Man City sweat on Silva fitness

Manchester City playmaker David Silva faces a late fitness test before Saturday's match at Queens Park Rangers after he came off with a knock in the midweek 3-0 Champions League victory at Villarreal.

Defenders Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott, midfielder Gareth Barry and forward Edin Dzeko could all return for the game, after coach of the league leaders Roberto Mancini said he would make some changes.

"We want to continue to play well if it's possible, but we know that every game is hard," Mancini, whose side have scored 36 goals in 10 league games, said on the club website.

Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas will have John Obi Mikel available for Saturday's trip to struggling Blackburn Rovers after the midfielder resumed full training this week after a back problem.

The fourth-placed Londoners will be looking to tighten up at the back after last weekend's 5-3 home reverse at the hands of by Arsenal, their second successive league defeat which was followed by a 1-1 Champions League draw with Racing Genk on Tuesday.

"Defending is a collective organisation... and there are collective mistakes we have addressed," Villas-Boas said on the club website.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp will miss his team's trip to Fulham on Sunday while he recovers from a minor heart operation but hopes to return to the touchline soon.

"They didn't even put me out. I was sort of half-conscious while they did what they had to do and now it's all taken care of," Redknapp told The Sun newspaper, adding the doctor had told him to put his feet up for the "next couple of weeks."

"I haven't had a heart attack. It was just that the specialist told me the arteries needed doing now. So we arranged it all and here I am. I feel fine and everyone tells me I will soon be feeling better than ever."

Manchester United centre-back Jonny Evans is hoping to be selected for Saturday's game at home to former loan club Sunderland with the champions aiming for a fourth successive win and fourth clean sheet following last month's 6-1 derby drubbing.

"I don't think we've actually conceded that many goals," Evans, who was sent off in the City defeat, told the club website. "It's just the one game against City that's cost us on that side of things. That's made the statistics look bad."

The match comes the day before manager Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 25 years in the Old Trafford hot seat.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will miss Saturday's game at home to Swansea City while he recovers from an ankle injury.

"Since they found the infection, Steven has really been progressing extremely well," manager Kenny Dalglish told reporters after the England midfielder was diagnosed with an infected ankle last weekend.

"Everything is positive for him. They found the infection and I suppose it's a wee bit like flu - you know you've got it, but you don't know where it came from. They are treating and it is responding really well."

Manager Arsene Wenger believes the teams above Arsenalwill start to falter, allowing his revitalised side to make up the ground they lost in a poor start to the season.

The North Londoners, who host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday have strung together a run of five wins and a draw in the past month in all competitions and have lifted themselves to seventh in the table.

"If we are capable of maintaining our run we will come back up quickly," Wenger said on the club website.

"I think we have made a big improvement in recent weeks by bridging the gap and I am personally convinced that the teams ahead of us will drop points."

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew says his players have got their feet firmly on the ground despite a stunning start to the season.

The third-placed team, who host Everton on Saturday, are, along with Manchester City, the only unbeaten teams in the division.

"We are playing with confidence and we have got a decent side," Pardew said on the club website. "How good it is, we don't know... expectation levels are not rising or going through the roof."