Aaron Ramsey to renew acquaintance with Stoke's Ryan Shawcross

Posted Friday, May 06, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Arsenal midfielder will deputise for injured Cesc Fábregas
• Ramsey suffered double leg fracture at Stoke last year

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey celebrates his winning goal against Manchester United on Sunday.

Aaron Ramsey is in line to start at the scene of his worst nightmare, as Cesc Fábregas, the Arsenal captain, is not expected to be fit for Sunday's Premier League visit to Stoke City.

Arsène Wenger has been assured by the medical department that Thomas Vermaelen is ready to enjoy his first action at club level since 28 August, following his well-documented achilles problem. His comeback prospects will increase if Johan Djourou fails a fitness test on an ankle.

But it is Ramsey's return to the Britannia Stadium to face Ryan Shawcross that will provide the afternoon's principal sub-plot. The 20-year-old midfielder suffered a horrific double leg fracture in a challenge with Shawcross, the Stoke captain, on 27 February last year that ruled him out for nine months.

The subject is an emotive one and it has served to shape relations between the clubs, with Arsenal believing Shawcross's tackle was reckless and emblematic of what they perceive to be Stoke's overly physical approach. Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has likened their tactics to those of a rugby team.

Unsurprisingly, his Stoke counterpart, Tony Pulis, has taken issue with this and has always said Shawcross's challenge on Ramsey was an honest attempt to win the ball and that he was beaten only by the Welshman's nimbleness.

Ramsey made his comeback on 29 November, while on loan at Nottingham Forest, and he stepped up his rehabilitation during a second loan spell in the Championship, at his former club Cardiff City, in January and February. Since his return to Arsenal, he has made five appearances, two of them as a starter in the Premier League. On the second of them he scored the only goal of Sunday's game against Manchester United.

If the result kept alive Arsenal's mathematical chances of an unlikely league triumph, it was notable for Ramsey's assured performance alongside Jack Wilshere in front of Alex Song, in a tweaked midfield formation.

Ramsey started after Fábregas had taken a kick to the thigh in the final training session on Saturday and he has not practised fully since. He is rated as a major doubt for Stoke and he has targeted next Sunday's home game against Aston Villa.

It will be the first time Ramsey has played against Shawcross and Stoke since the fateful game but not the first time that the defender has played against Arsenal. He was barracked by the Emirates crowd during his team's 1-0 defeat on 23 February.

"I got booed and abused when I went there and it didn't really affect my game," Shawcross said. "If anything, it spurred me on to play better. I'm sure I'll get more of the same this time but I'll be able to deal with it. Our fans and players love putting one over on Arsenal. There's a bit of rivalry there because of past games and the fans will be as loud as they always are when Arsenal come to the Britannia."

Djourou turned his ankle against United and was forced off in the second half but Vermaelen could be the beneficiary. The Belgium centre-half, who has trained fully in the last couple of weeks, came through 90 minutes of the reserve-team fixture against United last week. He was injured on international duty last September.

Abou Diaby, the midfielder, continues to struggle with the calf problem that he suffered at Tottenham Hotspur on 20 April.