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Portsmouth goalkeeper David James looks set to overcome a knee injury and take his place against former club Manchester City on Sunday.

James trained on Friday and manager Paul Hart is confident he will be fit, while new recruits Tommy Smith and Michael Brown could make their debuts after joining from Watford and Wigan respectively. However, Paul Hart's squad has been weakened by the sale of Sylvain Distin to Everton.

The game comes too soon for Hermann Hreidarsson, who is still suffering with hamstring trouble and Steve Finnan and Papa Bouba Diop both face another two weeks out with a similar injury.

Mark Hughes reports no fresh injury concerns as Manchester City look to maintain their 100% start to the season.

Hughes named a strong line-up for Thursday night's Carling Cup win at Crystal Palace and could keep the same side.

Craig Bellamy and Nigel de Jong would both hope for a chance to shine, although they may have to be content with a place on the bench.

Teams:

Portsmouth (from): James, Kaboul, Mokoena, Mullins, Nugent, Utaka, Kranjcar, Kanu, Ashdown, Hughes, Begovic, Basinas, Belhadj, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Smith, Niemi.

Man City (from): Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Onuoha, Bridge, Barry, De Jong, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Robinho, Weiss, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor, Bellamy.

Aston Villa central defender Curtis Davies is a major doubt for Sunday's Premier League clash with visiting Fulham.

Davies suffered yet another recurrence of his long-standing shoulder problem during the Europa League qualifier with Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

Youngster Shane Lowry could replace Davies if Villa have failed to complete the signing of Manchester City skipper Richard Dunne in time.

Left-back Stephen Warnock will be in line for his debut after completing his move from Blackburn on a four-year deal.

Fulham's Clint Dempsey is expected to overcome an ankle injury in time to make the trip.

Manager Roy Hodgson will give late fitness tests to Danny Murphy (calf), Paul Konchesky (knee) and Bobby Zamora (Achilles) while Andrew Johnson (shoulder), Simon Davies (foot) and Toni Kallio (Achilles) are out.

Jonathan Greening could make his debut but fellow new signing Kagisho Dikgacoi, who completed a move from South African club Golden Arrows on Thursday, is still lacking match fitness.

Teams:

Aston Villa (from): Friedel, Guzan, Beye, Davies, Cuellar, Lowry, Shorey, Warnock, Milner, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Petrov, A Young, Delph, Albrighton, Gardner, Heskey, Carew, Agbonlahor.

Fulham (from): Zuberbhler, Schwarzer, Stockdale, Konchesky, Stoor, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Kelly, Baird, Smalling, Duff, Andranik, Riise, Dempsey, Etuhu, Greening, Nevland, Kamara, Zamora, Johnson, Seol.

New Liverpool signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos came through a reserve run-out on Thursday night and is in line for his Barclays Premier League debut at Bolton.

The Greece international played 45 minutes of the second string's 3-2 defeat by Blackburn reserves, and with concerns still over Martin Skrtel's jaw injury the new centre-back is set to play at the Reebok.

After two league defeats in three games, boss Rafael Benitez needs to get Liverpool's season on track quickly. But he is still without Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and new midfielder Alberto Aquilani - all long-term injured.

Jlloyd Samuel could be in line to make his first Premier League start of the season for Bolton.

Samuel was preferred to new signing Paul Robinson for Tuesday's Carling Cup win at Tranmere and could be set to keep his place in the side. Andy O'Brien is also in contention after recovering from a groin strain.

Joey O'Brien and Ricardo Gardner are still nursing long-term problems, but Ricardo Vaz Te is back in training with the squad and hoping to be given a run-out.

Teams:

Bolton (from): Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Ricketts, Cahill, A O'Brien, Knight, Robinson, Samuel, Taylor, Davis, Muamba, McCann, Lee, Elmander, Basham, K Davies, Al Habsi, Hunt, Ward, Cohen, M Davies, Vaz Te.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Benayoun, Babel, Mascherano, Lucas, Voronin, Kuyt, Gerrard, Torres, Cavalieri, Dossena, Ayala, Kelly, Spearing, Riera, Ngog

New signing Pascal Chimbonda is in Blackburn's squad for the Barclays Premier League visit of West Ham after the defender completed his move from Tottenham on Thursday night.

Midfielder David Dunn is likely to be on the bench having made a goalscoring comeback from injury in the midweek Carling Cup victory over Gillingham.

However, fellow midfielder Steven Reid will not be considered because of a hamstring injury, Brett Emerton has a thigh niggle which rules him out, while former Real Madrid full-back Michel Salgado is not yet match fit after signing as a free agent.

Striker Benni McCarthy should be fit after a slight ankle injury but defender Ryan Nelsen (knee) and on-loan striker Franco Di Santo (hamstring) are out.

Striker Alessandro Diamanti, the £6million new recruit from Livorno, has not signed in time to feature for West Ham.

Savio is out with a virus but fellow forwards Carlton Cole and Luis Jimenez have recovered from muscle strains and will play.

Midfielder Valon Behrami is back in training following injury but will not travel and longer-term absentees Dean Ashton, Luis Boa Morte and Herita Ilunga are still unavailable.

Teams:

Blackburn (from): Robinson, Jacobsen, Samba, Givet, Chimbonda, Diouf, Andrews, N'Zonzi, Pedersen, Dunn, McCarthy, Roberts, Kalinic, Olsson, Brown, Grella, Hoilett.

West Ham (from): Green, Faubert, Upson, Collins, Gabbidon, Spector, Kovac, Noble, Parker, Collison, Dyer, Stanislas, Jimenez, Cole, Tomkins, Payne, Kurucz, Hines.

Summer signing Yuri Zhirkov is back in training after a knee injury but will not be considered by Chelsea for their Premier League home game against Burnley on Saturday.

England midfielder Joe Cole, also back in training after knee ligament problems, is still a few weeks away from a return to action.

Juliano Belletti has recovered from his Achilles injury but defenders Alex (groin) and Paulo Ferreira (knee) both miss out.

Burnley defender Richard Eckersley will sit out the match as he is suspended.

Eckersley is serving a one-match ban after being sent off in the Carling Cup victory at Hartlepool in midweek.

Michael Duff could come into contention after an ankle problem but Steven Caldwell remains sidelined with a groin injury.

Teams:

Chelsea (from): Cech, Turnbull, Hilario, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole, Ballack, Sturridge, Mikel, Deco, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Kalou, Malouda, Essien, Belletti, Hutchinson.

Burnley (from): Jensen; Mears, Carlisle, Bikey, Jordan, Alexander, Fletcher, Elliott, McCann, Blake, Paterson, Thompson, Guerrero, Eagles, Penny, Kalvanes, Duff, McDonald, Gudjonsson, Edgar, Rodriquez, Easton.

Stoke's new signing Robert Huth will go straight into the squad for Saturday's visit of Sunderland.

Huth could even start in central defence if Ryan Shawcross, who has been struggling with his latest bout of growing pains, fails a late fitness check.

James Beattie should be fit to return in attack after recovering from the knee injury which forced his early withdrawal at Birmingham last Saturday.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is certain to revert to his full strength team after making 11 changes for Tuesday's Carling Cup victory at Leyton Orient.

Sunderland defender Danny Collins is not expected to be included in the squad as the Potters attempt to sign him.

But keeper Craig Gordon could retain his place in the starting line-up after returning from knee surgery in Monday night's 4-1 Carling Cup win at Norwich with Marton Fulop struggling with a heel problem.

Fraizer Campbell was left battered and bruised by his collision with Canaries' keeper Ben Alnwick, but is expected to be fit, while midfielder Andy Reid, who scored twice, was one of several men to impress Steve Bruce after he rested nine of his key men.

Teams:

Stoke (from): Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Lawrence, Whitehead, Delap, Whelan, Etherington, Beattie, Fuller, Huth, Simonsen, Kitson, Cresswell, Pugh, Griffin, Cort, Amdy Faye.

Sunderland (from): Fulop, Gordon, Carson, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Da Silva, McCartney, Cana, Cattermole, Richardson, Reid, Malbranque, Leadbitter, Henderson, Tainio, Edwards, Bent, Jones, Campbell, Healy

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United.

Fabregas has failed to recover from his hamstring injury in time for Old Trafford but the Gunners have no fresh injury concerns following Wednesday night's 3-1 victory over Celtic.

Theo Walcott (back), Lukasz Fabianski (knee), Samir Nasri (broken leg) and Johan Djourou (knee) all continue their rehabilitation.

Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar remain United's major absentees for the big showdown.

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Ferdinand may not quite be ready for the trip to Tottenham on September 12 but his recovery from a thigh injury will not keep him out for much longer.

Ben Foster will continue in goal, while Michael Carrick and Anderson are hoping for recalls after missing the five-goal rout of Wigan.

Teams:

Manchester United (from): Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, O'Shea, De Laet, Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Tosic, Valencia, Owen, Rooney, Berbatov, Macheda.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy, Song, Ramsey, Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Eduardo, Mannone, Van Persie, Eboue, Arshavin, Wilshere, Gibbs, Silvestre, Merida.

Blackburn Rovers have completed the signing of Tottenham Hotspur defender Pascal Chimbonda.

The 30-year-old Frenchman has been brought in as a direct replacement for left-back Stephen Warnock, who has moved to Aston Villa for a fee believed to be around £7m.

Manager Sam Allardyce lined up the former Wigan Athletic and Sunderland defender when Villa first approached Rovers about Warnock but wanted the transfers to occur simultaneously.

Prefered position

"We've got the deal done. We've got an experienced player who is desperate to play football again, having missed it at Spurs," said Allardyce.

"The experience of the player, the adaptability of the player in a number of positions and his past record means we will have a good player on our hands and will not miss Warnock too much.

"We all know his favourite position is right-back. We are well covered there, but he can play centre-back and left-back."

The Frenchman is unlikely to play in his preferred position because Allardyce has already signed Lars Jacobsen and Michel Salgado this summer.

Chris Samba and Gael Givet are the only two fit centre-backs, captain Ryan Nelsen currently sidelined with a knee injury - while 21-year-old Martin Olsson is the only recognised left-back, although Givet has also played there.

However, the Rovers manager is confident Chimbonda's experience and desire to play regularly will allow him to adapt quickly.

"He was eager to get away from Tottenham, because he has not played enough games for them and he just wants to play football," said Allardyce.

"When you meet someone who tells you they just want to play football it is a good thing from the start.

"When you see what he has achieved in his Wigan and Tottenham early days we want him to come and emulate that at Blackburn, whichever position we pick him in.

"We had to scurry around for the last few days and we think we have found a very successful and experienced player to come and fill the gap Stephen has left."

Aston Villa completed the signing of Blackburn Rovers defender Stephen Warnock for an undisclosed fee.

Warnock has put pen to paper on a four-year contract which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2013.

He told the club's official website: "The main aim is pushing for that top four spot. That's the ambition. The manager is buying some really talented players - young and ambitious - and I'm sure they will see that top four spot as a target and goal."

The former Liverpool player added: "Playing in Europe is important - playing against the top players on the continent is fantastic - and there's no better stage to do that than in the Champions League. If we could do that, it would be a great achievement."

Warnock, 27, passed a medical and agreed personal terms on Wednesday afternoon and could come into contention for Sunday's home Barclays Premier League match with Fulham.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who signed Newcastle defender Habib Beye earlier this month, is also set to add Manchester City skipper Richard Dunne to his squad, after agreeing a fee with the Eastlands club for the 29-year-old.

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has jumped to the defence of his players and his system despite losing two of his opening three matches of the season.

The Reds were beaten 2-1 at Tottenham on the opening day of the campaign and were defeated 3-1 by Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday night.

Benitez lost key midfielder Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in the summer and has only managed to bring in Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani, who is out injured for at least six weeks, and back-up defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Tight finances at Anfield mean Benitez, whose only points came from a 4-0 win over Stoke last week, is unlikely to be able to bring in any more new players before next week's transfer deadline.

The Spaniard has stuck with the same system, despite Alonso's departure, and, having finished second last season, maintains his side can still mount a challenge, even though they have just three points from three matches.

"Our target is to win against Bolton and that's it. We're not thinking about anything else," he said.

"Everything could change. The first game against Tottenham, if we had a penalty and in this game to score early like against Stoke could be a difference.

"Anyway, we weren't playing well and we were giving the ball away against a team that is good on the counter attack and that was the difference."

Despite being unable to strengthen in the transfer market, Benitez maintains his current squad is good enough.

"With this squad we were winning a lot of games in the last year and we have to do the same this year.

"I think that when you are losing you want to change and have to win. We lost against Tottenham and won against Stoke and we have to try to do the same against Bolton. It's the only way.

"We were playing for one year (with the same formation) and took 86 points and now could be the same. It's a question of being more precise and scoring when we have chances."

Villa picked up three points at Anfield thanks to a Lucas own goal and Curtis Davies header and, after Fernando Torres scored for Liverpool, Ashley Young scored a third from the penalty spot.

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is still hoping to add a number of new defenders before Tuesday's deadline.

O'Neill's side fell away from a challenge for the Champions League places with a poor run from February last season.

But O'Neill is also confident in his team's chances, and still angry at the reaction from his own fans during the 2-0 defeat to Wigan on the opening day.

"The run is there but we did actually finish sixth in the league, we did actually qualify for Europe and against Wigan we got booed off at the end of the game and that's fine," he said.

"We got beaten in the match, but we also got booed off 45 minutes competitively after we qualified for Europe so maybe we should have a look at that.

"I was disconcerted and everyone to their own but this is a young side, they will take criticism from me when it's deserved and they'll take the praise if they can and we've got some outstanding players."

O'Neill hopes to sign Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock, as well as a number of other targets before the transfer window closes.

He added: "There are goals in the team and that will give them a bit more belief which is very important.

"The side is very young and we need a little bit more experience and I'm going to try to do something about that in the coming few days."