Arsenal appeal Vermaelen suspension, Van Persie to return

Arsenal have appealed against Thomas Vermaelen's red card against West Ham on Saturday.
Vermaelen was sent off and conceded a penalty as Guillermo Franco went through on goal at the end of the first half during Arsenal's 2-0 victory, and the Gunners believe referee Martin Atkinson made an incorrect decision.

In a statement, the FA said: "The FA has received a claim for wrongful dismissal from Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen. "Vermaelen was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity during Arsenal's match against West Ham United on Saturday 20 March. "A Regulatory Commission will hear the claim on Tuesday 23 March."

Meanwhile, Robin van Persie is set to step up his comeback from injury as he returns from the Netherlands this week.

Van Persie has not played since November after suffering ankle ligament damage and Arsene Wenger hopes he will be available for selection for the final weeks of the season.

"I think he will be back [with the club] this week," he said on the club's official website. "We sent our fitness coach out to Holland, where Robin has been having his rehabilitation. Physically he looks very sharp but we aim at least to wait a month."

Speaking to Studio Voetbal, Van Persie said: "I am medically fit, but physically I have to gain. Only then can I train with the full group. I'm not there yet but I've left a difficult period behind.

"For a few weeks I've been training with the ball and it looks good. I still hope I can take part in the final phase of the league and hopefully the Champions League. This has been my goal from the beginning.

"My first goal is to play for Arsenal. When I said that a few months ago, I looked crazy, but, as it stands now, that will happen. Only then can I think about the World Cup."
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Ivanovic knee injury blow, Cech returns

Chelsea have been dealt another defensive injury blow with the news that Branislav Ivanovic will be out for at least a month, after tearing his medial knee ligaments against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.
Ivanovic suffered the injury after colliding with Rovers' goalscorer El-Hadji Diouf during the 1-1- draw at Ewood Park, and he will join left-back Ashley Cole and first-choice right-back Jose Bosingwa on the sidelines.

Bosingwa will miss the World Cup finals after undergoing knee surgery, while Cole faces a race against time to return from a broken ankle before the end of the season. Brazilian right-back Juliano Belletti has also struggled with injury problems, while more positive news for Chelsea is the impending return of both Ricardo Carvalho and goalkeeper Petr Cech.

The absence of Bosingwa has allowed Ivanovic to cement his status as a regular starter for Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Belletti and Paulo Ferreria, with the latter now the most likely to slot in after a spell covering at left-back.

Yuri Zirkhov, who came on for Ivanovic during the draw with Sam Allardyce's side, will now likely occupy the left-back berth for the visit to Portsmouth on Wednesday, a game which Chelsea will be desperate to win to put their title dreams back on track.

Before the results of the scan, Ancelotti had expressed his dismay at the news, saying: "It is a traumatic injury on his knee, so for this we have to wait until the next day for a clear situation of his injury. When you speak about a knee you have to be worried but I hope he can recover quickly."

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Petr Cech will return from injury against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday. The Czech has been sidelined with a calf injury sustained against Inter Milan in the Champions League last month.
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