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Rafael Benitez held his news conference today and was asked about Gareth Bale, who limped out of Real's 4-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.

Benitez expects Bale to be out for two to three weeks with a calf injury.

“It is a little injury, it is not serious and our experience makes us optimistic because he recovered well last time."

Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is calling on his team mates to stand up and be counted - starting tomorrow...

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Simon Bradley: Which Premier League clubs do you think will be relegated this season?

Well, I did my Premier League predictions and went for Watford, Norwich City and Leicester City. Not looking too clever now is it? But I have to stand by those for good and bad.

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If you asked me if I would worry about clubs I didn't originally predict for the drop, I would put Sunderland right in that category. Still have a feeling Bournemouth will improve but they need more threat and the long-term injury to Max Gradel was a cruel blow.

Don't ask me about Newcastle... I gave up on predictions there a very long time ago.

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Eddie Howewas asked about Sunderland strikerJermain Defoeand defenderJohn O'Shea,who both had loan spells at the club during his time as a Bournemouth player.

"He is the best finisher of a ball I've ever seen," he said of Defoe. "We will have to keep him quiet."

And of O'Shea, he added: "I could immediately see how good John was. Playing alongside him was a great experience and something that helped me learn as well."

No panic from Mark Hughes, despiteStokebeing in the bottom three.....

Hughes is also full of praise for Leicester and their manager Claudio Ranieri - but not the Italian's idea to buy pizza for his players...

And finally Steve McClaren, some news on his injury list..

Sounds like Mark Hughes has plenty of options to call upon for their game with Leicester at the Britannia Stadium...

Eddie Howe on Sunderland:  "They were unlucky to lose to Tottenham last week. They have a number of good players and a strong manager. They will pose a big threat.

"We are under no illusions that these games are huge for us. They could set a platform for the rest our season. We know that." 

Stoke boss Mark Hughes has begun talking to the media ahead of their game with Leicester.

The Potters have taken just two points from their opening five games.

More from Newcastle manager Steve McClaren...

Newcastle manager Steve McClaren has been holding his news conference and reacting to the defeat to Monday's West Ham which left his side bottom of the table.

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Eddie Howe has arrived and starts by talking about how his players have reacted to defeat at Norwich last weekend...

"They've come back well - the players always do," he said. "Confidence can be a fragile thing and our players have very good mental strength and character. They'll come out fighting on Saturday."

Saints boss Ronald Koeman has been speaking ahead of their match with Manchester United on Sunday, but also faced questions about his own future.

Koeman was also asked about two former Southampton players now at Manchester United - Luke Shaw and Morgan Schneiderlin...

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman says there is "no issue" between himself and Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, so he will offer him a glass of wine after Sunday's game.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Jed Shaw: What do you feel Liverpool need to do to try to make the top four? What areas and specific players need to play, and do you think Brendan Rodgers should be sacked?

Let me answer your last question first, Jed. No, I don't think Brendan Rodgers should be sacked. Liverpool are only five league games into the season and the owners FSG invested heavily in him in the summer.

Having said that (here we go), Brendan will know as well as anyone that he needs to have Liverpool looking at least like they can be top- four contenders and no-one would expect FSG to oversee a long run of poor results without acting.

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I think central defence remains a serious problem and I am unconvinced by the partnership of Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren - £20m was an utterly ridiculous amount of money to spend on him.

Phillipe Coutinho is the player who makes Liverpool tick and they need him on top form, while Rodgers will have to work out how to make a partnership between Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge when the latter is finally fit.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

Tony Pulis is delighted to have been able to focus on his team for a full week for the first time this season, with no distractions from transfer windows, unsettled strikers or international breaks.  

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He is encouraged by the arrival of Jonny Evans, who he says has quickly fitted into the squad, but the main focus for Albion fans will surely be on the other end of the team, where they have all too rarely looked like scoring so far this season.  

An intriguing derby lies ahead against an Aston Villa team with the opposite problem.