Weekend Briefing: Ins, outs and injury doubts for this week's matches

Ins, outs and injury doubts for the weekend football

Good news keeps coming for West Ham

West Ham are refusing to allow their dream of securing Champions League football to be extinguished and their chances of catching Chelsea or Leicester are set to boosted by the recovery of three players.

Defensive duo Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku are pushing to be involved in Sunday's clash at home to Everton and a return could be imminent for Declan Rice, who is close to fitness after a knee injury.

Having a few extra options will give David Moyes a selection headache after he watched his team outclass Burnley in a 2-1 success at Turf Moor on Monday.

Rice has been one of West Ham's outstanding players but Manuel Lanzini caught the eye at Burnley and could be tough to dislodge from the team.

Double blow for Norwich

Norwich were able to avoid injuries to key players for much of the Championship season but they head to Barnsley this weekend without on-loan Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp (fractured metatarsal) and Teemu Pukki (ankle), who picked up injuries during last Saturday's 4-1 success at home to Reading.

Both have had outstanding seasons with Skipp featuring in all 45 league matches, including 44 starts, and Pukki netting 26 goals to put him just four behind the section's leading marksman Ivan Toney.

Pukki's injury will be a concern for Euro 2020 participants Finland, who are preparing for their first appearance at a major tournament.

The 31-year-old has netted 30 goals in international football, putting him just two behind 32-goal Finnish legend Jari Litmanen.

Powell added to Potters' injured list

A mid-table finish was not what Stoke fans were hoping for this season but the squad has been ravaged by injuries and the bad news continued during last Saturday's 2-0 loss at home to QPR with top scorer Nick Powell limping off with a groin injury.

Powell has only just returned from an Achilles injury and lasted just 12 minutes and his focus will now switch to getting ready for the 2021-22 campaign.

Stoke manager Michael O'Neill must try to put together a competitive team to visit Bournemouth this weekend but he is without Tyrese Campbell, James Chester (both knee), Tashan Oakley-Boothe (back), Joe Allen (hamstring and calf), Morgan Fox (hamstring), Nathan Collins (toe), James McClean, Alfie Doughty and Angus Gunn (all foot).

Depleted Donny lose two more

It has been a disappointing end to the season for Doncaster, who have seen their League One promotion hopes ruined by a severe downturn in results (two wins in 15 games) and the chances of a happy ending at home to promoted Peterborough are lessened by a lengthening list of absentees.

Four players were absent from Tuesday's 2-0 loss at Blackpool after testing positive for Covid-19 and two more – striker Fejiri Okenabirhie and utility man Reece James (knee and hip) - failed to finish the game.

Doncaster player-manager Andy Butler came through unscathed but has admitted that Okenabirhie and James are major doubts for the weekend.

Butler has also ruled out the Covid-19 absentees even though their isolation periods will have expired by the weekend.

Red-card repercussions for Salford

Salford's League Two playoff hopes are hanging by a thread and they must tackle Saturday's must-win fixture at home to Leyton Orient without on-loan Manchester United defender Di'Shon Bernard and winger Ash Hunter, who were both sent off in last Saturday's 1-0 loss at Colchester.

The loss in Essex leaves Salford two points outside of the top seven and knowing that they must defeat Orient and hope that Forest Green and Exeter fail to win respective matches away to Oldham and at home to Barrow.

However, it could be a struggle without Bernard and Hunter, who have racked up 30 and 41 league appearances this season.

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