Important injury news from around the EFL and Europe

Injury briefing

Royals looking stronger
Reading are under immense pressure after losing four of five Sky Bet Championship fixtures but they have been boosted by the recovery of three players in the build up to the home game against Bristol City.

Centre-back Paul McShane, midfielder David Meyler and striker Callum Harriott have shaken off injury problems and winger Mo Barrow could be involved after missing the last three games due to a breach of club discipline.

Reading manager Paul Clement said: "Mo is a good player who can help this team but I have to think about the bigger picture and what is best for the team."

Timely return for Rovers duo
Blackburn finished Saturday's 1-1 draw at West Brom with no goalkeeper (David Raya had to come off with a serious facial injury) and two left-backs in a back three.

But they are looking in better shape for the clash at home to QPR after right back Ryan Nyambe (hamstring) and midfielder Jacob Davenport featured in an Under-23 match against Liverpool on Monday.

Rovers were in the wars at West Brom with Darragh Lenihan (hip) missing out plus Jack Rodwell (back) and Charlie Mulgrew (ribs) failing to finish the contest.

Rodwell is expected to be available for the weekend but Mulgrew has undergone a second scan on a rib injury and is rated doubtful.

Injuries shrink Shrimpers squad
Southend lost more than three points when they were thumped 3-0 at Sunderland on Saturday.

Left-back Ben Coker collapsed with a knee injury and looks set for a long spell on the sidelines.

He joins a crowded treatment room which includes top scorer Tom Hopper (knee), Harry Lennon (broken leg), Sam Barrett (knee), Luke Hyam (hamstring and ankle), Lewis Gard (knee), Rob Kiernan (knee) and Ted Smith (shoulder).

Hopper, Coker, Lennon and Barrett are long-term injuries and their absences put a lot of pressure on a small Shrimpers' squad.

Glovers problems clearing up
Yeovil have had a lot of injury problems this season but there is some light at the end of the tunnel for manager Darren Way, who could have striker Francois Zoko and midfielder James Bailey back in contention for the trip to Morecambe.

Zoko, Yeovil's top scorer last season, and Bailey could make their first appearances of the season.

Midfielder Wes McDonald returned from injury as a substitute in last Saturday's 1-0 success at Carlisle and will be pushing to make his first start since August.

Bad boys threaten Cobblers revival
Northampton have been much improved since appointing Keith Curle at the start of October but they are stretched at home to Crewe this weekend with midfielders Sam Foley and John-Joe O'Toole suspended.

Foley was red carded in the first half of last Saturday's 2-1 success at home to Oldham and must serve a three-game ban.

O'Toole misses just one game after accumulating five yellow cards but his absence looks a bigger blow because he has been one of the star performers in Curle's opening month at the helm.

Real problems for Solari
Caretaker coach Santiago Solari faces a defensive injury crisis with Marcelo, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal and Jesus Vallejo all out of Real Madrid's fixture against Valladolid. Striker Mariano Diaz is also sidelined.

Lazio look light in midfield
Central midfielders Lucas Leiva and Milan Badelj are both expected to be out for around a month, leaving Lazio light in the engine room.

Manager tracker

Paul Lambert - Ipswich
Paul Lambert's best work as a manager was done in the Norwich dugout but those efforts won't have endeared him to the supporters of Ipswich, who he needs to win over as quickly as possible.

There is a massive rivalry between the East Anglian clubs but that hasn't put off Ipswich owner Marcus Evans, who has targeted Lambert as the man to restore the club's fortunes.

Lambert's stock has fallen following difficult spells in charge of Aston Villa, Blackburn, Wolves and Stoke and he is unlikely to get much of a honeymoon period at Ipswich given the club's desperate position at the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table.

His first task is to get enough wins to make sure Ipswich are not marooned in the bottom three by the time the transfer window opens.

If he can do that the onus will pass to Evans, who needs to invest in better players to give the Tractor Boys a genuine chance of staying up.

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