English roundup-Injury concerns for United and Arsenal

Posted Saturday, March 12, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

LONDON, March 11 - Brief news ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final matches.

* Manchester United have a lengthy injury list before hosting Arsenal on Saturday (1715 GMT), with defender Rio Ferdinand (calf) and winger Nani (leg gash) among the casualties.

Most of the injuries are in midfield with Anderson (knee), Park Ji-sung (hamstring) and Antonio Valencia (ankle) all sidelined.

“A quarter-final tie against Arsenal is always an exciting game, an opportunity to get to the semi-finals so we’ll do our best and play our best team available,” manager Alex Ferguson told a news conference on Friday.

* Arsenal travel to Old Trafford with their own injury problems and something of a goalkeeping crisis after Wojciech Szczesny was ruled out for six weeks with a finger injury to join Lukasz Fabianski on the treatment table.

Manuel Almunia, who came on as a substitute in the midweek defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League, is likely to start as the club try to sign a keeper as emergency cover.

“We have Wojciech out, in my opinion for six weeks. We have Fabianski out for the rest of the season. We need absolutely some cover in goal,” manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV online.

* Scottish midfielder Barry Ferguson is a doubt for Birmingham City’s clash against visitors Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (1245).

Ferguson broke a rib in the Blues’ League Cup final win over Arsenal but has resumed training after a pain-killing injection.

“He looked very mobile and got involved in a couple of challenges… he took (an) injection, so he has got a bit of the freeze on his side just now, which is saving him from the pain. We will decide at the last minute if he’s okay for Saturday,” manager Alex McLeish told the club’s website (www.bcfc.com).

* Bolton will be without on-loan striker Daniel Sturridge who is cup-tied having already appeared in the competition for Chelsea.

Croatian Ivan Klasnic, who has scored in his last three outings, could replace Sturridge in the starting lineup.

* Stoke City midfielder Matthew Etherington has declared himself fully fit to face former club West Ham United, who visit on Sunday (1400), after struggling with a back injury.

“My sharpness is better and now, with a full week of training behind me, hopefully I can be out there all guns blazing on Sunday afternoon and help the club get to Wembley,” he told Stoke’s website (www.stokecityfc.com)

* Reading manager Brian McDermott says his side go into their tie at Manchester City on Sunday (1645) full of confidence after beating Everton in the previous round.

Championship (second division) Reading are the only non-Premier League side left in the competition.

“We want to go there and do everything in our power to make sure the fans have a really good day and we’ll try to get a result,” McDermott told the club’s website (www.readingfc.co.uk)