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Friday, March 4, 2011
Celtic v Hamilton Scottish Premier League Match on March 5
Venue: Celtic Park
Date: Saturday 5 March
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sport website
Fraser Forster and Joe Ledley return from suspension for Celtic's home match against Hamilton in the SPL. Forster will replace Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska, who played in the midweek win over Rangers. Accies defender Martin Canning, who has a stomach injury that requires an injection, is suspended. Forward Marco Paixao is still out with a knee complaint, while midfielder Alex Neil and defender James Gibson also remain on the sidelines through injury.
Celtic coach Alan Thompson: "We want to get back to winning ways after a defeat in the league last Sunday to Motherwell.
"We'll be going all guns blazing in a good manner to try and get three points.
"After a lot of energy expended and a big win against Rangers in midweek we have to approach the game in the right manner.
"We're in three domestic trophies, but first and foremost we'll be concentrating on getting three points against Hamilton."
Motherwell manager Stuart McCall: "It's not a game we are expected to win - it's top versus bottom.
"But the one thing I can guarantee is that we will take the ball and try to pass it.
"You have to be brave and I mean taking the ball in all areas of the park and not worrying if you make a mistake.
"But we won't get too many chance so if we get them we have to take them.
Teams:
Celtic: Forster, Wilson, Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Ledley, Izaguirre, Brown, Kayal, Ki, Samaras, Commons, Hooper, Juarez, Rogne, Zaluska, Stokes, Forrest, McGinn.
Hamilton Academical: Cerny, Elebert, McLaughlin, McDonald, Carrington, Mensing, Routledge, Antoine-Curier, Imrie, Casalinuovo, Crawford, Flavio Paixao, Hasselbaink, Murdoch, Skelton, Graham, Gillespie, McAlister.
Labels:
Celtic,
Celtic v Hamilton,
Hamilton,
Hamilton v Celtic
Hearts v Kilmarnock Scottish Premier League Match on March 5
Venue: Tynecastle
Date: Saturday 5 March
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sport website
Hearts defenders Andy Webster and Lee Wallace are doubtful for the visit of fourth-placed Kilmaernock.
Kevin Kyle is out, as are suspended duo Ian Black and Ruben Palazuelos, while David Obua and Suso Santana may be absent once more.
Kilmarnock's Momo Sissoko is suspended for the trip to Edinburgh.
Goalkeeper Cammy Bell is still out with an ankle injury and midfielder Mehdi Taouil could be missing for a month with a hamstring problem.
Hearts manager Jim Jefferies: "I think this one on Saturday could go a long way to cementing third place, but it will not be easy.
"We want to get third place tied up and there's one club - no disrespect to the others - I want to finish fourth.
"They would deserve that because they've been great to watch this year."
Kilmarnock manager Mixu Paatelainen: "I think it is almost impossible to catch them in third place because of their quality.
"They will challenge the Old Firm all the way, if they don't catch them they will be comfortably third.
"I'm sure that is their target for the season and it is looking very likely that they will achieve that.
"We are battling for a top-six spot. It is very tight.
Teams
Hearts: Kello, Bouzid, Zaliukas, Stevenson, Driver, Elliott, Skacel, Glen, Jonsson, Mrowiec, C Thomson, Wallace, J Thomson, Santana, Balogh, Webster, Barr, Templeton, MacDonald, Obua.
Kilmarnock: Jaakkola, Hay, Fowler, Wright, Sissoko, Hamill, Rui Miguel, Bryson, Pascali, Eremenko, Gros, Mendes Silva, Letheren, Clancy, Agard, McKenzie, Kelly, Berntsson, Aubameyang.
Labels:
Hearts v Kilmarnock,
Kilmarnock v Hearts
Inverness CT v Motherwell Scottish Premier League on March 5
Venue: Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Date: Saturday 5 March
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sport website
Inverness hope both Jonny Hayes and Aaron Doran will make their Scottish Premier League game with Motherwell.
Hayes suffered a reaction to a foot problem during the midweek defeat by Dundee United while Doran is rated 50-50 with a hip injury.
Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan returns from suspension and Steven Saunders is also in contention following a hamstring problem.
Steve Jones is training again after an injury but will not make the trip.
Inverness forward Richie Foran: "Motherwell is a club that's close to my heart, I had some great times and some of my best football memories there, but I'll be looking for three points.
"They are a very good footballing side, they got a huge boost after beating Celtic. I watched the highlights and they beat them well, it was a well-deserved three points.
"They beat us up here too so I'm hoping they can be a little complacent coming up here and we can get at them from the first whistle."
Motherwell wide player Tom Hateley:
"Perhaps we are not consistent enough, we got beaten and then beat Celtic.
"We did well on the day and we have to do well again to beat Inverness.
"We've got a run of five or six big games, there are so many teams in contention for the top six.
"If we can carry on the momentum from the other day and get that consistency, we have the belief that we can go anywhere and win."
Inverness from): Esson, Innes, Duff, Doran, Odhiambo, Foran, Rooney, Munro, Duncan, Sutherland, Hogg, MacDonald, Hayes, Ross, Cox, Tokely, Gillet, Morrison, Tuffey.
Motherwell (from): Randolph, Hateley, Gunning, Hammell, Hutchinson, Jennings, Lasley, Forbes, Murphy, Humphrey, Sutton, Jeffers, Meechan, Pollock, Casagolda, Craigan, Saunders, Hollis.
St Johnstone v Hibernian Scottish Premier League Match on March 5
Venue: McDiarmid Park
Date: Saturday 5 March
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sport website
St Johnstone are still without Michael Duberry for the visit of Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League.
The defender is expected to be out for up to four weeks with a groin injury, while Kevin Moon and Chris Millar also remain on the sidelines.
Striker Ricardo Vaz Te could make his Hibs debut, and on-loan Jakub Divis might make his first start in goal.
Graham Stack is out with a shoulder injury and Divis is vying for a place with Graeme Smith and Mark Brown.
St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes: "It's a big ask and they have done well lately. We know they are coming here with that added ingredient of confidence and belief, which is always important to any team.
"The fact that they are coming here on such good form makes them more difficult but we plan to be difficult opponents ourselves."
Hibernian manager Colin Calderwood: "We've got three away fixtures in a row - we started with a victory at Hamilton and we'll need to do it again.
"To keep up with the teams around about us we're going to have to win and that's the intention."
Teams:
St Johnstone (from): Enckelman, Grainger, MacKay, Anderson, Gartland, Morris, Adams, Craig, Invincibile, Reynolds, Davidson, MacDonald, Samuel, May, Maybury, Novikovas, Smith, Taylor.
Hibernian (from): Smith, Dickoh, Towell, Hanlon, Booth, Wotherspoon, Nish, Riordan, Rankin, Murray, Stevenson, Duffy, Trakys, Thornhill, Brown, Miller, Scott, Palsson, Sodje, Vaz Te, Divis.
Birmingham v West Brom Barclays Premier League Match on March 5
Venue: St Andrew's Date: Saturday, 5 March Kick-off: 1245 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 2 and highlights on Match of the Day; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles.
Birmingham pair Barry Ferguson and Craig Gardner are major doubts after suffering a fractured rib and dead leg respectively in the Carling Cup final.
Defender Roger Johnson was visibly struggling with a calf injury during that game but is fit again.
West Brom's Graham Dorrans suffered an ankle injury in training on Friday and is a major doubt for Saturday.
But Peter Odemwingie has recovered from an ankle injury he picked up against Stoke and should be fit.
Birmingham doubtful: Ferguson (rib), Gardner (dead leg), injured/unavailable: Dann (hamstring), McFadden (knee), Valles (foot)
West Brom doubtful: Dorrans
St Andrew's welcomes home its conquering heroes as Alex McLeish's Birmingham City side return to the field for the first time since their historic Carling Cup triumph.
But the victory parade has been put on hold until Sunday, as attention turns from celebration to relegation and a derby date with West Midlands rivals West Brom.
Both sides are scrapping for top-flight survival and will see victory in this fixture as the perfect launch pad for the relegation run-in. Successive 1-1 draws with Wolves and Stoke have kept West Brom out of the bottom three, and new boss Roy Hodgson has already brought a more solid look to a side that had shipped 51 goals in 26 league games before he took charge.
Birmingham's biggest concern is at the other end of the pitch, and McLeish may be tempted to pair a rejuvenated Nikola Zigic with Wembley hero Obafemi Martins to help transform Blues' status as the division's lowest scorers.
A win over their local rivals would add to the feelgood factor and potentially lift Blues five points clear of trouble. Then the weekend's celebrations can resume.
Head-to-head
West Brom's only win in their last five league matches against Birmingham was 3-1 at the Hawthorns earlier this season.
Eight of the nine goals West Brom have scored against Birmingham in the Premier League have come in the second half.
Birmingham:
Birmingham are the division's lowest scorers with 25 goals. According to Opta stats, they have fired in just 87 shots on target this season, fewer than any other side in the division.
Along with Blackburn's Ewood Park, St Andrew's has seen the fewest number of goals scored in the Premier League this season (28).
The Blues have lost just three of their last 29 Premier League games at St Andrew's.
Both Barry Ferguson and loanee Matt Derbyshire could make their 100th English league appearances.
West Brom:
The Baggies have drawn four of their last five Premier League matches and the last three in a row.
They have gone a club record 26 Premier League games without a clean sheet. Their only clean sheet this season came in the second game of the campaign, a 1-0 home win over Sunderland.
Roy Hodgson has won just one of his last 28 away matches as a Premier League coach.
Carlos Vela has scored in his last two games for West Brom, earning a point in each instance.
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