Premiership: Ferdinand could return to face Gunners

Rio Ferdinand is poised to make a rapid return from injury for Sunday's Elland Road clash with Arsenal.

the Leeds skipper tweaked ankle ligaments in the shock FA Cup defeat at Cardiff a fortnight ago and was expected to be out for three weeks, but returned to training a few days ago and could figure against the Gunners.

Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane are also back in light training, but David O'Leary is not expecting them to return to the first-team fold until the game with Chelsea on January 30 at the earliest.

Alan Smith, meanwhile, starts a five-match suspension after failing to win his appeal into his sending-off at Cardiff.

Robbie Fowler is available after missing the game at St James' Park following the death of his father-in-law in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Richard Wright has been handed a route back into the Arsenal side after Stuart Taylor fractured his finger in training.

Ashley Cole, Ray Parlour and Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be available after suspension.

Kanu and Lauren are on international duty at the African Nations Cup, while Francis Jeffers has aggravated an ankle injury.

But Robert Pires is expected to start despite having missed training with a calf strain earlier this week.

Leeds (from): Martyn, Mills, Kelly, Ferdinand, Woodgate, Duberry, Matteo, Harte, Bowyer, Batty, McPhail, Wilcox, Viduka, Fowler, McMaster, Richardson, Singh, Robinson.

Arsenal (from): Wright, Stack, Dixon, Luzhny, Cole, Grimandi, Campbell, Keown, Upson, van Bronckhorst, Parlour, Vieira, Ljungberg, Pires, Edu, Henry, Bergkamp, Wiltord, Alladiere.