Premier League Injuries: Roo-knee woe hits Man United

Vurnon Anita, Wayne Rooney and Andreas Weimann will be big misses for their clubs in their last fixtures of 2012...

 

Wayne Rooney - Man United v West Brom (Saturday, 15:00)

Sir Alex Ferguson may have labelled his side's dramatic Boxing Day win over Newcastle as a "championship performance", but the fiery Scotsman not only had to  orchestrate United's multiple comebacks, he also had to cope without star man Wayne Rooney. It has been confirmed that Rooney has damaged a knee ligament in training  and will now miss the remainder of the festive programme, and potentially up to three weeks of action. Although United are blessed with a high pedigree of backup striking  options - such as Boxing Day match winner Javier Hernandez - this is undoubtedly a bitter blow as Rooney was in his best form of the season; notching five goals in his last  four Premier League starts. Luckily, Robin van Persie shows no sign of slowing up, striking in five of his last six games.

Recommended Bet: Back Robin van Persie to score first @ 4.2

 

Andreas Weimann - Aston Villa v Wigan (Saturday, 15:00)

Aston Villa's swashbuckling win at Anfield just two weeks back has quickly been pounded into insignificance following two crushing defeats in succession. The youthful  exuberance which served them so well at Liverpool has seemingly given way to a defensive naivety, as a Gareth Bale-inspired Tottenham added insult to the injury inflicted  by an 8-0 thrashing at Chelsea with a 4-0 thumping in front of the Villa faithful. Not helping Paul Lambert's cause in the slightest is a string of injuries to key players, with  Andreas Weimann (calf) joining the likes of Ron Vlaar, Nathan Baker, Gabby Agbonlahor, Darren Bent and Charles N'Zogbia.  A major part of Villa's pre-Chelsea resurgence  was attributed to the burgeoning partnership between Weimann and Christian Benteke. However, with Wigan arriving on Saturday, the big Belgian looks to be Lambert's only  real option in attack.

Recommended Bet: Lay Aston Villa to score two or more goals @ 2.5

 

Vurnon Anita - Arsenal v Newcastle (Saturday, 17:30, ESPN)

Newcastle were just a post's width away from taking the lead for the fourth time and, possibly all the points from Old Trafford on Boxing Day until they were finally broken by  the relentless leaders. If such a dispiriting loss is bad enough, injuries to key players during a cluttered festive timetable add an extra taste of bitterness in the mouth. It has  been well documented that the Magpies' struggles are largely down to a host of absentees, so the sight of Antonio Valencia's unnecessary lunge on Vurnon Anita will have  surely infuriated Alan Pardew. Anita has been a constant in the starting line-up since November and formed a great midfield partnership with James Perch against  Manchester United. Now the Dutchman is a major doubt to face an in-form Arsenal side who are fully rested after receiving a Boxing Day break.

Recommended Bet: Back Arsenal to score in both halves @ 2.3

 

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