Doncaster midfielder Ben Close has been ruled out of Saturday’s League One game against Shrewsbury due to a knee problem.Close is nearing a return to action after sustaining the injury in the 2-0 defeat at Burton on November 27 but will not be fit this weekend.Joseph Olowu is available after completing a three-match suspension.Fellow defender Ro-Shaun Williams will miss the whole festive p...Full Story »

Derby will again be without Sam Baldock and Lee Buchanan when they host Blackpool.Baldock (hamstring) and Buchanan (knee) are still recovering from injuries, although the former remains on course to return in the next couple of weeks.Jack Stretton, meanwhile, has been absent due to a knee problem and illness, and Krystian Bielik’s knee injury is likely to sideline him until January.Derby, ...Full Story »

Walsall head into Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two home clash with Colchester appearing to have come through their last outing on Tuesday unscathed.That was the 1-1 draw with Crawley at the Banks’s Stadium that saw defender Stephen Ward back in action after a hip injury and winger Brendan Kiernan score on his return to the starting line-up.Forward Rory Holden has been on the sidelines.M...Full Story »

Cheltenham manager Michael Duff could make changes ahead of his side’s clash with Lincoln after they were thrashed 5-0 by Cambridge in midweek.Will Boyle could be a doubt for the side, with Duff revealing to the club website post-Cambridge he opted not to put the defender on the bench as he had “missed too much football” with his injury, and wanted to ensure he “doesn&rsq...Full Story »

Luton are sweating on the availability of Simon Sluga for their Sky Bet Championship clash with Fulham.Goalkeeper Sluga missed the 3-0 victory over Blackpool last Saturday because of illness and it is hoped he will recover in time to face the Cottagers.James Shea deputised for Sluga at Bloomfield Road and will continue in goal if his team-mate fails to pull through.Boss Nathan Jones made five ch...Full Story »

Oldham have a pair of injury problems to concern them ahead of Saturday’s clash with Forest Green.Midfielder Ousseynou Cisse went off early in the second half with a shoulder injury during Tuesday’s last-minute defeat to Tranmere.Defender Jordan Clarke missed the game due to an injury of his own, with the pair’s problems affecting what had previously been a full-strength squad ...Full Story »

Hartlepool boss Graeme Lee has no fresh injury or suspension problems as he looks to make it a hat-trick of victories since taking charge when Scunthorpe visit.Pools came from behind to beat Rochdale 2-1 in midweek – ending a run of five straight Sky Bet League Two defeats – and Lee praised his substitutes for their part in the win.Midfielder Tom Crawford and teenage forward Joe Grey...Full Story »

Preston play their first match under new boss Ryan Lowe when they host Barnsley in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday.Having sacked Frankie McAvoy on Monday, North End brought in Lowe the following day after he resigned from his role at Plymouth.Lowe has said Ched Evans, who played the full duration of last Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Blackburn, Andrew Hughes and Sepp Van Den Berg have been &...Full Story »

Brentford will be without suspended forward Sergi Canos and striker Ivan Toney for the Premier League match against Watford.The versatile Canos, who has played at wing-back in the Premier League this season, sits out a one-game ban after receiving his fifth booking in Sunday’s draw at Leeds.Toney is still unavailable after missing out at Elland Road due to Covid-19, but defender Mads Bech ...Full Story »

Oli Hawkins returns from suspension but may still miss out as in-form Mansfield host Salford in Sky Bet League Two.The tall striker sat out the 1-0 victory against Carlisle due to a one-match ban and is now grappling with illness as the Stags target a sixth win from seven games.Nigel Clough’s men, who are unbeaten at Field Mill in the league since October 2, will assess midfielder Ollie Cl...Full Story »

Liverpool still don't know whether top scorer Mohamed Salah will link up with the Egypt national team before the turn of the year. The African Cup of Nations begins on January 9. FIFA regulations mean players called up for the tournament should be made available 14 days before the start of the tournament. Salah would then be required to join Egypt after the Boxing Day match against Leeds Un...Full Story »

Barcelona are pushing to offload Samuel Umtiti in January. Italian reporter Rudy Galetti reports the 28-year-old is one of the options which AC Milan are studying as cover for Simon Kjaer who is facing six months out after rupturing the ligaments in his left knee. Milan view Umtiti as a low-cost alternative to some of the other players they are looking at, seeing as the Frenchman doesn't fig...Full Story »

Tottenham Hotspur's UEFA Europa Conference League clash against Stade Rennais has been postponed after eight players and five staff tested positive for COVID-19, the club announced on Wednesday. Head coach Antonio Conte had said earlier on Wednesday he was "scared" about the consequences of a COVID-19 outbreak and raised major doubts about the club's ability to fulfil its upcoming fixtures. ...Full Story »

Georginio Wijnaldum is open to a Premier League return on loan in January. However, Sky Sports reports that PSG are not keen on the move. The Dutchman has failed to establish himself in Mauricio Pochettino's starting line-up since joining on a free transfer from Liverpool last summer. Arsenal are understood to be a potential destination for the Netherlands international if PSG change their ...Full Story »

Interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick was delighted by the display of “massive talent” Mason Greenwood and now wants to help him develop physically and mentally.Wednesday’s Champions League encounter against Young Boys was a dead rubber as the Red Devils were already assured of their place in the last-16 draw as Group F winners.It gave Rangnick the opportunity to make...Full Story »

Colchester manager Hayden Mullins felt a failure to take “clear-cut” chances cost his team the opportunity to secure three points at Bradford.In a 0-0 draw at Valley Parade, Alan Judge and Freddie Sears were both thwarted in one-on-one situations by recalled home goalkeeper Sam Hornby, while Cole Skuse also missed the target with a free shot on goal late on.The U’s have now fai...Full Story »

Graeme Lee praised his Hartlepool players for coming from behind to beat Rochdale and celebrate a victory in his first home match since taking over as manager.Lee jumped up and down in delight on the touchline after Mark Shelton grabbed a dramatic stoppage-time winner for Pools.Mark Cullen’s sixth goal of the season in the 65th minute had cancelled out Josh Andrews’ finely worked ope...Full Story »

New Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher said his players performed well in the 1-1 draw with MK Dons despite a “manic” 48 hours.Schumacher, appointed this week after former manager Ryan Lowe left to join Preston, saw his team go 1-0 down in the first half after Tennai Watson scored.But the Dons could not defend their lead in an open second half and Conor Grant’s 66th-minute equalis...Full Story »

Thelo Aasgaard’s stoppage-time winner sent Wigan level on points with Sky Bet League One leaders Rotherham – with a game in hand – after a 2-1 win over plucky Shrewsbury at the DW Stadium.Wigan made a dream start with Tendayi Darikwa volleying home James McClean’s cross inside two minutes.But Shrewsbury never looked like a side struggling near the foot of the table and al...Full Story »

Jack McMillan’s first-half goal was enough to end Livingston’s run of six games without a win as they claimed a 1-0 cinch Premiership victory over struggling Hibernian at the Tony Macaroni Arena.The win lifted the Lions from 11th to ninth but, for seventh-place Hibs – who had both Paul McGinn and Paul Hanlon sent off in the closing stages – it was a seventh loss in nine l...Full Story »