Weekend Briefing: Saturday football team news & manager analysis

Injury briefing

Massive win comes at cost for Harry Kane's Tottenham

Tottenham took a surprise 1-0 lead in their Champions League quarter-final tie with Man City but they had to pay a price as star man Harry Kane sustained an ankle injury.

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted the England marksman could miss the rest of the season after Kane left the stadium on crutches with a protective boot on his left ankle.

Kane missed two months with a damaged ligament in the same ankle earlier this year and Fernando Llorente could be in line to deputise for Spurs against Huddersfield on Saturday, having just returned to the squad after concussion.

Sunderland stretched for Coventry visit

Bookmakers rate Sunderland odds-on for promotion from Sky Bet League One but the Black Cats will be short on numbers for the visit of Coventry.

Jack Ross revealed Aiden McGeady, who has scored 12 league goals and laid on five assists, is a doubt after missing Tuesday's draw against Burton with an impact injury.

Chris Maguire was, meanwhile, deemed as having a "very, very outside chance" by his manager having been forced off in the first half with "muscular issues around his abdomen".

One consolation could be the potential return of club stalwart Lee Cattermole in midfield.

Defensive absentees trouble Stoke for Rotherham clash

Not only did Swansea speedster Daniel James open the scoring against Stoke in midweek but he was involved in the two red cards received by the Potters.

Bruno Martins Indi will miss this weekend's meeting with relegation-threatened Rotherham after receiving a red card for chopping down the tricky winger.

And Stoke were reduced to nine men when Tom Edwards, who also struggled to cope with James' scintillating display, picked up a second yellow card after an hour.

The suspensions leave manager Nathan Jones with a selection headache going into Saturday's match as skipper Ryan Shawcross sustained a back injury against Blackburn last weekend.

There could be further involvement for 17-year-old defender Nathan Collins after the Under-23 player was handed his debut from the bench against the Swans.

Pompey midfielder could return to face former club Rochdale

Portsmouth are locked in a battle with Sunderland and Barnsley for second spot in Sky Bet League One and their options in midfield are bolstered for the visit of lowly Rochdale.

Former Dale player Andy Cannon has not played for the Portsmouth first team since sustaining a thigh injury nearly three months ago but played 70 minutes of a reserve fixture in midweek.

He could be in line to return along with Bryn Morris, who also played in the reverse clash and was on the bench against Wycombe last weekend having recovered following a groin issue.

Aston Villa suffer setback for potential playoff rehearsal with Robins

Tyrone Mings is unavailable for one of the biggest games in Aston Villa's season against Bristol City.

Mings was dismissed after 34 minutes in the win over Rotherham on Wednesday and gives manager Dean Smith a selection headache for the visit of the flying Robins.

The Midlands side are already without Kortney Hause and Tommy Elphick and could be light on options at the back.

Atletico Madrid marksman pays the price

Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been banned for eight matches for Atletico Madrid after being found guilty of abusing a referee.

Official Jesus Gil Manzano claimed Costa "insulted his mother" but the Spanish forward denies the claim.

The ban means Costa, who is able to appeal the ban, will miss all of Atletico's remaining league fixtures.

Gaffer Tracker

Martin O'Connor - Walsall

Walsall are odds-on for the drop in a congested relegation battle in Sky Bet League One and their former skipper Martin O'Connor has been appointed caretaker manager until the end of the campaign.

Dean Keates was dismissed following defeat to ten-man Oxford and the change could provide a spark for the Saddlers.

Expectation is against them but they are only two points from safety and have a string of winnable matches against lowly Accrington, Southend and Wycombe on the horizon.

Having played for Walsall in two separate spells between 1994 and 1996 and 2002 and 2003, O'Connor should be able to keep the fans on his side and could galvanise his players.

Chris Powell is the 7-2 favourite to be in the Walsall hotseat at the start of the 2019-20 season.

Paul Hurst and O'Connor are 4-1 and the temporary boss could see his price shorten further should he get points on the board early in his short tenure.

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