Football Corner

Manchester City defender David Sommeil has been ruled out for up to six weeks due to injury- but City have been boosted by the news that another defender has come through a reserve game unscaved and is likely to fill in for Sommeil. French defender Sommeil, 31, suffered a fractured cheekbone in the victory over Aston Villa on Monday after recently re-establishing himself in the side. "It is a shame because he has worked very hard to get back in the team," said City manager Stuart Pearce.

The defender I mentioned at the start of the post is Richard Dunne, 25, proved his fitness for the reserves after a knee injury. The Republic of Ireland international played 45 minutes of the draw against Liverpool on Wednesday. If Dunne comes through training without a problem he is likely to team up with Sylvain Distin at the heart of the defence against Fulham on Saturday. Trevor Sinclair also came through the first-half of the reserve outing unscathed, while Robbie Fowler, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Ben Thatcher all continued their comebacks. However, young Danish defender Mikkel Bischoff is set for another lengthy stint on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of an ankle problem, which will require a visit to a specialist.

All good news for City apart from the news about Sommeil. Alot of key players coming back into the side like Dunne, Sinclair, Fowler and Ben Thatcher adn hopefully for City's sake they will be fit enough to play on Saturday when they take on Fulham. City have been in fine form of late and they will be looking to keep that up on Saturday.