The Manchester City pair of captain Richard Dunne and teenage striker Ched Evans are expected to recover from injury to be included in an unchanged squad for tomorrow’s trip to Middlesbrough in the Barclays Premier League.
Dunne came off during City’s 3-0 win over Stoke with a chest problem but scans have revealed no major damage, while Evans has responded well to treatment for a knee injury.
Defender Pablo Zabaleta completes his three-match ban and manager Mark Hughes is still without a handful of senior players with long-term injuries, although striker Benjani Mwaruwari is set to step up his comeback in a practice match this week.
Provisional squad: Hart, Richards, Dunne, Ben Haim, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Kompany, Elano, Robinho, Evans, Sturridge, Fernandes, Onuoha, Caicedo, Hamann, Berti, Ball, Schmeichel.