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Match Preview - Aston Villa v Fulham 23.10.04
last updated Friday 22nd October 2004, 3:36 PM
Fulham manager Chris Coleman has welcomed the return of Andy Cole and believes the former England striker is just the tonic his struggling side needs.
Cole has completed his four-match suspension - reduced on appeal from the original six-game ban - after being shown a red card against West Brom five weeks ago.
He will almost certainly start up front against Aston Villa as Fulham are in desperate need of points following a disastrous start to the season which has left them fifth from bottom in the Barclays Premiership table.
Cole is Fulham's lead scorer with four goals from six appearances and his finishing skills - and appetite for the game - have been sorely missed.
"It's very important to have Andy back. He may be lacking a little bit of fitness, I don't know, but he's been training well this week," said Coleman.
"He's desperate to play and we need people like that at the moment. It's a big game for us on Saturday and the fact Andy's back is a big plus for us.
"We've missed him. The guys who have replaced him have done well but it's nice to know you have a player of his calibre available for selection."
Cole's return will give Fulham a big lift ahead of tomorrow's clash at Villa Park and there is more good news in the shape of Claus Jensen and Steed Malbranque's availability to play in the same team for the first time.
Jensen - a £1.25million summer signing from Charlton - has been plagued by back and calf injuries since early September while Malbranque has only featured in the last four matches following his battle against a groin problem.
Both players are attacking midfielders but operate in different ways and Coleman is relishing the chance to see them working in tandem.
"We've not had Claus on the pitch at the same time as Steed. They're two very intelligent football players. They interchange passes in training and some of the things they do take your breath away," he said.
"They're both on the same wavelength in their attacking attitude but have different styles. Steed is more of a dribbler who can take players on while Claus can see a last pass.
"They are two good players and in the right formation they could work very well together for us."
How much of a free rein Coleman decides to give the duo at Villa Park remains to be seen, however, given that the Fulham boss reckons his opposite number David O'Leary will have targeted victory from tomorrow's encounter.
"I expect Villa will be thinking we'll provide them with three points. They will have looked at our away form which is not good," he said.
"They'll be coming off the back of a walloping by Arsenal - it was only 3-1 but their keeper was superb. They'll be pleased to have scored a goal at Highbury and will be expecting to beat us.
"The onus will be on them to take the game to us and it's up to us to answer their questions and maybe ask a few of our own."
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 Aston Villa manager David O'Leary is confident on-loan Chelsea striker Carlton Cole will be remain with the West Midlands club for the whole of the campaign.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been reported to want to take Cole back to Stamford Bridge on January 1 and there is a clause which allows the loan to be cut short.
But O'Leary is adamant the Blues have made no contact with Villa about taking Cole back in the New Year.
Cole was farmed out to Villa to gain Premiership experience and he has impressed O'Leary and also on England Under-21 duty, scoring in the Euro qualifiers with Austria and Poland.
O'Leary said: "I've heard nothing whatsoever from Chelsea and I am not worried. I'm just getting on with it.
"If you worried about speculation, you'd be dead in this job. You'd be answering every Tom, Dick and Harry story.
"I haven't got a clue what Chelsea will do. He is their player but we have him here - and I think he will be here until the end of the season. I definitely do."
Cole is expected to be fit for Saturday's home Premiership clash with Fulham after suffering an ankle knock at Arsenal last weekend.
Meanwhile, O'Leary has hinted Thomas Sorensen will return despite the impressive display by Stefan Postma in the 3-1 defeat at Highbury.
Sorensen, who has been hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership by O'Leary, is back in training after a back injury which forced him to miss his first game for 14 months.
O'Leary said: "There's a decision to make but let's look at Sorensen over quite a period of time, and what's he's done, and Postma who has had one game and done really well in it."
Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is facing being sidelined until Christmas after a second scan revealed serious knee damage.
The former England Under-21 captain had been optimistic of being able to return for the Premiership game at Everton on October 30 after suffering the setback via a tackle by Lauren against Arsenal last weekend.
But the news was worse than Barry had anticipated when he went back to the specialist on Thursday and now he is expecting to be sidelined for a minimum of six to eight weeks.
Villa manager David O'Leary is now down to the bare bones in midfield and youngster Peter Whittingham is now set to be given an extended run in Barry's role on the left flank.
O'Leary said: "The injury is worse than we first thought. I don't think it's ligament damage but something to do with tissue and it is looking more of a long term job than we first anticipated.
"You are probably talking about a six to eight week job before he can play again and so you are looking really at around Christmas time.
"It is a blow for us and Peter Whittingham will now get an opportunity. He came into the side in the first half of last season but then faded towards the end. We are hoping he will come and play now like he did when he first came into the side."
Barry has not produced his best form this season by his own admission but he is still an important member of one of the smallest squads in the Premiership.
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Source Sporting Life
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