Sunday's matches

David Luiz and Gary Cahill have failed to recover from hamstring injuries in time to face Blackburn. The centre-backs remain in a race against time to be fit for next Saturday's Champions League final, with caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo continuing to assess them on a daily basis.

Midfielder John Obi Mikel is unlikely to be risked on Sunday as he recovers from a knee injury, with Di Matteo confirming he would blood some of the Blues' youngsters against Rovers.

Defender Bradley Orr will miss out for already-relegated Blackburn. Orr is ruled out after having surgery on his Achilles tendon, while goalkeeper Paul Robinson is rated by boss Steve Kean as "touch and go" due to an ankle injury and midfielder David Dunn is a doubt as well after limping off in the first half of Monday's loss to Wigan.

Defender Gael Givet also had to be substituted in that match and the club have been unwilling to confirm the nature of the problem, but Kean says that a specialist has given the all-clear for the Frenchman to play against the Blues.

Everton could welcome back Leighton Baines, Phil Neville and Darron Gibson. Left-back Baines has been out for a month with a groin injury while utility man Neville and midfielder Gibson missed last week's draw at Wolves with unspecified knocks. Midfielder Jack Rodwell (hamstring) and forward Victor Anichebe (groin) are both missing.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will once again be without Danny Simpson. The full-back will miss out with the ankle problem which has sidelined him for the last two games, while striker Leon Best will also not travel because of a thigh strain.

Midfielder Sammy Ameobi (knee) is stepping up his training and only central defender Steven Taylor (Achilles) is still on the long-term injury list.

Manchester City have no injury concerns. Manager Roberto Mancini has suggested retaining the same system that finished last week's vital win over Newcastle, when midfielder Nigel de Jong came on to allow Yaya Toure to advance.

Controversial striker Mario Balotelli, who has not played since his sending off at Arsenal last month, is in contention after being overlooked at Newcastle.

Samba Diakite will miss QPR's vital clash and could be joined by several of his midfield team-mates for Sunday's game.

The January signing from Nancy is struggling with a virus and could be joined on the sidelines by Shaun Derry (dead leg) and Akos Buzsaky (hamstring), who are both rated doubtful for the Etihad Stadium encounter.

Fellow central midfielder Alejandro Faurlin is also out due to a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury, leaving manager Mark Hughes with some tough decisions to make.

Norwich left-back Adam Drury (groin) remains a doubt, while striker James Vaughan is pressing for a recall having been left out of last weekend's 3-3 draw at Arsenal.

Defenders Zak Whitbread (hamstring), Marc Tierney (groin) and Daniel Ayala (knee) are all ruled out.

Aston Villa will be without striker Andreas Weimann and defender Alan Hutton. Weimann suffered a medial ligament strain in the home draw against Tottenham while Hutton ruptured ankle ligaments in the same game, an injury which saw Danny Rose sent off for his challenge on the full-back. Villa are without Darren Bent (ankle) and will check on the fitness of Emile Heskey (ankle) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (ribs).

Stoke are waiting on the fitness of left-back Marc Wilson. Wilson had a scan today on his back after being forced off with the problem at half-time during last weekend's loss to QPR, and boss Tony Pulis will give him until the day of the game to prove his fitness.

Defender Andy Wilkinson (groin) and winger Jermaine Pennant (hamstring) are expected to be fit while Dane Thomas Sorensen will keep his place in goal as he builds up to next month's Euro 2012 tournament.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle will assess the condition of a number of players ahead of his relegation-threatened side's must-win game. Coyle is hopeful Nigel Reo-Coker (leg) and Mark Davies (virus) will be available despite the pair missing some training sessions recently and fellow midfielder Darren Pratley (virus) could be in line for his comeback having managed to do some light work at Wanderers' Euxton complex.

Winger Lee Chung-Yong, who broke his leg last summer, made a surprise return to action as a substitute in last weekend's 2-2 draw with West Brom and will once again be in the squad, but full-back Gretar Steinsson remains sidelined with a thigh problem, while centre-half David Wheater has joined the long-term casualty list after sustaining cruciate ligament damage in his right knee in the match against the Baggies.

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill has no fresh major injury concerns. Indeed, even former defender Wes Brown has returned to training following a lengthy lay-off with a knee problem dating back to the end of January, although the game is likely to come too soon for him.

Centre-half Titus Bramble (Achilles) is likely to be included in the squad once again after making the bench at Fulham last week, but full-back Kieran Richardson and midfielder Sebastian Larsson (both hernia surgery) will miss out.

Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck will both miss out for Manchester United. Smalling (groin) is set for a summer operation that will rule him out of Euro 2012, whilst Welbeck (ankle) has not recovered from the injury that he sustained during last month's Manchester derby.

It means Phil Jones should start alongside Rio Ferdinand in central defence as United look for the win that would allow them to retain the title if Manchester City fail to beat QPR.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has no fresh injury concerns. Full-back Angel Rangel returned from a hamstring problem at Manchester United, while midfielder Leon Britton shook off a knee niggle to feature as a second-half substitute at Old Trafford. Kemy Agustien (ankle) and Ferrie Bodde (knee) remain sidelined with their long-term injuries.

Manager Kenny Dalglish may decide to freshen up his team. Captain Steven Gerrard missed Tuesday's win over Chelsea with a minor back problem and may not be risked again while left-back Jose Enrique also sat out that game.

Teenager Raheem Sterling is likely to get another run-out from the bench having made back-to-back league appearances as a substitute.

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker is a doubt due to an Achilles injury. Danny Rose is suspended after his red card against Aston Villa last week and Benoit Assou-Ekotto is out with a shoulder injury, meaning William Gallas could have to play at left-back Ledley King could miss out with his knee problem.

Long-term absentees Niko Kranjcar (knee), Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Michael Dawson (ankle) are unavailable.

Fulham will be without Clint Dempsey. The American is struggling with a groin injury while Fulham manager Martin Jol is also without Bryan Ruiz (foot), Dickson Etuhu (knee) and Steve Sidwell (hernia) on his first return to White Hart Lane. Alex Kacaniklic is also a doubt after dropping out of training today with a hamstring problem.

West Brom skipper Chris Brunt is unavailable for new England manager Roy Hodgson's final match in charge after having his tonsils removed.

Fellow midfielder Paul Scharner is poised to make his final Albion appearance, with his contract running out this summer and the Austria international not expecting it to be renewed.

Striker Peter Odemwingie (leg) and winger Jerome Thomas (illness) are doubtful to face the Gunners as West Brom look for the victory which would bolster their chances of a top-ten finish.

Arsenal could have winger Theo Walcott back from a hamstring injury, but full-back Bacary Sagna has undergone an operation on his broken leg and will miss France's European Championship campaign.

German centre-back Per Mertesacker is making good progress with his ankle injury. Midfielders Abou Diaby (calf), Mikel Arteta (ankle) and Jack Wilshere (ankle) are also out.

David Jones is Wigan's only fitness concern ahead of their clash with his former club Wolves. Latics boss Roberto Martinez says Jones has "a couple of niggles" that need remedying, meaning the midfielder is unlikely to feature.

Otherwise, Martinez has a full squad to select from for the visit of rock-bottom and already-relegated Wanderers.

Wolves interim boss Terry Connor will assess the fitness of centre-back Christophe Berra and winger Michael Kightly. Berra and Kightly had to be substituted with calf and groin strains respectively during the second half of the goalless draw with Everton last weekend.

Connor is also monitoring defender Sebastien Bassong (hamstring), right-back Kevin Foley (hamstring), winger Matt Jarvis (groin) and midfielder David Davis (head) - who were all ruled out of the Toffees encounter - ahead of the final game of the season.