Nicklas Bendtner will be fined for his alleged involvement in a drunken row in Copenhagen

Moyes expects new Van Persie deal

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:20 AM PDT

• 'He is happy here at Manchester United'
• Manager says Liverpool are favourites on Sunday

David Moyes expects the Manchester United board to consider handing Robin van Persie a new contract after the striker claimed he wanted to stay at the club.

Van Persie has been linked with a move away from United following rumours that he was unhappy with life under Moyes, but he rebutted that speculation on Thursday night, insisting he was content at Old Trafford and saying he would like to extend his current deal beyond 2016.

Moyes said: "It's nice of Robin. He is happy here and we are very pleased about that.

"He has a couple of years to go on his contract and I am sure that is something the board will look at."

Moyes has always maintained that Van Persie was settled at United, but rumours have persisted that the player wants to leave. "I have been telling you that [he is happy] but you don't believe what I say," the Scot said.

Van Persie will be carrying United's hopes at home to Liverpool on Sunday and Moyes admitted that, for once, the visitors would be expected to win.

"Their league position suggests they are ahead of us and they possibly do come here favourites," he said.

"Liverpool are having a very good season and we have to do everything we possibly can to beat them."

He added: "There has been great history between the two clubs over a long period. I think it's the biggest club game in the Premier League.

"To win would be a big boost. It would be an important three points."

Javier Hernández, Jonny Evans, Rafael and Nani have all recovered after injuries and have a chance of playing.


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Sunderland v Crystal Palace: match preview

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 07:42 AM PDT

Gus Poyet has dubbed this quintessential relegation six-pointer as "bigger" than Sunderland's Capital One Cup final against Manchester City and the season's "most important game." With Tony Pulis prone to packing Palace's defence and aiming to sneak a goal on the break before pulling everyone back behind the ball again, it will not be easy for Sunderland. Often low on creative guile, Poyet's team frequently struggle to score and so much may depend on whether Adam Johnson and Fabio Borini are in inventive and incisive mood. Louise Taylor

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Stadium of Light

Last season n/a

Referee N Swarbrick

This season G14, Y42, R0, 3.0 cards per game

Odds H 11-10 A 3-1 D 9-4

Sunderland

Subs from Ustari, Celustka, Dossena, Vergini, Roberge, Cattermole, Gardner, Giaccherini, Fletcher, Scocco,

Larsson, Gardner

Doubtful None

Injured Westwood (shoulder, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LLWWDW

Discipline Y39 R6

Leading scorer Johnson 7

Crystal Palace

Subs from Hennessey, Alexander, Gabbidon, Mariappa, McCarthy, Moxey, Guedioura, Bannan, Ince, Gayle, Thomas, Jerome, Wilbraham

Doubtful Parr (ankle)

Injured Chamakh (hamstring, 5 Apr)

Suspended None

Form LDLWLW

Discipline Y36 R2

Leading scorer Chamakh 5


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