Barry hopeful of facing Villa

Gareth Barry will be hoping to face former club Aston Villa on Monday.

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry is winning his fitness battle to take on former club Aston Villa on Monday night.

The England international has missed the last few games with an ankle injury but returned to training on Wednesday.

Barry will step up his intensity over the weekend but is determined to return to his old Villa Park stomping ground.

The England man was once a firm Villa favourite, but has received a rough ride ever since his £12million move to the Etihad Stadium back in 2010.

Barry scored an own goal when Villa dumped Roberto Mancini's side out of the Capital One Cup earlier this season, although City gained their revenge in a 5-0 league drubbing.

City are 1.50 to win at Villa Park on Monday, with the draw 4.50, while Villa are 19.00 to triumph by the only goal of the game.

Mancini, meanwhile, is refusing to concede the title to rivals Manchester United, despite the chance they could be 15 points behind before they take on Paul Lambert's team.

The Italian insisted: "We played a really good game against Chelsea last week and it was important to beat them.

"Villa are in a different situation. For me they have good players. Maybe they have young players and this is the reason they are fighting relegation.

"If we don't beat them, it is like we did nothing against Chelsea and for this reason it is important for us to beat them and after continue to go."

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Wenger refuses to change for Bale - betting tips uk

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says that his side will not make any special plans to try and stop Spurs' Gareth Bale on Today White Hart Lane showdown.

The flying Welsh winger has scored eight times in his last six club outings, but Wenger refuses to alter his preparations specifically to try and counter the threat of Bale.

The Frenchman said: "We don't plan for anybody. It is always the same - focus on our strengths and forget about your opponent.

"There is nobody special that you least like to face, all players have different qualities. What is important before a game like this is just to focus on our game and forget all the rest."

Bale is 5.00 to open the scoring on Today, while Arsenal are 3.10 to win at White Hart Lane and are 4.50 to keep a clean sheet.

Meanwhile, Wenger is looking forward to a crunch clash, with the Gunners able to move within a point of Tottenham should they secure victory.

"It is an interesting game because there is something at stake," he added.

"We are confident and we are on a good run in the Premier League. Looking at the last 12 games, we've won nine, drawn one and lost two and got 28 points out of 36, so our record is quite good."

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Kaka keen to close the gap

Xavi will miss Today game because of a hamstring injury.

Real Madrid midfielder Kaka admits that Jose Mourinho's team will be going into Today Primera Division 'Clasico' against Barcelona in a confident frame of mind.

Barcelona are 16 points clear of Real in the La Liga table and are 1.002 to win the title this season, but they recently lost 2-0 at AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash before being beaten 3-1 by Real in the Copa del Rey at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.

Real are also in danger of crashing out of the Champions League after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United at the Bernabeu last month. The second leg is scheduled to take part at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Real are 11.00 to win Today match against Barcelona 2-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo available at 4.00 to open the scoring.

Brazilian international Kaka said of Barcelona: "We are not thinking about sending them into a crisis, we're just thinking about what we need to do.

"It's always great for us to beat Barcelona. We have now shown we can beat anyone and that has made us feel very positive.

"We go into the game with a lot of confidence and we have to get three points to reduce the gap from 16 points to 13.

"Jose Mourinho hasn't told us what the team will be. It could be a great occasion for me, to show that I can still do great things for the team in important matches. It will be a great opportunity for me if I play."

Barcelona midfielder Xavi will miss the match with the hamstring injury he suffered on Tuesday.

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Toe injury causes problems for Nolan

West Ham are waiting on the results of tests on a toe injury sustained by skipper Kevin Nolan, who is set to miss the weekend trip to Stoke City due to the problem.

The 30-year-old midfielder had to be replaced shortly before half-time in Monday evening's 3-2 defeat at home to Spurs and looks likely to be sidelined for several weeks.

Hammers assistant manager Neil McDonald confirmed: "We're still waiting for the results to come back, his toe is very, very sore. He's had problems in the past with it, all season really.

"So I'd imagine he won't be available for Saturday and then we'll see how the results come back and see where he's at.

"It's probably worse than it has been with him having the kick right on it."

The Irons head to the Britannia Stadium on the back of a run of just one win in their last seven Premier League games, a slump which has seen them drop to within six points of the botom three and move to 10.00 to be relegated.

Earlier this season the Hammers and the Potters shared a 1-1 draw at Upton Park, with Joey O'Brien cancelling out a Jonathan Walters opener for City.

West Ham are 4.00 to secure a much-needed win on Saturday, with the draw 3.25, while the game is 8.00 to end goalless.

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Hearts part company with McGlynn

John McGlynn has left Hearts by mutual consent after the Edinburgh club fell to second bottom in the Scottish Premier League.

A 2-0 defeat at St Mirren on Wednesday proved to be McGlynn's last game in charge, just eight months after he took up the reins at Tynecastle.

First team coach Gary Locke and player development manager Darren Murray will be in charge of the team for the weekend's clash with Motherwell, which Hearts are 2.50 to win. A Motherwell victory can be backed at 2.75, while a draw is available at 3.30.

"The over-riding factor in this decision was the long-term well-being of Heart of Midlothian Football Club," confirmed a club spokesperson.

"When John came to the club, Hearts were embarking on a transitional phase in the club's history.

"He began that important period of change and it is now imperative we find the right man to take the transition forward."

McGlynn admits he is "gutted" to be leaving and hopes to return to football as soon as possible.

"I was very grateful to be given the chance to become the Hearts manager as it was my dream job," he told the club's official website.

"It is unfortunate that things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to and I am gutted about that.

"I don't think I could have done any more but the league table doesn't lie and I know it is a results-driven business."

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Foster in line for England recall

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster has made himself available for England selection once more, according to Baggies boss Steve Clarke.

Foster announced he would be taking a break from international football in May 2011 for family reasons but following an impressive season so far for his club, he is available for selection for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.

"He explained to me that he wanted to play for his country again and he would like to play in a major tournament, which is something I regret in my career, having not played for Scotland in a major tournament," said Clarke.

"He's at the peak of his form and he's proved he's international class in the past and, if selected, I'm sure he'll prove it again. The injury problems he had a couple of years ago are gone, by and large, and he's in great shape.

"And what better place to go and play in a major international tournament than Brazil?"

Foster, who has five England caps, would be competing with Manchester City's Joe Hart for a place between the sticks. John Ruddy of Norwich is injured, while Jack Butland could feature for the Under-21 side in the European Championship this summer.

England are 21.00 to win the 2014 World Cup, while Germany are 9.00 and defending champions Spain are 6.00.

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Clarke targets 'dream' Chelsea win

Striker Romelu Lukaku will miss the clash with parent club Chelsea.

Former Chelsea favourite Steve Clarke is hoping his West Brom side can turn the heat up on the Blues a little further by winning at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Clarke, who spent time with the Blues as both a player and coach, has led the Baggies to seventh place in the Premier League this season, with Albion back on track with wins over Liverpool and Sunderland after a mini-slump.

Now they have the task of trying to increase the temperature at the Bridge after a difficult week which saw interim boss Rafa Benitez voice his frustrations.

Albion will be without loan striker Romelu Lukaku as he cannot face his parent club, but Clarke remains optimistic, telling reporters: "The dream for me is we go to Chelsea and play as well as we can and get another three points.

"Chelsea is a big part of me, I spent 20 years there out of nearly 50 in my life. It's a good club, good players, good team, always challenging for trophies."

West Brom are 9.00 to secure a victory in West London, with the draw 5.00, while the Baggies are 9.00 to keep a clean sheet.

Blues manager Benitez, who spoke strongly after the 2-0 midweek FA Cup win at Middlesbrough, had earlier told BBC Sport that all was normal in the Chelsea camp.

He said: "The players are really happy in what we are trying to do. Sometimes you win, sometimes you cannot.

"The atmosphere in the club is really good. There are no issues in the team."

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