Hull City: Myhill, McShane, Zayatte, Gardner, Dawson, Garcia, Barmby, Boateng, Hunt, Fagan, Geovanni, Mouyokolo, Mendy, Kilbane, Marney, Cairney, Olofinjana, Ghilas, Cousin, Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Duke.
Manchester United: Kuszczak, Foster, Rafael, De Laet, Vidic, Brown, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Gibson, Giggs, Obertan, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Welbeck, Tosic.
Hull City v Manchester United
Time 16:00
Arsenal: Almunia, Silvestre, Vermaelen, Gallas, Sagna, Song, Denilson, Fabregas, Diaby, Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, Fabianski, Vela, Eduardo, Wilshere, Eboue, Ramsey, Senderos.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Guzan, Luke Young, Beye, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Ashley Young, Petrov, Milner, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Downing, Delph, Gardner, Agbonlahor, Heskey Carew, Clark.
Sir Alex Fergsuon's men will be happy for a repeat of last season's win over the Tigers as they bid to retain their Barclays Premier League crown.
Hull have not scored in their last three Barclays Premier League matches, while United are the only Premier League team not to drop any points from leading positions.
Arsenal v Aston Villa
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Arsene Wenger's Gunners, who have a match in hand on their championship rivals, can put pressure on the leaders with victory at home to Aston Villa.
Villa have four Barclays Premier League victories in a row, and if they win at the Emirates Stadium, they will equal their longest ever run set in 1996 and repeated in 1998. The Villans are the only Barclays Premier League side to have never lost at the Emirates Stadium.
This match sees the division's best front line (Arsenal 44 goals scored) against the meanest defence (Aston Villa 14 goals conceded).
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is set to name an unchanged side for the Boxing Day match against Liverpool at Anfield.
With the exception of Michael Kightly, Dave Edwards and Andy Keogh who all have ankle problems, McCarthy has no other injury worries to contend with.
McCarthy is poised to retain the side that started last weekend's 2-0 win against Burnley - a result which moved Wolves out of the relegation zone and into 12th place.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Aurelio, Benayoun, Babel, Gerrard, Lucas, Aquilani, Kuyt, Torres, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Spearing, Dossena, Cavalieri.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hahnemann, Stearman, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Foley, Henry, Milijas, Jarvis, Doyle, Ebanks-Blake, Surman, Mancienne, Zubar, Iwelumo, Hill, Jones, Maierhofer, Castillo, Elokobi, Halford, Friend, Hennessey.
Sunderland will be without suspended central defender Michael Turner for the Boxing Day match with Everton.
The 26-year-old starts a four-match ban after failing in an appeal to have his red card at Manchester City overturned, although skipper Lorik Cana returns from his own suspension.
Manager Steve Bruce hopes to be able to welcome midfielder Bolo Zenden back from a hamstring injury following his return to training, although Steed Malbranque is a doubt with a dead leg.
Keeper Craig Gordon will have a scan on his broken arm next week but remains on the sidelines along with defender Anton Ferdinand (ankle).
Stoke are expected to recall defender Robert Huth for the trip to Manchester City following a one-match suspension which ruled him out of last weekend's defeat at Aston Villa.
Huth's return gives manager Tony Pulis decisions to make at the back, with Danny Collins having returned to the side in the German's absence at Villa Park.
The Potteries club have a doubt, however, over defender Ryan Shawcross, who is struggling with a groin injury.
Manchester City: Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Sylvinho, Garrido, Kompany, De Jong, Ireland, Barry, Robinho, Petrov, Wright-Phillips, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Weiss.
Stoke City: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Faye, Collins, Lawrence, Huth, Diao, Delap, Etherington, Whitehead, Sidibe, Beattie, Fuller, Tuncay, Whelan, Simonsen, Higginbotham, Cort.
After collecting his fifth booking of the season in the 3-1 win over West Ham United last week, Muamba should have sat out Monday's match at Wigan Athletic, only for it to be postponed.
Chris Basham is likely to step in as the only change from the match with the Hammers as the midfielder Gavin McCann again misses out due to an ankle injury.
Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Jordan, Carlisle, Bikey, Caldwell, Eagles, Alexander, Elliott, McDonald, Fletcher, Duff, Nugent, Blake, Thompson, Penny, Guerrero, Gudjonsson.
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Steinsson, Cohen, Taylor, Gardner, Lee, K Davies, Klasnic, Basham, A O'Brien, Al Habsi, Samuel, Elmander, Ricketts.
Resurgent Portsmouth visit West Ham United full of confidence after last weekend's victory over Liverpool.
Manager Avram Grant has improved Pompey's fortunes and they have two wins and a draw from his five matches in charge.
Basement dwellers Pompey can overtake West Ham and move off the foot of the table if they beat the Hammers.
Birmingham City and Chelsea kick off the festive programme with the early match on Boxing Day (12.45pm).
A key fixture is the meeting of bottom two clubs West Ham United and Portsmouth at Upton Park.
In what promises to be enthralling day of action ends when Liverpool host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield, kick-off 5.30pm.
West Ham United vs Chelsea
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Nigel de Jong will miss Manchester City's encounter at Eastlands.
De Jong collected his fifth booking of the season at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, so his midfield spot is likely to go to Vincent Kompany.
Although the Blues had lost just one Barclays Premier League match all season prior to the White Hart Lane reverse, they are now on a run of one win in 10 and will be desperate for a return to winning ways to ease the pressure on Mark Hughes.
Sunderland will be without skipper Lorik Cana for Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Manchester City.
The Albania international is suspended after being sent off for two bookable offences during Tuesday night's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.
Manager Steve Bruce will make a late decision on whether to start with Lee Cattermole, who played the final 19 minutes of that match on his return from an eight-week lay-off with a medial ligament injury.
In addition, central defender Michael Turner will undergo a fitness test on the ankle he damaged in midweek.
Manchester City: Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Onuoha, Sylvinho, Garrido, Kompany, Ireland, Barry, Robinho, Petrov, Wright-Phillips, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Weiss, Benjani.
Sunderland: Fulop, Carson, Bardsley, Richardson, McCartney, Da Silva, Turner, Nosworthy, Mensah, Cattermole, Reid, Malbranque, Henderson, Campbell, Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy, Meyler, Reed, Noble.
Arsenal midfielder Denilson has recovered from a back injury and is set to come in for the injured Cesc Fabregas against Hull City on Saturday.
Fabregas is likely to be out for eight to 10 days with a minor hamstring strain.
Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Robin van Persie (ankle) remain sidelined, along with full-back Gael Clichy (back) and Johan Djourou (knee). Armand Traore, however, could return against Aston Villa on 27th December.
Hull have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Arsenal.
Manager Phil Brown is missing only midfield talisman Jimmy Bullard and long-term casualty Ian Ashbee, both with knee problems.
Bullard, who damaged a medial ligament at Aston Villa a fortnight ago, is hoping to be back in action by the end of January.
Manager Phil Brown has revealed the recent absence of striker Daniel Cousin - who was thought to be out of favour - has in part been due to a shoulder injury. The Gabon international is now fit and could be in contention.
Arsenal: Almunia, Silvestre, Vermaelen, Gallas, Sagna, Song, Denilson, Diaby, Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, Fabianski, Vela, Eduardo, Wilshere, Eboue, Ramsey, Senderos.
Hull City: Myhill, McShane, Gardner, Zayatte, Dawson, Garcia, Marney, Boateng, Hunt, Geovanni, Fagan, Mouyokolo, Mendy, Kilbane, Olofinjana, Barmby, Cairney, Ghilas, Cousin, Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Duke.
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has no fresh injury worries ahead of the match.
O'Neill could keep faith with the side which beat Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium Of Light in midweek.
Central defender James Collins may again have to be content with a place on the bench because of the form of Carlos Cuellar and Richard Dunne. Emile Heskey is likely to be preferred to John Carew after netting his third goal in the last six matches against the Black Cats.
Stoke defender Robert Huth is suspended for the short trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The former Middlesbrough centre-back was booked in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic and will serve a one-match suspension for accumulating five cautions.
His absence could mean Andy Wilkinson reverts to right-back with Danny Collins coming in on the left.
Aston Villa: Friedel, L Young, Dunne, Cuellar, Warnock, A Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing, Agbonlahor, Heskey, Guzan, Carew, Delph, Reo-Coker, Beye, Collins, Sidwell, Clark, Delfouneso.
Stoke City: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Faye, Collins, Lawrence, Diao, Delap, Etherington, Whitehead, Sidibe, Beattie, Fuller, Tuncay, Whelan, Simonsen, Higginbotham, Cort.
Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul returns from a one-match ban.
But there are doubts over the fitness of goalkeeper David James, who sat out his side's 2-1 loss at Chelsea on Wednesday night with the calf problem which has troubled him for much of the season.
Asmir Begovic stands by to replace him, but striker Frederic Piquionne should be fit despite limping out at Stamford Bridge with cramp.
Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has been passed fit to face his former club Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday.
The England right-back, who left Pompey to move to Anfield in the summer, has been troubled by a hamstring injury and missed Wednesday's victory over Wigan as a precaution.
Striker Fernando Torres is likely to start having come off the bench to score against the Latics but winger Albert Riera still has a hamstring problem and is not fit.
Forward Ryan Babel returns to the squad after an ankle injury.
Portsmouth: James, Begovic, Mokoena, Kaboul, Mullins, Kanu, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Ben-Haim, Yebda, Dindane, Brown, Wilson, Hreidarsson, O'Hara, Smith, Boateng, Diop, Finnan.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Aquilani, Kuyt, Torres, Cavalieri, Lucas, Aurelio, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Babel, Degen.
19:45 Burnley v Arsenal
Birmingham City exploded onto the Barclaycard Premiership stage in 2002. Having suffered play-off heartbreak in the previous three seasons, they won the play-offs under former manager Steve Bruce and seemed determined to make up for lost time.
In their first season, they finished a highly creditable 13th and did the double over arch rivals Aston Villa. Another mid-table finish in 2004/05 was followed by relegation a year later and a mass clear-out in an effort to reduce the wage bill.
But Birmingham bounced straight back up in the 2006/07 season, clinching automatic promotion as Championship runners-up. They became the first senior club in English history to postpone a match because their newly-laid pitch wasn't ready. The Blues have the dubious honour of playing on what was originally the spare pitch for the new Wembley.
After suffering the heartbreak of relegation on the last day on the 2007/08 season, Alex McLeish's side bounced back at the first time of asking, winning promotion back to the Barclays Premier League by finishing the 2008/09 season as Championship runners-up.
They returned to football's elite a year later after winning the Division One title, but went down again - this time on goal difference. Sam Allardyce guided Bolton back up in 2001 and the club has gone from strength to strength.
Bolton qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history in 2005 after finishing sixth. After an eighth-place finish the year after, they came seventh in the 2006/07 season to make the UEFA Cup again.
But Allardyce left the club for Newcastle United at the end of that season and was replaced by his assistant Sammy Lee. A poor start to the 2007/08 season saw Lee relieved of his duties and Gary Megson took over. Megson narrowly steered his side clear o
Victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday saw Wolves record successive top-flight wins for the first time since 1983.
Mick McCarthy's men will hope to extend that run further against United, and spoil Sir Alex Ferguson's 900th match in charge of the Red Devils.
Wolves last won at Old Trafford in 1980, and will not want to find themselves behind at any stage during Tuesday's fixture, as United are the only team in the Barclays Premier League not to have dropped any points from winning positions this season.
The inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season saw Aston Villa miss out on their first title in 12 years when they finished runners-up to Manchester United. Villa got their revenge over the champions by beating them in the League Cup Final the following season.
Chairman Doug Ellis had been unimpressed by Villa's league form and replaced the flamboyant Ron Atkinson with Brian Little in 1993/94. The former Villa player led the club to a 3-0 win over Leeds United in the 1996 League Cup final.
In 2000, Villa reached their first FA Cup final since 1957 but were defeated by Chelsea. Although Villa remained a hard side to beat, the loss of several star names and further managerial changes did little to help consistency.
Matters came to a head in 2006 when manager David O'Leary left in acrimonious circumstances, but Martin O'Neill has been heralded as the man to lead them up the table. He led them to sixth-placed finishes in 2007/08 and 2008/09.
Aston Villa - along with only Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers - have finished in every position in the top flight.
However, after a run of six consecutive defeats, Hutchings was sacked in November 2007. He had lasted just 12 matches. Steve Bruce, who had briefly managed the Latics in 2001, was lured away from Birmingham City to take over and helped the club avoid relegation and finish a respectable 14th.
In March 2009, the club announced the JJB Stadium would be re-named the DW Stadium from 1st August 2009. Bruce guided the Latics to a decent 11th place finish at the end of 2008/09 - their second best finish in the Premier League. In May 2009, Bruce moved on to become manager of Sunderland and he was replaced by former Wigan player Roberto Martinez from Swansea City.
This will be the first managerial meeting between Harry Redknapp and Mick McCarthy.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have not won at White Hart Lane since 1973 and Tottenham Hotspur have won their last six meetings with the Molineux men.
Spurs have won their last three home matches, scoring 13 goals while Wolves are aiming for successive top-flight victories for the first time since December 1983.
Kevin Davies will return to the Bolton squad having served a one-match ban.
Davies, the club captain, was suspended for last weekend's defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign in the previous match against Fulham.
Gavin McCann and Johan Elmander picked up minor knocks in the match at Molineux but should be fit for selection.
Otherwise, aside from long-term absentees Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien, Gary Megson has a full squad to choose from.
Manchester City pair Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland are both available after sitting out the victory against Chelsea.
Bellamy had a knee injury - like Ireland - then suffered a touch of swine flu. Vladimir Weiss also had the illness but he too has made a swift recovery.
Micah Richards also comes into contention after limping out of the Chelsea match with a knee problem but Wayne Bridge is sidelined with a similar injury.
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Al-Habsi, Ricketts, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, A O'Brien, Samuel, Robinson, M Davies, Basham, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Gardner, Taylor, Klasnic, Lee, Elmander, Davies.
Manchester City: Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Onuoha, Garrido, Sylvinho, Wright-Phillips, De Jong, Kompany, Ireland, Barry, Robinho, Bellamy, Petrov, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Benjani, Weiss.
Chelsea will be without midfielder Deco for Saturday's Premier League home match with Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Deco misses out because his father is ill and defender Alex (thigh) and Salomon Kalou (thigh) are also sidelined.
However, both Alex and Kalou are expected to be fit for the home match with Portsmouth next week. Jose Bosingwa is out with a long-term knee injury.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will recall Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka after resting them for the midweek Champions League match against APOEL.
Midfielder Tim Cahill is suspended. The Australia international accumulated his fifth booking of the season in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and so must serve a one-match ban.
Manager David Moyes still has defensive problems with centre-half Joseph Yobo ruled out for four weeks with a hamstring problem.
That means full-back Tony Hibbert is likely to continue to deputise alongside Johnny Heitinga, who returns after suspension.
Chelsea: Cech, Hilario, Turnbull, Ivanovic, Belletti, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Obi, Malouda, J Cole, Zhirkov, Drogba, Anelka, Kakuta, Bruma, Borini.
Everton: Howard, Yobo, Baines, Hibbert, Cahill, Gosling, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Fellaini, Pienaar, Saha, Yakubu, Neill, Nash, Jo, Baxter, Agard, Wallace, Duffy, Coleman.
Aston Villa central defender James Collins returns to the squad after injury for the trip to Old Trafford.
The former West Ham United player has been sidelined for the past month with thigh and groin problems but has now returned to training.
Villa manager Martin O'Neill must decide whether to recall his £5m signing or keep faith with Carlos Cuellar who has impressed in recent weeks alongside Richard Dunne.
O'Neill has no fresh injury worries as Villa look to win at Old Trafford for the first time in 26 years.
Man Utd: Kusczak, Foster, Fletcher, Vidic, Carrick, Evra, Park, Nani, Valencia, Obertan, Anderson, Scholes, Gibson, Giggs, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Welbeck.
Aston Villa: Friedel, L. Young, Dunne, Downing, Warnock, Milner, Petrov, A. Young, Heskey, Agbonlahor, Guzan, Sidwell, Carew, Delph, Reo-Coker, Beye, Clark, Collins.
Team news
Liverpool
Out: Ryan Babbel (ankle)
Doubtful: Albert Riera (hamstring), Fernando Torres (adductor)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none
Fiorentina
Out: Alessandro Gamberini (thigh), Adrian Mutu (knee), Marco Marchionni (thigh), Cristiano Zanetti (knee), Massimo Gobbi (thigh)
Doubtful: Stefan Jovetić (ankle), Juan Vargas (thigh)
Suspended: Dario Dainelli
Misses next match if booked: Marco Donadel
Background
• Fiorentina lost 2-0 at Liverpool's neighbours Everton on their last visit to England in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16. However, they still advanced as 4-2 winners on penalties following a 2-2 aggregate draw.
• As a player, Fiorentina coach Prandelli was in the Juventus team that beat Liverpool 1-0 in the 1985 European Champion Clubs' Cup final, appearing for the final six minutes as a substitute.
“We had a shaky ten or fifteen minutes in the first half but overall I’m delighted to beat a team like Arsenal. As everyone’s seen here today we’ve matched them and done very well to get a result.
“I’ve been really pleased with the way we’ve been playing without getting the breaks we needed. But remember, when we won at Manchester United we then went to Birmingham and didn’t show up, so we’ll be banging the drum that we must get something at Wigan next week.”
Bruce was forced into making a few a changes before the game due to Michael Turner and Kenwyne Jones being suspended and most notably Craig Gordon’s injury. The SoL chief was impressed with how they players who came into the squad today fitted into the team.
“Marton Fulop didn’t have a lot to do and people like Bardsley and Da Silva. But it’s wrong to pick out individuals because we needed our whole team playing well to beat Arsenal.
“Darren’s had a tough time over the last week or so but he’s come back well and given us his work ethic and a goal.”
Best of luck to Dunnie at Villa; I was to sorry Villa knocked out of the Europa Cup before Dunne had an opportunity to play in it. City fans by and large were sad to see Dunne go because he is a player we generally liked and because he played a vital role in keeping City in the Premiership during some lean times. Taking Dunne out of the City lineup is like removing a familiar, been-there-for-years chair from your living room. At the same time, few can doubt that this was a good move at this time for all concerned.
Dunne’s old armband is being turned over to Kolo Toure, a fine choice. (Gareth Barry might also have been a plausible option). Toure and early-season star Adebayor get their first crack at their old club Arsenal on Saturday. Arsenal, of course, were brilliant during the first week of the season and could feel both aggrieved and unlucky to have walked away from Old Trafford empty-handed a couple of weeks back.
Stadium:
Turf Moor, England
Match Time:
November 21, 2009, 15:00 UK
Burnley v Aston Villa Live Streaming
"Martin O'Neill is the perfect role model. He wasn't gifted a top job, even given he was a top player who won the European Cup,'' said Coyle.
"He has worked his socks off at the coal face going from Wycombe to Leicester and everything he has got he has earned - no-one has handed him anything.
"That is the type of manager I am very respectful of. He is a tremendous role model for all us young managers trying to make our way in the game.''
Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov will return after suspension.
The Bulgarian midfielder was banned for the 5-1 home win over Bolton a fortnight ago after incurring five bookings during the current campaign.
Central defender James Collins and striker Emile Heskey could be available after injury against the Clarets.
Collins missed the Bolton game a fortnight ago with a groin injury.
Heskey picked up a back injury in the previous game at West Ham which ruled him out of England's friendly international with Brazil in Doha last weekend.
Winger Stewart Downing is back in training after his lengthy lay-off with a broken foot but left-back Wilfred Bouma's comeback from a dislocated ankle has been further delayed by a toe problem.
O'Neill has revealed the "devastation'' felt by defender Richard Dunne after seeing the Republic of Ireland's World Cup dreams shattered by Thierry Henry's handball.
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"Morale in the camp is very good at the moment. We're working hard, we're motivated and we're really looking forward to the match. Our dream of reaching South Africa is still alive," added the central defender.
"We've been together since last week, so we've been training together for several days now. The arrival of our foreign-based lads will help us put the finishing touches to our preparations, but we'll be ready in time."
After being part of the Costa Rica squads at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, Marin had found himself left out of the picture following the adventure on German soil. As a result, his call-up by coach Simoes for La Tricolor's qualifying run-in came somewhat out of the blue.
A disastrous showing in the 2005 FIFA Confederation Cup, failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a disappointing performance in UEFA Euro 2008 and failure to qualify outright for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are all the team has to show in their post-Euro 2004 history.
But 71-year-old German coach Otto Rehhagel, the mastermind behind the 2004 triumph, and a handful of players left over from that team have a chance to bring back lost respect if they get by Ukraine in the play-offs. If they accomplish that, it will only be the second time that Greece has made it to the FIFA World Cup having done so for the first time in 1994 when they lost all their matches in USA and even failed to score.
Ironically, Ukraine left Greece out in the cold for the previous FIFA World Cup as they beat the Greeks 1-0 on the road to the 2006 finals. Greece host the first leg at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday but they are missing four injured starters.
The north Africans, though, were looking assured of a place in South Africa heading into the third minute of stoppage time in Abuja. That is when the hosts finally broke their visitors' resistance thanks to substitute Obinna.
Peter Odemwingie's cross from the left caused mayhem in the Mozambican penalty area, with goalkeeper Joao Kampango only managing to parry a shot from Obafemi Martins. Malaga striker Obinna found himself in the right place at the right time to finish from close range.
In Rades, a seventh-minute goal from Issam Jomaa was enough to give Tunisia a 1-0 win over bottom-placed Kenya. The three points for the Cartage Eagles keeps them two points clear of their west African rivals at the top of the pool.
Mozambique, who host the Tunisians on the final matchday, have four points and hold the all-important third qualifying spot for the 2010 African Nations Cup - the top three teams in each of the five groups will seal their place at the finals in Angola - while Nigeria's final round opponents, Kenya, are on three points.
The Italian this afternoon named ten of the men who will line up against Raymond Domenech's side at Croke Park, but admitted he is yet to finalise who will play on the right side of midfield.
He will decide overnight on whether to start with attack-minded Celtic winger McGeady, or the more robust Lawrence, of Stoke.
However, there were otherwise few surprises with the bulk of the side the same as that which started against Italy last month.
A back four of John O'Shea, Sean St Ledger, Richard Dunne and Kevin Kilbane will line up ahead of keeper Shay Given, while Damien Duff will start on the left side of midfield with Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews in the middle.
Russia, semi-finalists at UEFA Euro 2008, are the overwhelming favourites to reach the finals in South Africa next summer, but Hiddink insists that unheralded Slovenia can rise to the occasion. "We should never underestimate Slovenia," Hiddink said. "They are a very strong team, both in terms of their results and playing style.
"Slovenia are very disciplined and hard-working with a modern concept of playing. Their strength is their unity, there are no individual stars in their line-up."
Dutchman Hiddink added that the outcome of the two-legged play-off with Slovenia will have an effect upon the development of Russian football. "Two very important matches lie ahead," he said.
Russia skipper Andrei Arshavin confirmed Hiddink's beliefs. "In the play-offs any accidental goal can change the situation completely," said Arsenal star Arshavin.
Hard though Murray tried, he was unable to find a way past the Blake serve and the American took the second set in a tie-break.
Blake seized control of the tie-break early on with a glorious forehand down the line, while Murray was not aided by a nasty tumble when attempting a volley.
The American grasped his chance and a fantastic inside-out forehand levelled the match at a set-all.
Both players showed their strength behind their own serves in the final set as there were no breaks, which took the contest to a tie-break.
Murray could have been forgiven for being wary having lost the second set tie-break, but he took the contest to Blake and secured the early mini-break.
Arsenal will again be without defender Gael Clichy (back) and striker Nicklas Bendtner (groin) for Saturday's trip to Wolves.
Left-back Armand Traore and forward Carlos Vela (both groin) are close to fitness but will not be included, neither will midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) and goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski (thigh).
Brazilian midfielder Denilson (back) and England forward Theo Walcott (knee) should resume training following the international break, but centre-back Johan Djourou (knee) remains out.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi, Edwards, Henry, Castillo, Kightly, Ebanks-Blake, Doyle, Hahnemann, Stearman, Halford, Jarvis, Milijas, Maierhofer, Keogh.
Arsenal: Almunia, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Gallas, Sagna, Song, Fabregas, Diaby, Arshavin, van Persie, Eduardo, Mannone, Eboue, Ramsey, Senderos, Nasri, Rosicky, Silvestre.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce faces a major selection headache ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
Striker Kenwyne Jones is suspended after being sent off during last weekend's 2-2 draw with West Ham United, while skipper Lorik Cana, who picked up his fifth booking of the season in the same match, also misses out.
Forward Fraizer Campbell is expected to shake off a thigh problem, but Cana's absence is a real blow with Lee Cattermole (medial ligaments) also sidelined.
John Mensah (calf) and Bolo Zenden (hip) are again likely to be missing, and youngsters David Meyler and Adam Reed are included in the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Cudicini, Corluka, Hutton, Naughton, King, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Bale, Lennon, Bentley, Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios, Kranjcar, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Crouch, Defoe.
Sunderland: Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Da Silva, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Turner, Richardson, McCartney, Reid, Malbranque, Henderson, Campbell, Bent, Healy, Murphy, Meyler, Reed.
Burnley manager Owen Coyle could be tempted to name an unchanged side.
Full-back Stephen Jordan is expected to face his former club after overcoming a thigh problem sustained in the victory over Hull last weekend.
Burnley are still without Martin Paterson, Chris McCann (both knee) and Jay Rodriguez (ankle) through injury as they aim to pick up their first point on the road.
Manchester City: Given, Bridge, Zabaleta, Lescott, Wright-Phillips, de Jong, Toure, Ireland, Barry, Kompany, Bellamy, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Petrov, Sylvinho, Richards, Taylor, Johnson, Weiss.
Burnley: Jensen, Caldwell, Mears, Eckersley, Duff, Carlisle, Bikey, Jordan, Alexander, Fletcher, Elliott, Blake, Thompson, Eagles, Penny, Kalvanes, Gudjonsson, Edgar, Easton, Nugent, Guerrero, McDonald.
Portsmouth will be without right-back Steve Finnan for their Barclays Premier League trip to Blackburn.
The defender is suffering with an abductor muscle problem, but striker Frederic Piquionne should be available, despite being carried off against Wigan Athletic last Saturday after taking a knock to his neck.
Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Hermann Hreidarsson (foot tendon) are still on the road to recovery and will not play at Ewood Park.
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Chimbonda, Salgado, Givet, Nelsen, Diouf, Andrews, Pedersen, Dunn, Brown, Reid, Jacobsen, Nzonzi, Emerton, Hoilett, Kalinic, McCarthy, Olsson, Jones, Roberts, Di Santo.
Portsmouth: James, Kaboul, Mokoena, Mullins, Kanu, Basinas, Belhadj, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Ben-Haim, Yebda, Dindane, Webber, Brown, Wilson, Ashdown, O'Hara, Boateng, Williamson, Smith.
Paul Robinson is set to deputise for the suspended Jlloyd Samuel in the Bolton defence.
Samuel was sent off in last week's 4-0 defeat against Chelsea after bringing down Didier Drogba.
Danny Shittu and Mustapha Riga are both doubts with hamstring problems, while Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien are long-term absentees with knee injuries.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Guzan, Cuellar, L Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Shorey, Milner, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Delph, Gardner, A Young, Agonlahor, Carew, Heskey, Delfouneso, Albrighton, Clark.
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Ricketts, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, A O'Brien, Robinson, M Davies, Basham, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Gardner, Taylor, K Davies, Klasnic, Lee, Elmander.
Sunderland striker Darren Bent is facing a race to be fit for Saturday's visit of West Ham, as he battles to overcome a knee problem.
The forward missed Tuesday's Carling Cup penalty shoot-out defeat by Aston Villa but is rated as better than 50-50 for the Hammers match, after returning to training on Thursday
Fellow striker Fraizer Campbell is a doubt after suffering a knock against Villa, while Phil Bardsley (shoulder) and George McCartney (hip) are also touch-and-go.
Midfielder Bolo Zenden and centre-back John Mensah are ruled out. Lee Cattermole is a long-term absentee with knee ligament damage.
West Ham will be without Scott Parker.
The midfielder was sent off towards the end of last Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal and serves a one-match ban, so Czech midfielder Radoslav Kovac comes in.
Kieron Dyer has suffered another setback and faces three weeks out with a hamstring problem picked up in training. Italian striker Alessandro Diamanti is pushing to start following his match-turning performance as a substitute against the Gunners.
Sunderland: Gordon, Fulop, Bardsley, Da Silva, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Turner, Richardson, McCartney, Reid, Malbranque, Cana, Henderson, Campbell, Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy.
West Ham United: Green, Ilunga, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Noble, Faubert, Behrami, Kovac, Collison, Cole, Diamanti, Kurucz, Spector, Da Costa, Stanislas, Jimenez, Franco, Hines.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing a defensive headache ahead of the match against Blackburn at Old Trafford.
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are both doubtful with calf problems and Gary Neville is suspended.
Ryan Giggs also has a knock and Danny Welbeck, who scored in the Carling Cup victory against Barnsley in midweek, is sidelined with a knee injury.
Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park remain absent with groin and knee injuries respectively.
Jason Roberts is the latest Blackburn player to come down with suspected swine flu.
The striker did not report to training on Friday morning and is almost certain to miss out.
One player also thought to have suffered with the virus is David Dunn, but the midfielder looked to be in good health when he came off the bench against Peterborough United in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, and is set to play again.
Another is Chris Samba, who is back in training but unlikely to feature as he is still feeling weak.
Pascal Chimbonda returns having recovered from his calf injury and Vince Grella is back in training after his thigh problem, but is unlikely to appear for the first team until next week.
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Brown, J Evans, Evra, Anderson, Rafael, Carrick, Scholes, Valencia, Giggs, Rooney, Barbatov, Nani, Owen, Macheda, Obertan, Fabio, Tosic.
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Chimbonda, Salgado, Givet, Nelsen, Diouf, Andrews, Pedersen, Dunn, Brown, Jacobsen, Nzonzi, Emerton, Hoilett, Kalinic, McCarthy, Olsson, Jones, Di Santo.
Ayegbeni Yakubu is in contention for a place in the starting XI after overcoming his heel problem to play against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, while Joseph Yobo, who did not feature, could return after suffering concussion.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel could make his 200th successive Premier League performance against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Friedel is likely to replace Brad Guzan even though his fellow American made three penalty shoot-out saves in the midweek Carling Cup win over Sunderland.
Defender Stephen Warnock is battling to overcome an ankle injury suffered against the Black Cats and Nicky Shorey could deputise if he is ruled out.
Striker Emile Heskey and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker picked up knocks but Villa manager Martin O'Neill is hopeful of having them available.
John Carew and Steve Sidwell, who made way for the duo at the Stadium of Light, will be in contention for a recall to the starting line-up.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Neill, Coleman, Gosling, Rodwell, Cahill, Jo, Saha, Fellaini, Nash, Duffy, Agard, Baxter, Wallace, Akpan, Yakubu, Baines, Yobo.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Guzan, Cuellar, Beye, Luke Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Delph, Gardner, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, Heskey, Delfouneso, Clark.
Burnley manager Owen Coyle will give goalkeeper Brian Jensen "every chance" to recover from the injury he sustained in last weekend's home defeat to Wigan.
X-rays revealed the Burnley stopper, who has yet to resume full training, had suffered only slight ligament damage to his ankle so Diego Penny is on stand-by.
Stephen Jordan suffered a thigh strain in the same match but he is expected to recover in time.
The Clarets are still without long-term absentees Martin Paterson, Chris McCann (both knee) and Jay Rodriguez (ankle).
Hull will be without goalkeeper Boaz Myhill for Saturday's vital trip to Burnley.
The Wales international injured his medial knee ligaments in the closing stages of last weekend's goalless draw with fellow strugglers Portsmouth and will sit out the match, though manager Phil Brown is hopeful he will not prove a long-term absentee.
Star midfielder Jimmy Bullard did not train with his team-mates on Thursday due to a shin injury and a decision is still to be made on his participation at Turf Moor.
Burnley: Jensen, Caldwell, Mears, Eckersley, Duff, Carlisle, Bikey, Jordan, Alexander, Fletcher, Elliott, Blake, Thompson, Eagles, Penny, Kalvanes, Gudjonsson, Edgar, Easton, Nugent, Guerrero.
Hull City: Warner, Duke, McShane, Kilbane, Sonko, Dawson, Barmby, Marney, Zayatte, Geovanni, Hunt, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Ghilas, Mendy, Altidore, Bullard, Gardner, Mouyokolo, Olofinjana, Cousin, Halmosi, Boateng, Fagan, Garcia, Cooper, Atkinson, Featherstone.
Bolton manager Gary Megson has an almost fully fit squad to pick from.
Striker Johan Elmander made his return to first-team action after a hamstring injury when he came off the bench against Chelsea in the Carling Cup tie between the two teams on Wednesday night.
Only long-term absentees Joey O'Brien and Sean Davis, who both have knee problems, remain on the sidelines.
Chelsea have doubts over striker Salomon Kalou and defender Branislav Ivanovic ahead of their trip to Bolton.
Both will undergo late fitness tests after collecting minor knocks in the Carling Cup win over Wanderers in midweek.
But Ashley Cole (ankle), Jose Bosingwa (knee), Yury Zhirkov (knee), John Mikel Obi (knee) and Hilario (concussion) are all out.
However, Chelsea welcome back John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Nicolas Anelka, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard. They were all rested in midweek.
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Ricketts, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, A O'Brien, Samuel, Robinson, M Davies, Basham, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Gardner, Taylor, K Davies, Klasnic, Lee, Elmander.
Manuel Almunia could be set for a recall to Arsenal's starting XI for Saturday's derby.
Arsene Wenger is likely to make several changes from the side which beat Liverpool in the Carling Cup in midweek but Lukas Fabianski (thigh), Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott (both knee) miss out.
Samir Nasri made his first appearance of the season against Liverpool after recovering from a broken leg and is likely to be on the bench on Saturday.
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe serves the final part of his three-match suspension and will miss the Barclays Premier League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Lennon (ankle), Giovani dos Santos (ankle) and Luka Modric (fractured leg) will also miss the match but Peter Crouch has recovered from a groin problem.
Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini (knee) and centre-backs Jonathan Woodgate (head) and Ledley King (illness) should be available and Niko Kranjcar is back after being cup-tied.
Arsenal: Mannone, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Eboue, Song, Fabregas, Diaby, Arshavin, van Persie, Almunia, Eduardo, Vela, Gibbs, Silvestre, Wilshere, Ramsey, Bendtner.
Wednesday 23rd September
Chelsea | 1 - 0 | QPR |
Hull City | 0 - 4 | Everton |
Man Utd | 1 - 0 | Wolverhampton |
Preston | 1 - 5 | Tottenham |
Aston Villa | 1 - 0 | Cardiff |
Man City | 2 - 1 | Fulham |
Tuesday 22nd September
Stoke | 4 - 3 | Blackpool |
Scunthorpe | 2 - 0 | Port Vale |
Leeds | 0 - 1 | Liverpool |
Bolton | 3 - 1 | West Ham |
Sunderland | 2 - 0 | Birmingham |
Arsenal | 2 - 0 | West Brom |
Peterborough | 2 - 0 | Newcastle |
Carlisle | 1 - 3 | Portsmouth |
Barnsley | 3 - 2 | Burnley |
Nottm Forest | 0 - 1 | Blackburn |
Tuesday 27th October
Blackburn | 5 - 2 | Peterborough |
Tottenham | 2 - 0 | Everton |
Barnsley | 0 - 2 | Man Utd |
Sunderland | 0 - 0 | Aston Villa |
Portsmouth | 4 - 0 | Stoke |