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Houllier confirms striker absence

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Aston Villa have confirmed that striker Gabriel Agbonlahor will miss the weekend’s game with Spurs (20/21 to win the clash) as he goes under the knife for a groin operation.

The 23-year-old Birmingham-born forward is set to have a minor operation on Monday after boss Gerard Houllier stated he had to leave training on Friday as the problem was “too painful” for him to continue or be considered for the game at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Villa (13/5 to win the game, draw 12/5) have had an up-and-down start to their season and the recent appointment of Houllier seems to have given them more consistency than they had under caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald.

Similarly, England striker Agbonlahor has had a frustrating opening to his campaign.A calf problem ruled him out of the opening three weeks of the Premier League season and he has yet to score this campaign.

The latest injury setback will be a huge blow to the pacey star, but the Villa backroom staff are hoping he can return to the first team for their clash with Chelsea on October 16. If this fails to happen they remain confident he will be back to face Sunderland a week later.

Agbonlahor, who has three caps for his country, will also miss England’s Euro 2012 qualifier (England 9/1 to win tournament) against Montenegro on October 12. Despite his poor form this season he may have been considered by Fabio Capello due to injuries to Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora.

Villa manager Houllier confirmed: “Gabby will have a minor operation on Monday evening on his groin.

“I think the England squad is given on Monday and that has definitely ruled him out. He wouldn’t be able to play.

“It is not just a niggle, it is real pain and hopefully the operation will heal that.”

He added: “He could be available for the Chelsea game but, if not, definitely for the Sunderland game.”

The loss of Agbonlahor will be a blow to Houllier but he is able to welcome back Norwegian striker John Carew into the squad after the giant forward recovered from a back injury.

Irish defender Richard Dunne is also back in contention after a knee problem as Villa (11/1 to finish in the Premier League top four) look to get their first successive victories in the league since April of this year.

The experienced centre-back said earlier this week he would have “no complaints” if he were named on the bench at Spurs, as he was impressed by the “brilliant” partnership of James Collins and Carlos Cuellar in Villa’s win over Midlands rivals Wolves last weekend.

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Hodgson confirms Masch wants out

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed Argentina international Javier Mascherano is keen to leave Anfield, but insists striker Fernando Torres is happy to stay (Liverpool 7/4 Premier League top four finish).

The tough-tackling midfielder has been linked with a summer move away from Liverpool for some time and now Hodgson has revealed the player has expressed his desire to move on.

“Yes he wants to leave the club. He’s made that perfectly clear,” said Hodgson.

“I think he wanted to leave a year ago. He wants to leave now as well.”

Italian giants and European champions Inter Milan have been linked with a swoop for the 26-year-old, where he would link up with former boss Rafael Benitez.

However, despite Mascherano’s desire to leave Anfield, Hodgson refused to rule out the possibility that the Argentinean will stay and is adamant the club will make the final decision.

He added: “The mere fact that the player is a little bit unhappy with his situation and will prefer to leave doesn’t necessarily mean he will leave.

“Yes, it disappoints me, but it’s not unusual. I think in every football club through the Premier League and all throughout the world there will be players playing in a team that would prefer to leave.

“Some are allowed to, some are not allowed to. So that’s the situation with Mascherano.”

Mascherano still has two years left on his current contract at Anfield and Liverpool will not allow the midfielder to leave on the cheap.

There has also been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of striker Fernando Torres.  The former Atletico Madrid man is a known target of Manchester City, with boss Roberto Mancini confirming his interest earlier in the week, and it is thought current champions Chelsea are also chasing the Spanish star.

Hodgson is desperate to retain the services of the talented striker and the former Fulham boss believes Torres is happy to remain a Liverpool player (Liverpool 12/1 to win the Premier League).

“He’s spending a lot of time with his family. As far as I know he’s keeping a very low profile and not really speaking to anybody. But he has told us that he’s looking forward to Monday and getting back to work,” said Hodgson on Torres.

“He’s looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That’s what I know and I would suggest that any other reports are erroneous.”

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Mancini confirms Torres interest

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Roberto Mancini could flex his club’s considerable muscle in the transfer market at the end the season by bringing in marquee signings – including Fernando Torres of Liverpool – in his efforts to transform Manchester City into title contenders (11/8 Man City – Top 4 Finish).

The Eastlands boss went public on Thursday with his admiration for Spain striker Torres and described him as belonging to the top bracket of the world’s best footballers.

The Italian said his capture would put City firmly in a position to challenge for the game’s big honours.

However, he did admit failure to qualify for the Champions League this season could affect the club’s chances of pulling off an audacious swoop for the 26-year-old.

“We are a top team and I think all the top teams are interested in Torres but sometimes it depends on the player because they want to play in the Champions League,” he said. “If we don’t get into the fourth position I think it will be difficult.”

City remain in the hunt for the coveted fourth spot but face another big test of their credentials when they travel to take on title-outsiders Arsenal (10/11 Arsenal 12/5 draw 11/4 Man City – match betting) at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Mancini believes bringing in a player of Torres’ undisputed ability would give his club the lift it needs to move up to the next level.

He added: “For me, he is with Carlos [Tevez], [Wayne] Rooney, [Lionel] Messi, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Cristiano] Ronaldo as the best in Europe. Fernando is a fantastic striker; all the teams in Europe would like him.”

City are one of the few clubs – possibly the only club – in world football who could afford a move in excess of £50m and Mancini believes a summer of possible upheaval at Anfield could work in his favour.

The Merseysiders were recently put up for sale and uncertainty surrounds the future of manager Rafael Benitez off the back of a disappointing season in which winning the Europa League is his only chance of silverware.

The Spaniard was understandably defensive when asked about the prospect of Torres leaving after his side’s 1-0 semi-final first-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

“We’ve said repeatedly that Fernando is not for sale and he still has three years of his contract remaining. So how can they sign a player who does not wish to leave?” he said.

Mancini is unlikely to be put off by Benitez and is adamant in his view that City must recruit a recognised world-class signing to shake up the stranglehold enjoyed by Chelsea and Manchester United at the summit of English football.

He added: “If we want to win the Premier League ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United we must sign some important players. All the top players want to play in the Champions League. But next season I want to win the Premier League; this is my desire even ahead of the Champions League, and I want players to understand that.”

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