FA Cup third round team news
Saturday, January 5th Aldershot v Rotherham
Right-back Ben Herd returns to skipper Aldershot after being suspended for their last three games. Danny Hylton dropped to the bench with a groin strain for the New Year’s Day win at Barnet but should be fit to compete for a start. On-loan striker Dani Lopez is cup-tied but fellow loanees Danny Rose, Michael Hector and Sonny Bradley are all available. Michael Rankine has returned from his loan stint at Grimsby.
Rotherham could hand a debut to on-loan Liverpool striker Adam Morgan. He will battle for a place with Alex Revell, Daniel Nardiello and Kayode Odejayi in attack. Odejayi was given a lone role in the New Year’s Day win over Rochdale, with Revell rested and Nardiello suffering from a virus. Nardiello is now fit and Revell will be eyeing a recall, so boss Steve Evans may have to change the shape of his side to accommodate Morgan. Left-back Liam Ridehalgh is unavailable as part of his loan deal from Huddersfield, so Jack O’Connell could slot straight in or Mark Bradley could swap sides. Lionel Ainsworth, David Noble and Dale Tonge are all fit again but none of them have played since well before Christmas and are unlikely to be pushing for a start. Goalkeeper Scott Shearer (knee) is expected to return to the squad.
Top scorers (all competitions): Craig Reid (Aldershot) 10; Daniel Nardiello (Rotherham) 13
Match odds: H 11-5 A 5-4 D 23-10
Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey)
Aston Villa v Ipswich
Darren Bent (hamstring), fellow striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (thigh) and winger Charles N’Zogbia (knee) are all poised to return to training and will then be assessed by Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert. Midfielder Ashley Westwood has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury during the 2-2 draw at Swansea. Defenders Ron Vlaar (calf), Nathan Baker (hamstring) and Richard Dunne (knee) remain sidelined.
Ipswich’s leading scorer DJ Campbell, who bagged 10 goals in 17 games on loan, has returned to QPR so Michael Chopra is set to come in. Goalkeeper Stephen Henderson and defender Bradley Orr have also been denied permission to feature by their parent clubs, so Scott Loach is likely to play in goal and Elliott Hewitt is set to feature at right-back. Midfielder Andy Drury (illness) remains out with defender Luke Chambers (broken nose) also a doubt. Patrick Kisnorbo, a new loan signing from Leeds, has been cleared to play.
Top scorers (all competitions): Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) 12; Daryl Murphy (Ipswich) 5
Match odds: H 1-1 A 11-4 D 12-5
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
Barnsley v Burnley
Teenage winger Reuben Noble-Lazarus and striker Marlon Harewood are both pushing for recalls to the Barnsley starting line-up after appearing as second-half substitutes on New Year’s Day. Midfielder Jonathan Greening has returned to parent club Nottingham Forest, as has striker Marcus Tudgay.
Midfielder Dean Marney and forward Martin Paterson came off during Burnley’s New Year’s Day win over Sheffield Wednesday with thigh injuries and will be assessed. Top scorer Charlie Austin is absent with a hamstring strain, while winger Junior Stanislas is pushing to return from a similar complaint. Dane Richards may be involved if Stanislas does not make it, providing international clearance comes through following his move from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Defender Ben Mee remains on the sidelines with strained medial knee ligaments.
Top scorers (all competitions): Craig Davies (Barnsley) 9; Charlie Austin (Burnley) 23
Match odds: H 17-10 A 13-8 D 11-5
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Blackburn v Bristol City
Young midfield duo Hugo Fernandez and Tim Payne have been allocated squad numbers for Blackburn, with caretaker manager Gary Bowyer still missing a host of senior players. David Dunn is suffering from a niggle having recently returned from a calf injury and is not expected to play until next week, along with fellow midfielder Mauro Formica (foot). Simon Vukcevic (leg) is set to feature having recovered from a heavy challenge during last week’s triumph at Barnsley. Winger Fabio Nunes (hamstring), goalkeeper Paul Robinson (back) and defender Gael Givet remain absent — with the latter reportedly seeking a move back to France.
Midfielder Neil Danns has returned to parent club Leicester and defender Stephen McManus is not allowed to play for Bristol City under the terms of his loan from Middlesbrough. Albert Adomah is now on international duty with Ghana and regular right-back Richard Foster is unavailable through injury. That could open the door for Joe Edwards, who is back at City after a successful three-month loan spell at Yeovil. Midfielder Stephen Pearson is also missing through injury so Marvin Elliott, Neil Kilkenny and Bobby Reid are all pushing for starts. Jon Stead could get the chance to partner Sam Baldock in attack after the pair impressed together during a strong second half at Millwall.
Top scorers (all competitions): Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn) 15; Sam Baldock (Bristol City) 9
Match odds: H 7-10 A 4-1 D 13-5
Referee: Nigel Miller (Durham)
Bolton v Sunderland
Bolton manager Dougie Freedman has no fresh injury worries, but Jacob Butterfield is no longer among his midfield options after he returned to Norwich at the end of his loan spell. Josh Vela is back in training following a lengthy lay-off with a knee ligament injury and could feature, although defender David Wheater remains sidelined with a similar complaint. United States international Stuart Holden (knee) continues to step up his return to fitness while fellow midfielder Mark Davies (shoulder) and defender Matt Mills (thigh) are still out.
Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill felt Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield was a “game too far” for his small squad and is looking to add players in the transfer window. The likes of David Vaughan, Fraizer Campbell, Connor Wickham and Titus Bramble are all in contention to face Bolton but John O’Shea (hamstring) skipper Lee Cattermole and central defender Wes Brown (both knee) remain sidelined and striker Ji Dong-won joined Augsburg on loan for the rest of the season this week.
Top scorers (all competitions): Chris Eagles (Bolton) 7; Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) 8
Match odds: H 17-10 A 13-8 D 11-5
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
Brighton v Newcastle
Brighton winger Will Buckley (hamstring) looks set to miss out on the chance to recreate his FA Cup heroics against Newcastle after his deflected strike eliminated them in the fourth round last season. Right-back Bruno (Achilles) is also likely to be unavailable while fellow Spaniard Vicente (thigh) is still not fit. Jake Forster-Caskey and Romain Vincelot are back with the Seagulls following loan spells and are available, although boss Gustavo Poyet is expected to field his strongest side.
Newcastle’s Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote left for the African Nations Cup after Wednesday’s 2-1 league defeat by Everton, and potential replacement Gael Bigirimana is struggling with a dead leg. Striker Demba Ba’s move to Chelsea has left a vacancy in attack, and while central defender Steven Taylor (hamstring) and midfielder Yohan Cabaye (groin) are back in training, they remain unavailable along with full-back Ryan Taylor (knee) and midfielders Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring), Jonas Gutierrez, Dan Gosling and Haris Vuckic (all knee).
Top scorers (all competitions): Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton) 11; Demba Ba (Newcastle) 13
Match odds: H 19-10 A 7-5 D 23-10
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Charlton v Huddersfield
Centre-half Leon Cort (hamstring) and full-back Lawrie Wilson (broken nose) are the latest additions to Charlton’s casualty list. Striker Danny Haynes is out with a hamstring problem and defender Rhoys Wiggins (foot) is still sidelined along with midfielders Andy Hughes (Achilles) and Ade Azeez (hamstring). Loanees Dan Seabourne, Rob Hulse and Emmanuel Frimpong have now returned to their parent clubs but centre-back Michael Morrison returns after suspension.
Jermaine Beckford is expected to return for Huddersfield after being ineligible to face parent club Leicester on New Year’s Day. Fellow forward James Vaughan, on loan from Norwich, has also been cleared to feature. Winger Adam Hammill, due to return to parent club Wolves on January 13, cannot feature and goalkeeper Alex Smithies may be available again after suffering a dead leg against the Foxes. If not, Ian Bennett will continue to deputise. Defender Calum Woods (groin) and winger Danny Ward (knee) are both battling to be fit while midfielder Oscar Gobern continues his rehabilitation following ankle surgery.
Top scorers (all competitions): Danny Haynes, Johnnie Jackson & Yann Kermorgant (Charlton) 5; Chris Atkinson (Huddersfield) 6
Match odds: H 11-10 A 5-2 D 23-10
Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire)
Crawley v Reading
New Crawley striker Lateef Elford-Alliyu could be involved following his move from Bury, while Richard Brodie is also back at the club after his loan spell at Morecambe ended. However, the forward is not due to train until next week. Claude Davis (knee) is set to miss out and fellow defender Kyle McFadzean (virus) remains absent although he should return to training next week.
Reading boss Brian McDermott has indicated that new signing Daniel Carrico is unlikely to make his debut. Striker Jason Roberts has returned to training after recovering from a hip problem while full-back Nicky Shorey has overcome a virus.
Top scorers (all competitions): Billy Clarke (Crawley) 10; Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading) 7
Match odds: H 9-5 A 6-4 D 23-10
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Defender Damien Delaney returns for Crystal Palace following a three-match ban and he could come straight back in for Danny Gabbidon, who came off with a tight hamstring during Tuesday’s win over Wolves. Midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi this week linked up with South Africa for the African Nations Cup, while manager Ian Holloway is set to give in-form wingers Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie 45 minutes each. Jonathan Williams and Jermaine Easter are in the frame for rare starts.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis will make changes, which could include a first start in the club’s colours for Michael Owen. The former England striker has made four substitute appearances since joining the Potters in September, the last coming in October before he suffered a hamstring injury. Midfielder Steven Nzonzi is available after the red card he received in last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Southampton was rescinded while full-back Marc Wilson could return in a fortnight from a broken leg.
Top scorers (all competitions): Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) 22; Jonathan Walters (Stoke) 6
Match odds: H 19-10 A 7-5 D 23-10
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Derby v Tranmere
Derby will check on the fitness of midfielder Craig Bryson (knee), left-back Gareth Roberts (calf) and forward Jamie Ward (hamstring) after all three missed the npower Championship match against Middlesbrough. Forwards Nathan Tyson, Theo
Robinson and Conor Doyle and defender James O’Connor are options for Rams boss Nigel Clough should he wish to make changes to his starting line-up. Michael Hoganson and fellow teenage defender Valentin Gjokaj could be involved after they were on the substitutes’ bench against Boro, with the former coming on.
Tranmere captain James Wallace is still unable to return to action from a medial knee ligament injury while forward Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro (broken metatarsal) and winger Abdulai Bell-Baggie (lateral knee ligament) remain sidelined.
Cole Stockton, Rovers’ matchwinner in the 1-0 triumph over Scunthorpe last weekend that sent them back to the npower League One summit, is pushing for a start after top scorer Jake Cassidy returned to Wolves at the end of his loan spell.
