Arsenal
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has pointed to a lack of experience to explain some of his side's uncharacteristic slip-ups this season. Defeat to Barclays Premier League newcomers Hull City and a 1-1 draw at Sunderland - courtesy of the Spaniard's last-gasp equaliser - have seen the Gunners drop four points in their last two matches. The 21-year-old said: "Our squad is a bit short on numbers and we are very young. Behind me there is Denilson, who is 20, or Alex Song who is 21. Theo Walcott is 19 and Samir Nasri 21. It's hard to imagine a midfield where I am the oldest member."

Aston Villa
Steve Sidwell claims the key to beating Portsmouth this weekend will be winning the midfield battle against former Arsenal and Chelsea ball-winner Lassana Diarra. Sidwell played with Diarra at Stamford Bridge and believes the Frenchman can run the match with his skill and athleticism. He said: "He covers so much ground and can chip in with the odd goal. He has been Portsmouth`s lynchpin since he signed. Like me, he elected to leave Chelsea to re-establish himself somewhere else. He elected to go to Portsmouth and I`m sure Harry was delighted to sign him. The longer they can keep hold of Lassana the better because if he left it would be a big blow. He is a quiet lad off the field. He came into training at Chelsea, worked hard and then went home. He did his talking on the pitch, which is the best way to be."

Blackburn Rovers
Midfielder Vince Grella believes he will hit the ground running after seeing the start of his Ewood Park career wrecked by injury. The Australian summer signing has not featured since making his debut for Rovers at the end of August due to a calf problem. Fit-again Grella has used his enforced rest to good effect, however, and is now confident he can make a big impact when manager Paul Ince hands him his chance. He said: "In these weeks I've been out, I've had the opportunity to watch games closely and see certain patterns. It will be an advantage for me and a part of my preparation for when I come back into the team. Apart from the initial disappointment of the injury, from then onwards I've enjoyed my time here. The boys have helped me settle in and the medical staff have been fantastic. I've worked well and there have been no hiccups along the way."

Bolton Wanderers
Gary Megson feels that clubs get a raw deal from the current international fixture list. Bolton Wanderers face Blackburn Rovers in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, but Megson is still waiting for a few of his players to arrive back from international duty. He said: "It does alter things a little bit, because you can't get yourself into that methodical way where you know what you're doing week in week out. You've got these international breaks coming up. But it's part of football now, and you have to cope with that. I don't think there's a solution until the rules change, and they would have to change radically. What would solve it from the clubs' point of view is if the federations had to pay the players themselves - I think you'd see an entirely different way of acting then. But I don't think that will ever happen for one minute, so we have to cope with it. There may be a compromise solution, though. If they played internationals on a Tuesday it would help the clubs, who in the end are paying the players' wages, because we'd get them back a day earlier. I hope that might come in at some stage."

Chelsea
Didier Drogba insists he is happy at Chelsea despite admitting he has wanted to leave every year since he joined the Blues. The Ivory Coast striker, currently out of action with an injury to his right knee, says he has wanted to quit the Blues every summer since joining in 2004, but is relieved to have changed his mind. And in his autobiography, the English version of which was launched at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, Drogba said: "Yes I am glad I stayed. Last year I said I wanted to leave and every season I have said I have wanted to leave but I am still here. This is the club which suits me best. This is the only club where I won all the titles I have now. I am happy to be here and to stay with my friends."

Everton
Left-back Leighton Baines is relishing the challenge of back-to-back matches against two of the Barclays Premier League's in-form wingers. The Blues take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday before welcoming Manchester United to Goodison Park seven days later. It means Baines could potentially come face-to-face with England starlet Theo Walcott and reigning English Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo in successive fixtures. Baines said: "They're top players. Theo now is probably at the top of his game. He's only young but he's playing as well as he has played in his career so far. They're tough games but, you know, that's what this league is all about and if you get the chance to play against them it's a great chance to prove yourself."

Fulham
Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara is hoping to return to action by Christmas, or soon after, as his recovery from a knee ligament injury continues. The Senegal forward admits he was frustrated in the early stages after surgery but is encouraged by his progress since. He said: "It's going very well. I'm two or three months away from playing, so I'm happy with the way the rehabilitation is going. After the operation I was a little bit frustrated. But now it's OK, and in a few more months I'll be playing football."

Hull City
Phil Brown is looking to maintain his side's flying start in the Barclays Premier League with victory against another London club on Sunday. The Tigers sit third in the table and boast victories over Fulham, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur among their achievements since winning promotion to the top flight. They are now hoping to add West Ham United to the list at the KC Stadium this weekend. Brown said: "It would be nice to remain undefeated against London clubs, especially with Chelsea on the horizon as well. But we're concentrating on West Ham for now and we'll judge the game on its merits and hopefully we'll come out of it with something in the bag."

Liverpool
Scans have revealed Fernando Torres will be out of action for between 10 and 15 days. Doctors at Melwood discovered a tear in Torres' right hamstring which could rule him out for the next four matches - Wigan Athletic (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Chelsea (a) and Portsmouth (h). The injury was sustained after 17 minutes of Spain's World Cup qualifier in Belgium on Wednesday night. Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton said: "A scan on Fernando Torres has shown a tear in his right hamstring which will sideline the player for between 10 and 15 days."

Manchester City
Mark Hughes has hailed the defensive partnership of unsung heroes Richard Dunne and Micah Richards. Only Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have a better goal difference than Hughes' side, who now sit 11th in the Barclays Premier League. While the high-profile signings of forwards Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips have grabbed all the headlines since City's multi-million pound takeover, Hughes believes Dunne and Richards are playing a "vital" role for City. He said: "As a partnership, they are doing exceptionally well, they have the physical attributes to make an impact on the opposition, and they are solid when they need to be. They will get stretched at times, that happens with all teams at times, given the way we are playing at the moment they may get exposed because of the nature of our attacking play. But they are vital for what we do. Dunne's a big performer for us, both in stature and influence. He and Micah are a big physical presence at the back and they do a lot of work that affects the tempo of the team. Sometimes that's not recognised or acknowledged."

Manchester United
Carlos Tevez has issued a statement distancing himself from reports which suggested he was not happy with his current form in the Barclays Premier League. The Argentina striker has scored just once this season and had reportedly suggested his form had been affected because of the work he has to do for the team in English football's top division. However his statement read: "I have not given any interviews saying I have any difficulties in the Premier League. I love playing in the Premier League and I am very happy at Manchester United. I want to help the team win and am not worried where I play on the pitch, neither do I feel any extra pressure playing in the Premier League compared to other leagues. I have absolutely no idea where the reports came from. I have given no interview saying I have any difficulties at all with my form or the Premier League itself."

Middlesbrough
Gareth Southgate has revealed that Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca will return to training on Monday in the hope he does not need an operation on his injured ankle. Arca has been back in his home country of Argentina to have his ankle checked out by an eminent specialist. Middlesbrough manager Southgate said: "The trip to Argentina has proved very useful and we are hoping that Julio will have averted the need for an operation. But we will only know when he has fully tested his foot in training." Arca, who suffered the injury in a pre-season friendly at Hibernian, has not yet kicked a ball for Boro in competitive action this season.

Newcastle United
Manager Joe Kinnear is hoping Habib Beye, Obafemi Martins and Jonas Gutierrez could all return to the fray against Manchester City but Michael Owen is set to miss the match with a groin injury. Owen is expected to be sidelined for seven to 10 days but Kinnear believes the comebacks of Beye, Martins and Jonas are a boost to the Tyneside club. He said: "Having players back has lifted people's spirits. It always does when you have people coming back from injury. People start looking over their shoulder and step it up. The worst thing you can have is no competition. And with these people back now you have players fighting to get into the team. It's nice to have top players back in the squad. It adds more quality to the sessions and everybody is now under pressure to hold on to the spot they have had. Everybody has worked hard, people seem happy within themselves and people are expressing themselves. The icing on the cake would be to get a good result against Man City and keep that buzz going."

Portsmouth
Supporters can buy tickets for Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture at Aston Villa from the Villa Park box office on the day of the match at a cost of £33 for adults and £20 for seniors and juniors.

Stoke City
Gerry Francis has revealed he turned down the opportunity to become part of Newcastle United's backroom staff because of a loyalty to Tony Pulis and Stoke City. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers manager was offered the chance to join the coaching set-up at St James' Park by interim manager Joe Kinnear. Instead, Francis has opted to remain in his part-time coaching role with the Potters. Francis said: "We had an agreement in place and obviously I got a very good offer from Newcastle to join Joe and it was a difficult decision. Basically I felt a bit of loyalty to Stoke and (manager) Tony (Pulis) had come to me first and I'd been down there first and I am happy to concentrate on Stoke."

Sunderland
Roy Keane expects Kenwyne Jones to make his comeback in the reserves next week. Jones, sidelined since June with a knee injury, has trained with Sunderland's first-team this week as he closes in on a Barclays Premier League return. If the striker comes through next week's second-string match against Wigan Athletic in Hetton, he could feature in the Wear-Tyne derby the following Saturday. Keane, who takes his side to Fulham this Saturday, said: "Kenwyne's had a good few days' training with the first-team and we'll look to get him involved with the reserves next week. If all goes well, you never know for the following weekend. It's great to see Kenwyne back, it's a big boost for everyone."

Tottenham Hotspur
Ben Alnwick has joined League One side Carlisle United on a one-month loan deal. The 21-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed loan spells with Luton Town and Leicester City last season, after joining Tottenham Hotspur from Sunderland in January, 2007.

West Bromwich Albion
Chris Brunt has admitted the upturn in the team's fortunes will face its acid test against Manchester United on Saturday. Albion have won three of their last four Barclays Premier League matches but Brunt knows a trip to Old Trafford promises to be the ultimate challenge for Tony Mowbray's side. The Northern Ireland midfielder, who returns to the side after a hamstring strain, said: "It is a game we are all looking forward to as it's going to be one our toughest matches of the season. Everyone wants to be involved to see how far we have come since the opening game of the season against Arsenal at the Emirates. We have taken the positives out of the Arsenal match and the last two games have produced two good results and we also kept clean sheets. This shows we have the capability to keep clean sheets which is going to be vitally important to us. Our points return has been reasonably good which has given us a good base upon which to kick on from here. We have some really tough games all together but we have the quality in the side to pick up more points."

West Ham United
Goalkeeper Marek Stech is looking forward to another awayday trip with the senior squad. The 18-year-old is set to travel with the first-team again to Hull City this weekend, having been involved in the matchday set-up against Bolton Wanderers before just missing out on the 18 - although Robert Green will retain the No1 jersey on Sunday after resuming full training following his withdrawal from the England squad with a sore knee. Stech has started for the reserves in their previous two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Fulham and is focused only on applying pressure on Green and Jan Lastuvka in the West Ham United pecking order. "It's great training with the first-team as you get good experience," said the Czech Republic youth international who signed a new five-year deal in the summer. "You see the atmosphere on the pitch. It's great to train with the first-team and to be with the players before and after the game. It's a nice experience even just to warm up before the game."

Wigan Athletic
Emile Heskey is winning over the England fans. The Wigan Athletic striker gained his 50th cap in the 3-1 win in Belarus and although he has hit only five international goals, he has been credited with bringing the best out of his strike partners and Wayne Rooney in particular. Supporters at the Dinamo Stadium even sang his name, rather than Rooney's, when he set up the Manchester United star just after the interval and Heskey said: "That was great. The fans got behind me perfectly. It was a difficult place to come - not many people have done well here - and it was great to win."