Professionalism of England squad to be tested

By Vic Mills

LONDON (JP): The professionalism of the England squad players will be tested on the weekend as they return to Premiership duty after the euphoria of World Cup qualification in Rome last Saturday.

The delight of managers at the success of their international players will have been tempered by the need to stress that club loyalty must now come to the force as they refocus on the domestic scene.

A situation unlikely to be lost on the Liverpool players as it makes the short cross-town journey to Goodison Park to Merseyside derby against Everton.

The Anfield club start favorites after the recent 4-2 demolition of Chelsea. Spirits have been further boosted by the return to fitness of Mark Wright, Jamie Redknapp, Neil Ruddock, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Dominic Matteo and Steve Harkness.

With virtually a full-strength squad from which to select, the pressure is now on manager Roy Evans to take Liverpool back into contention.

The stresses and strains of management are no less intense on Howard Kendall with Everton currently languishing third from bottom. It will be a highly charged atmosphere, one including Duncan Ferguson after a four-game lay-off with a calf injury.

SCTV will broadcast the match between Liverpool and Everton today at 9 p.m. Western Indonesian Time.

Not yet able to walk on water, Premiership leader Arsenal will use one of the many bridges across the Thames for its short journey to Crystal Palace today. The meeting promises to be a fiery affair with Palace top of the Foul Play League with 25 yellow cards and Arsenal third with 18.

With Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp at their predatory best, Arsenal should dominate what passages of play are allowed to develop. French midfielder, Emmanuel Petit, will be missing from the Gunners lineup after injuring an ankle during France's weekend game against South Africa, while Palace welcome back Bruce Dyer after injury.

The most attractive fixture of the weekend takes second place Manchester United to Pride Park for a meeting with sixth place Derby County. Unbeaten at home, Derby will look to stretch United with a pace and elusive running of forwards Stefano Eranio, Francesco Baiano and Paulo Wanchope.

With Roy Keane out for the season and facing a cruciate ligament operation, manager Alex Ferguson has nominated Nicky Butt to fill his role. This apart, United has few selection worries with David May, Jordi Cruyff and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all having recovered from injuries.

Asprilla

The break for World Cup duty has had little effect on Newcastle United's long-term injury problem. Faustina Asprilla looks set to be out for another four weeks, while Alan Shearer will talk only for a return in January or February.

In their absence, Newcastle's attack at Leeds today will rest with Ian Rush and Jon Dahl Tomasson. Manager Kenny Daglish will hope that Keith Gillespie's groin problem has recovered sufficiently to enable him to play.

The feeling among the Leeds camp is that even a fit Shearer would have had difficulty scoring against them. And with just eight goals conceded in 10 games, the signs are that manager George Graham has built another formidable defensive unit.

If the Elland Road forwards were as efficient as their defenders, then a top five place would not be beyond them. Unfortunately, the partnership of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Rod Wallace is still in its infancy. A situation not helped by the loss of winner Lee Sharpe for the rest of the season following knee surgery.

Since their early table-topping exploits, third place Blackburn Rovers have been a disappointment. The possible return of light winger Stuart Ripley should encourage Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher to rediscover their goal touch against a suspect Southampton defense.

Back to full-strength with the return of Robbie Slater, Matthew Le Tissier and Egil Ostendstad, the south coast club will look to reproduce the form that brought a comprehensive win over West Ham United a fortnight ago.

Chelsea is another side to have faltered recently after a promising start. Lack of discipline has been a key factor with the talented but temperamental Stamford Bridge side having collected three red and 19 yellow cards already this season.

On the fitness front, the shock disclosure that Gustavo Poyet is out for the season after damaging a cruciate ligament has been offset by the news of Eddie Newton's successful run out in the reserves and the likelihood that Michael Duberry will be fit for the visit of Leicester City today.

One place and two points ahead of Chelsea, Leicester will look to back its work rate and commitment against the skill and subtlety of its opponents.

The visit of Bolton Wanderers to West Ham United brings a swift return to London for Dean Holdsworth. The pairing of the ex-Wimbledon center forward with the ageless Peter Beardsley suggests a difficult afternoon for the home defense.

A defense that has seen the lofty ambition of August replaced by a sudden dose of October realism, the Eastenders should take the points, but much will depend on the form and finishing of John Hartson and Eyal Berkovic.

Elsewhere, Wimbledon will do well to share the points at Aston Villa; tomorrow's match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday has all the makings of a bright and breezy draw; while Barnsley will be spared a hostile weekend press as its seeks a point or better in the Monday night game at Oakwell against Coventry City.