Premier League Injuries: Newcastle leaky without Taylor

Steven Taylor will be out until around the end of January

Bryan Ruiz, Steven Taylor and Ron Vlaar will all be big misses for their clubs this weekend...

Bryan Ruiz - Fulham v Tottenham (Saturday, 15:00)
Like many overseas players, Fulham's Costa Rican forward took a little time to settle in the Premier League after his 2011 summer arrival. The sheer speed of the English game combined with the upsurge in physicality from the Eredivisie seemed to overawe the former Twente player, who showed flashes but often got caught on the ball. However, a year on and the transformation has been stark. Ruiz has turned those flashes into really consistent performances, or at least had done until he hobbled off against Sunderland. Before then, he was starting to assert himself as the pivot from which Fulham's attacking play was mounted, culminating in the west Londoners briefly becoming the second highest scorers in the top flight. It's no surprise that without Ruiz's creativity, the two ensuing matches have returned a blank.
Recommended Bet:  Back Tottenham to win at Fulham @ 2.526/4

Ron Vlaar - QPR v Aston Villa (Saturday, 15:00)
Another player who was plying his trade in the Netherlands until very recently is Aston Villa's Dutch centre back, who hobbled off in the 0-0 draw with Arsenal. It's unknown exactly when Vlaar will return after sustaining a calf injury, though he is a real doubt for their second basement battle within a week against QPR. Until his injury, 'Concrete Ron' had established himself as the leader of the Villa defence and, in the absence of Stiliyan Petrov, had even earned himself the captaincy. He has plenty of experience and his robust style is a perfect partner for the rigours of the Premier League. A regular in the Dutch national side, Villa will miss his marshalling qualities if he fails to make the team at Loftus Road, where QPR will be desperate to impress Harry Redknapp.
Recommended Bet: Back QPR to beat Aston Villa @ 2.26/5

Steven Taylor - Newcastle v Wigan (Monday, 20:00, Sky Sports 1)
Newcastle are in a real trough, having succumbed to four successive Premier League defeats for the first time since 2008. The heart of the problem, as it has been all season, is injuries to key members of their small squad, which performed so admirably last season. Unfortunately for Alan Pardew, several of those injuries have come in defensive areas and Steven Taylor's latest problem is a huge blow to the Magpies, who have already suffered injuries to Fabricio Coloccini, James Perch and Ryan Taylor this season. Taylor will now be absent well into the new year with a hamstring injury and, without him at Stoke in midweek, the Potters were allowed a really soft winning goal when Coloccini switched off to allow Cameron Jerome to sweep in. 
Recommended Bet: Back Arouna Kone to score @ 3.65n/a