Weekend injury updates for the EFL and Europe

Roma reeling from injury crisis

Roma won just one of four league fixtures between the October and November international breaks and may be vulnerable at lowly Udinese this weekend as they struggle to come to terms with an injury crisis.

It has been reported that Aleksandr Kolarov, Daniele De Rossi, Kostas Manolas, Javier Pastore and Diego Perotti will miss out for the Wolves, offering some hope to third-bottom Udinese, who have picked up just one point from the last seven league games.

Roma head coach Eusebio Di Francesco hopes some of his injured players will be in contention for Tuesday's Champions League clash at home to Real Madrid but has not named any names.

Preston could be hard pressed

Not since the end of September have Preston lost a Sky Bet Championship fixture but they are perched just two points above the drop zone and will be without key players for their Lancashire derby at home to Blackburn.

Midfielder Daniel Johnson – an influential figure in the recent revival – is suspended and may not be seen on the pitch for a while after sustaining a thigh injury.

And the international break took a toll with two of Preston's Ireland internationals, striker Sean Maguire and midfielder Alan Browne, suffering injuries.

Maguire (hamstring) has been ruled out of the Blackburn game and Browne, a potential replacement for Johnson, is rated doubtful due to a shoulder injury.

Villa hopeful on key duo

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is keeping his fingers crossed that two key players, central defender James Chester and midfielder John McGinn, will declare themselves fit for Sunday's second-city derby at home to Birmingham.

Chester (knee) and McGinn (calf) were sent home early from their international commitments with Wales and Scotland and will be given every possible chance to make the game.

Both are key players but Chester's involvement looks especially important because Villa's squad is light on natural central defenders.

However, Smith is optimistic.

He said: "We'll be leaving it late to make a decision on both of them, but they won't have lost any fitness. Chester played 50 minutes for Wales and McGinn has featured in a lot of games for us."

Problems mounting for Plymouth

Plymouth manager Derek Adams is under huge pressure following last Saturday's 5-1 loss at Luton and his preparations for tomorrow's home game with Fleetwood are hampered by long list of absentees.

Playmaker Graham Carey serves a suspension after collecting five yellow cards and attacking-midfielder Antoni Sarcevic (knee) is a doubt, along with midfielder Jamie Ness (calf).

Adams rates Ness and Sarcevic as unlikely to face Fleetwood and must make do without injured quintet Conor Grant (calf), Ryan Edwards (chest infection), Joe Riley (knee), Gary Sawyer (foot) and Scott Wooton (thigh).

Mixed news for Charlton

Charlton romped to a 5-0 success at home to Mansfield in Tuesday's FA Cup first-round replay but it came at a bit of a cost with top scorer Lyle Taylor picking up a fifth booking of the season and ruling him out for the weekend's League One clash at home to Bristol Rovers.

Taylor bagged a hat-trick against the Stags – taking his seasonal tally to 12 – and his loss is a major blow but Charlton could be stronger at the back if influential defender Patrick Bauer declares himself fit.

Bauer (knee) made his return from a two-month layoff in midweek and was given 61 minutes before being substituted.

Charlton manager Lee Bowyer admitted that Bauer looked short of full fitness but thinks highly of the German and has not ruled out keeping him in the side.

Gaffer tracker

Richie Wellens - Swindon

A change of manager often leads to a swift change of fortunes but that wasn't the case for Swindon, who lost 4-0 at home to Carlisle last Saturday in their first game under Richie Wellens.

The Wiltshire club swiftly installed Wellens after calling time on the eight-month reign of Phil Brown which ended with them 17th in Sky Bet League Two.

Wellens pulled no punches upon getting the job, insisting the players should be embarrassed by the club's league position.

However, he changed tack this week and has been on a charm offensive, applauding the supporters for their continued patience.

Swindon fans can look forward to a change of playing style under Wellens, who likes his teams to play a possession-based game.

But they will need an injection of confidence to start playing that way and could do with some better luck on the injury front.

Key midfielders James Dunne and Michael Doughty have played 11 and ten league games respectively and will need to stay fit to give Swindon a better chance of climbing the table.

Read every day for no-nonsense previews and expert sports betting tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport