In-form striker Ellis Simms bagged a first-half double as play-off chasing Coventry recorded a 3-1 win at struggling Huddersfield.

Simms took his tally to 12 goals in his last nine matches across all competitions to boost Coventry’s hopes of securing a top-six finish.

Substitute Rhys Healey claimed his first goal in Huddersfield colours to reduce their arrears in the 79th minute but Haji Wright added a third for Coventry late on to send them up to seventh.

It was the visitors who created the first meaningful opportunity in the eighth minute when Wright tested the reflexes of Lee Nicholls after a quick counter attack.

But Town, unable to call upon star man Sorba Thomas due to suspension, wasted a glorious chance to get their noses in front on the 15-minute mark.

Josh Koroma seized on a loose ball after Milan Van Ewijk slipped over and the makeshift striker saw his low drive from an acute angle kept out by Brad Collins.

It proved a big moment as Coventry broke the deadlock in the 16th minute in spectacular fashion.

Palmer, a thorn in Huddersfield’s side throughout the first half, played in Simms down the left and he skipped past Michal Helik before unleashing a stunning right-foot curler into the top corner.

Things got even better for the FA Cup semi-finalists when Simms doubled their advantage midway through the half after a well-worked move.

Palmer freed Van Ewijk down the right, who neatly pulled the ball back for Simms to rifle in his second.

Moments later, Simms could have completed his hat-trick following excellent approach play by Wright but Nicholls was equal to the former Everton man’s effort.

The home side finished the half strongly, with wing-back David Kasumu rattling the post with a 25-yard piledriver.

Lady luck did not shine on Andre Breitenreiter’s side after the break as Jack Rudoni’s rasping left-foot drive struck the crossbar from just inside the penalty area.

It then took a brilliant last-ditch intervention from Spencer to prevent Wright from getting a sight at goal as Coventry pressed for a third.

Breitenreiter turned to his bench in an attempt to spark his team into life, throwing on Pat Jones, Ben Wiles and Healey.

Yet Huddersfield were indebted to Nicholls for keeping them in the contest as he produced good stops to foil substitute Callum O’Hare and Wright in the final quarter.

A blunder from Coventry shot-stopper Collins handed Huddersfield a lifeline. His pass was intercepted by Healey and Wiles kept his cool to square the ball to the striker, who drilled home.

Healey’s strike visibly lifted the crowd and swung the momentum Huddersfield’s way, with Collins pulling off two terrific saves to deny Jones.

Wright wrapped up the points deep into added time, lashing a left-foot shot into the bottom corner to send the away end delirious.

Play-off chasing Hull’s poor home form again cost them as second-half goals from Josh Laurent and Ki-Jana Hoever earned relegation-battling Stoke a 2-0 win at the MKM Stadium.

Hull went into the game with seven wins out of 19 at home this season and were on a run of just one win in their last 10 Championship matches at the MKM.

Defeat dropped Hull two places to ninth in the table as the Potters moved five points clear of the drop zone.

Stoke did not start like at team at the wrong end of the table, forcing a corner after a minute, and from their next five minutes later Michael Rose could only steer a low delivery from Sead Haksabanovic wide of goal.

Hull tried to respond but a volley from Anass Zaroury was well off target following a long kick by Ryan Allsop.

Sean McLoughlin headed wide as Hull forced two corners in quick succession and then the defender, in for suspended skipper Jacob Greaves, headed another chance over as the Tigers started to exert more pressure.

Regan Salter’s surging run was ended with a foul by Rose and Zaroury’s free-kick was scrambled clear for a corner just before the half-hour mark, but Alfie Jones headed the delivery well over as both sides struggled to carve out a clear opening.

Stoke captain Laurent was booked for his challenge on Fabio Carvalho and was then warned by referee Graham Scott he risked another after arguing about the caution.

Stoke’s Mehdi Leris headed a free-kick tamely at Allsop with 10 minutes of the half remaining in the only on-target effort of the first half.

Noah Ohio flicked on rather than shooting from a Carvalho low cross and Jones headed a free-kick wide.

At the other end Haksabanovic shot over as Hull struggled to clear from their own area in the final action of a poor first period.

The game desperately needed a spark at the start of the second half but both sides continued to struggle to find a cutting edge.

Ryan Giles again probed down the left as the hour approached but his cross was headed wide by Ohio.

Hull broke through substitute Abdulkadir Omur but when his pass found Jaden Philogene the forward’s shot failed to trouble Daniel Iversen when he had team-mates better placed.

Jordan Thompson shot high and wide after working an opening on the edge of the Hull area but shortly after the visitors went in front from a corner.

Ryan Mmaee headed towards the left post where an unmarked Laurent side-footed home from close range with 21 minutes to go.

Leris forced Allsop into a save to his left, but Omur and Philogene both went close to an equaliser before Hoever fired home Stoke’s second in stoppage time.

Norwich maintained their Sky Bet Championship play-off push as they saw off plucky Plymouth 2-1 to make it seven successive home wins in the league.

The struggling visitors stunned the Canaries by taking in the lead after 10 minutes as Morgan Whittaker headed home his 20th goal of the season.

But David Wagner’s side, who had lost 6-2 at Plymouth earlier in the season, responded well to the setback and two goals in seven second-half minutes, from top scorer Josh Sargent and an Ashley Phillips own goal, settled a hard-fought encounter in which the relegation threatened Pilgrims played their part.

Plymouth found themselves on the backfoot from the off but managed to take the lead from their first attack.

An impressive switch in play from Alfie Devine allowed Matthew Sorinola to make ground down the right flank before crossing for Whittaker to find the bottom corner with a powerful header.

Norwich had a chance to hit back a few minutes later when Sargent burst through but a superb last-ditch block from Phillips snuffed out the danger.

Sargent later hit the post with a deflected drive from a Gabriel Sara corner, while on the stroke of half-time Borja Sainz got to the byline, only to fail to pick out an unmarked Sargent, who would have had a simple tap-in.

Plymouth were largely on the defensive, although they nearly made it 2-0 after 37 minutes when Ryan Hardie skipped past keeper Angus Gunn only to miss the target from a narrow angle.

Norwich continued to dominate after the break and deservedly got back on level terms after 67 minutes from a clever short corner routine.

Substitute Christian Fassnacht picked out the deep lying Sargent with a low delivery and the United States international had the space to sweep home his 14th goal of the season.

The Canaries now had the bit between their teeth and seven minutes later took the lead from another corner.

This time Sara took it and his conventional delivery was headed goalwards by Sam McCallum, with Argyle defender Phillips then inadvertently deflecting the ball home from close range.

Gunn produced an excellent block to foil Hardie as Plymouth pressed for an equaliser before an audacious 30-yard free-kick from Sara hit the underside of the crossbar, with Fassnacht’s follow-up header going just over.

Emmanuel Latte Lath’s 90th-minute equaliser saved a 1-1 draw for Middlesbrough to puncture Southampton’s Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion ambitions.

Adam Armstrong had seemingly fired Saints towards a 23rd victory of the season with his 30th goal contribution in the Championship this season – more than any other player.

But Ivorian Latte Lath nodded in his 10th goal of the campaign late on to extend Boro’s unbeaten run to five matches.

Saints ended their 20-day break since their last game with a goal inside 12 minutes.

Kamaldeen Sulemana lifted a ball from the left side into the box and it should have been dealt with by makeshift centre-back Jonny Howson – who was forced to fill in at the back with Boro contending with 11 injuries, six of them to defenders.

Howson sliced his attempted clearance to Armstrong, who settled himself before using his composure to slot into the bottom corner for his 19th goal of the season.

Armstrong almost pilfered his 20th two minutes later but his fierce effort was deflected just over.

Boro grew into the half and struck the post in the 28th minute with their first shot of the afternoon. Kyle Walker-Peters had given the ball away in midfield before Finn Azaz rattled the base of the upright.

Isaiah Jones could not find a stretching Latte Lath while Sulemana blazed over to end a first half that promised more.

The second period started like a runaway train as Gavin Bazunu stood strong to deny Latte Lath at one end before Che Adams pounced on Seny Dieng’s parry to put the ball into the net at the other before the flag went up for offside.

Adams then had two gilt-edged chances in two minutes to double Southampton’s lead.

The Scotland international was dinked through by Taylor Harwood-Bellis but took so long to settle himself Dieng had time to position himself to save the eventual shot in the box, then Adams was able to control and turn seven yards out when unmarked but somehow missed the target.

Armstrong was brilliantly denied from close range by Nieng before his follow-up was blocked on the line by Lukas Engel.

Ryan Fraser had a shot parried before Will Smallbone shinned the rebound over as Saints were made to pay for their wastefulness in the dying embers.

Alex Gilbert’s cross from the right was met by Latte Lath, who craned his neck to divert into the bottom corner.

Gary O’Neil said there is no truth in reports that he will leave Wolves in order to replace Erik ten Hag as manager of Manchester United.

A number of names have been linked with Old Trafford since minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe took charge of football operations earlier this year.

O’Neil, appointed at Molineux days before the start of the current season, has overseen an impressive campaign in which Wolves have far exceeded expectations.

They currently sit ninth and are 20 points clear of the relegation zone despite having been tipped to struggle following the departure of former boss Julen Lopetegui in August.

Instead they have sights on possible European qualification and could finish the weekend in seventh – likely to be worth a place in next season’s Europa Conference League – if they beat Aston Villa on Saturday evening and other results go their way.

Despite his rising personal profile, O’Neil dismissed suggestions he is being lined up for the United job.

“I don’t know where it came from,” he said.

“Growing up, Liverpool and Manchester United always felt special. It’s an honour to be linked even if there’s no truth in it.

“I love it here. I’m a head coach, I’m always going to be a head coach. I’m really enjoying my time at Wolves. I was only made aware of (the links) by the media team to prepare for your questions.”

Matheus Cunha is in contention to feature against Villa having missed most of the last two months with a hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old went off during his team’s home defeat to Brentford on February 10 but could return to the fold on Saturday.

He has scored 11 goals in all competitions in what is is his first campaign since signing permanently from Atletico Madrid.

“He will play some football for us this week,” said O’Neil. “He’s back, he’s fine and has worked his socks off. He’s shaved an enormous amount of time off the medical diagnosis of what he had.

“He’s done unbelievably well and now the decision for me is when and how long he plays. He is training, sprinting and has done everything you can do to test the hamstring, apart from being put into a Premier League game.

“It’s now on me to decide if that’s from the start tomorrow, the bench tomorrow or from the start on Tuesday (against Burnley).

“We’re trying to get it right for him as he’s massively important to us for tomorrow’s game, but also the nine after that.”

Boss Carlos Corberan believes the quality in Millwall’s squad is not reflected by their position in the Championship table after West Brom’s 1-1 draw at The Den.

The Lions controlled the first half and Duncan Watmore capitalised with a fine finish past Baggies goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

However, the visitors won a penalty after the break and John Swift made no mistake, converting past Millwall stopper Matija Sarkic.

Corberan feels Millwall have the quality to compete at the top of the table rather than the bottom.

He said: “That’s why they are competing at this level. They are a competitive team and for me one of the teams that their position in the table is not reflective of the level of their squad.

“Over the last five or six games they have lost one game and in the summer their target would have been to reach the play-offs.

“When there are many good teams in the Championship this can happen to good teams.

“I think that today was a tough game, there were two teams with two different styles.

“In the first half they were better than us but in the second half, with our style, we were a little bit better than them.

“There is also the feeling of a result, today we have had to work hard to get the point.

“It has been a game where we were not brilliant and we didn’t create enough chances, we tried but we couldn’t.”

Millwall boss Neil Harris was happy to take the positives after an impressive performance against a team in the top six.

He added: “What a good Millwall performance for so much of that game, especially in the first half.

“I thought West Brom nailed it in the first five minutes, they slowed it down and retained the ball to stop us getting near them, but then we grew into the game.

“We had them rattled, and they’re a really good side with really good players, but we bossed it.

“We should have been 3-0 up, we should have been out of sight at half-time.

“If you don’t see teams off at this level you get punished by a moment and when they have quality one-on-one players you get found wanting.

“So a glass half full in the sense that it was a really strong performance, a really good point gained against a good side but there is disappointment because we deserved the three.

“The lads have come in saying it should have been out of sight and Matija’s not had a save to make all game.

“We have made a really good side look ordinary and we looked like a really good Millwall side.”

Elegant Man put up an imperious display to make nearly every yard of the running in the BetUK All-Weather Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap at Newcastle.

A son of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup winner Arrogate, he is trained in Ireland by Adrian Murray.

There was plenty going against him, though, because as well as carrying top weight on just his fourth outing, he was drawn widest of all in stall 14.

David Egan, full of confidence having won the Lincoln in his new job for Amo Racing last week, was keen to get to the front and while he was briefly taken on by Blanchland, Elegant Man soon took command.

After the initial rush, Egan was able to control matters and having got a breather into his mount, visibly quickened the pace before the turn for home.

While that caught a few rivals on the hop, he then asked for a further effort well over two furlongs from home and as Penzance and Hooking, owned by footballer Antoine Griezmann, closed in, he looked vulnerable for a few strides.

It was to his credit that the 11-4 favourite saw out the trip strongly and won by a length and a half from Penzance, who ran a career-best himself.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes a derby ticket breakthrough can lead to the restoration of traditional allocations for away fans against Rangers.

The Scottish Professional Football League announced an agreement had been struck to ensure about five per cent of Ibrox and Celtic Park will be reserved for away fans during league games between the Glasgow rivals.

In 2018, Rangers tore up the long-standing convention that saw about 7,500 fans travel across the city on derby days and reduced that figure to about 10 per cent of that total. Inevitably, Celtic followed suit.

The situation developed that neither club accepted tickets for each other’s grounds for safety reasons and Celtic refused Rangers’ request for tickets for the December 30 game, with the SPFL unable to enforce vague regulations over away allocations.

A compromise has been reached that will see about 2,500-3,000 away fans attend games from next season, but not the remaining two games between the cinch Premiership title challengers this term.

Rodgers said: “It’s absolutely great news for everyone. It’s certainly something this club have championed for a number of years. It’s the iconic nature of the fixture and it’s because of the supporters.

“So to be able to get 2,500 supporters into the stadium, and hopefully that can grow as well, but to have them in is everything.

“The game is about the players on the field and the supporters in the stand and, especially in this fixture, this is really what makes it. So it’s absolutely fantastic news and not before time as well.

“The aim at Celtic was never to change it, so if it can get back to where it was before it was changed then that would be absolutely great news for everyone.”

Rangers manager Philippe Clement also welcomed the news.

“Everyone loves football with two sides if fans sing towards each other and to have this atmosphere,” the Belgian said.

“No-one enjoyed the Covid period when there were no fans. That was really difficult.

“For me it was also really strange to play at Celtic Park with no supporters of ourselves, that was a first time for me.

“It was a strange experience. I think everybody, every player, every manager wants both sides in the stadium and football is about that. It is entertainment from two teams so it is a very positive thing from my side.”

The SPFL stated both clubs would provide ticket allocations of “around five per cent”.

“This will be effective from Scottish Premiership season 2024-25, subject to all necessary requirements being satisfied at both Ibrox and Celtic Park,” a statement added.

“It does not affect the remaining two league matches between the clubs in season 2023-24, which will remain at a zero allocation for away supporters.”

The capacity of Ibrox is 50,817, while Celtic Park holds 60,411.

Rangers stated the agreement had been reached “following input from both clubs, the SPFL, local authorities, and the league’s broadcast partners”.

A club statement added: “While this will not affect the two remaining league derbies this season, from next season, both clubs will be required to provide five per cent of their stadia to the away team for Old Firm games only — mirroring the UEFA European match model.

“Rangers’ position has always been for away supporters to be present at these games and with this move, a significant number of our fans will be able to support our team at Parkhead in seasons ahead.”

The Ibrox club stated that alternative seating arrangements for affected supporters in the Broomloan Stand had been identified.

Boss Enzo Maresca was in bullish mood after Anis Mehmeti’s superb strike earned Bristol City a 1-0 win to put another dent in Leicester’s bid for automatic promotion from the Championship.

The winger found the roof of the net with a stunning left-footed strike from the edge of the box in the 73rd minute to inflict a fourth defeat in six league games on the stuttering Foxes.

Leicester paid for missed chances, with Jamie Vardy the leading culprit as he was twice denied by fine Max O’Leary saves when one-on-one with the Robins goalkeeper.

Vardy was substituted after Mehmeti’s goal and along with his team-mates had to endure boos at the final whistle from the massed ranks of travelling fans.

But Maresca declined to join in any sense of panic and said: “There would be cause for concern if the performances weren’t there.

“But we are creating so much and our recent defeats have all been down to not finishing our chances.

“The reaction of our fans at the end was understandable. All I can say to them is if they get nervous now it can transmit to the players over our remaining games. They have been brilliant up to now.

“Jamie Vardy doesn’t need to apologise to anyone after all he has contributed over the years.

“Even the best strikers miss chances. That’s football. He will continue to be a very important player to us over the remaining games.

“We have another game in 72 hours so there is no time to dwell on this defeat. We have to recover quickly and be ready to face Norwich.”

Bristol City head coach Liam Manning paid glowing tribute to his players after their best win since he took charge.

He said: “I have to admit I expected our net to bulge with the Vardy chances but Max O’Leary did an outstanding job.

“He has international ambitions with Ireland and they are looking increasingly realistic.

“We might have had a couple of penalties and the lads were terrific in carrying out our game plan. In the end, we deserved the result.

“Results have not always gone our way recently but the dividing line between success and failure in the Championship is so slim.

“I see the lads in training every day and I know how keen they are to learn and improve.

“Players like Anis Mehmeti are still at the beginnings of their careers. He can frustrate at times but his goal showed what he is capable of producing.

“You always need to ride your luck at times against quality opposition but I couldn’t be happier with the overall team performance.”

Juventus’ Serie A title challenge may well be over for another year but coach Massimiliano Allegri is still looking for a strong finish to the season.

The Turin giants last claimed the scudetto in 2020 but their hopes of ending that run this campaign have all-but disappeared after winning just one of their last eight games.

That means the third-placed Bianconeri will go into this weekend’s trip to Lazio a massive 17 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan with only nine league games left.

However, with a top-four spot yet to be secured and the Coppa Italia up for grabs – Juve face Lazio in the first leg of their semi-final next Tuesday – Allegri’s men still have plenty to play for as action resumes after the international break.

Allegri told a press conference: “The players who have returned from international duty are well, and those who stayed with us worked a lot on the pitch.

“Now we’re all ready for that final push to the finish line, we have 55 days to take us to the end of the season.

“The most important thing for us now is that we’re all focused on the end of the season.

“We’ve dropped a lot of points and we have to be realistic. In the second half of the season we’ve only picked up 13 points, and now we have 27 to play for to consolidate our place in the Champions League spots.

“Then there’s the Italian Cup, and on Tuesday we have another important game against Lazio hoping to stay in the fight for silverware. We have to think about that too.”

Allegri, who said Italy forward Moise Kean will start against Lazio as he looks to push his Euro 2024 claims, is set to take charge of his 500th Serie A match this weekend.

The 56-year-old former AC Milan and Cagliari coach said: “I’m pleased to have reached 500 games in charge, and it’s evidence of my desire, passion and love for the job and this sport. I want to have fun still and I love being out on the pitch.”

John Swift’s penalty rescued a point for play-off chasing West Brom as they extended their unbeaten run to seven league games with a 1-1 draw at Millwall.

The Lions controlled the first half and were a goal ahead at the break after a fine finish from Duncan Watmore.

However, Swift converted a penalty to ensure the Baggies sealed a seventh game unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since their 2019/20 Championship campaign.

A lively pre-match atmosphere intensified ahead of kick-off as West Brom’s players took the knee to a chorus of boos from the home fans.

The Den got even louder when referee James Bell waved away appeals for handball after Kyle Bartley blocked George Honeyman’s cross inside the box.

Zian Flemming won a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area in the 17th minute having surged straight through the Baggies’ defence. However, his driven effort from the resulting set-piece deflected behind for a corner.

The pressure finally told four minutes later when Watmore pounced on a loose ball before calmly stroking it past Baggies goalkeeper Alex Palmer to give the hosts the lead.

Carlos Corberan’s side were struggling to deal with Millwall’s direct approach and it should have been 2-0 when Michael Obafemi went through on goal from a long ball but his effort was straight at Palmer.

Watmore almost turned provider with 10 minutes left of the half, orchestrating some neat play on the edge of the box before feeding Billy Mitchell, who fired wide from close range.

The visitors finally got on the front foot as the half drew to a close but former Millwall favourite Jed Wallace scuffed his shot after being picked out by Grady Diangana.

Corberan’s side maintained that pressure at the start of the second half, whipping several dangerous balls into the box and controlling possession.

Watmore missed a golden opportunity to give his side a two-goal cushion in the 57th minute, blasting the ball over the bar from the centre of the box.

Obafemi was fouled just outside the area as the Lions appeared to retake control of the clash and moments later Honeyman forced a desperate block from Conor Townsend.

However, Millwall were made to pay for missed opportunities in the 67th minute when Diangana appeared to be tripped by Joe Bryan inside the penalty area.

Bell pointed to the penalty spot and Swift made no mistake, firing the ball into the bottom-left corner.

The Baggies were almost ahead moments later after Alex Mowatt was picked out on the edge of the box by Tom Fellows but his strike did not trouble Millwall stopper Matija Sarkic.

Neither side created a clear-cut chance during a quiet end to a fiery encounter in South London.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed Pep Guardiola as “the best coach in the world” as the close friends prepare for a potentially seismic game in the Premier League title battle this weekend.

Manchester City play host to their title rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday having won the last seven home meetings between the two sides.

Arsenal finally managed to record a rare victory over City when they won the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season and go into the weekend top of the table – above Liverpool on goal difference with Guardiola’s reigning champions a point further back.

The two Spaniards are good friends, Arteta having worked under Guardiola at City between 2016 and 2019 and played his part in two Premier League title wins.

Now though, they will once again be in opposite dugouts as Arteta prepares to lock horns with a manager he believes is without rival.

Asked if his relationship with Guardiola was different now, Arteta replied: “It had to change.

“My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn’t. In my opinion he’s the best coach in the world by a mile and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met in football.

“Certainly he’s one of the ones that I’ve had the most fun and laughter working with. That’s going to stay there forever.

“At the moment the rules are what they are and you’re going to have to adapt to it.”

Having sparred for the title last season, before City ultimately pipped Arsenal for the trophy en route to winning the treble, Arteta is keen to go one better this term.

“Probably I would prefer to do it against someone who I don’t have those feelings for but that’s not a choice,” he added.

“It’s what it is. We both want to win.

“We’ll prepare the game very well. You cannot feel different about the person, but professionally you have to act differently.”

Arteta confirmed forwards Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli could feature having missed the international break with minor injuries, while Gabriel Magalhaes is also expected to be fit enough to start.

The challenge for Arsenal is not only end a nine-year wait for a league win at City but to also emulate their rivals in establishing themselves as a major power in European football.

“They have raised the bar in this league and football in general to levels that haven’t been seen before,” he added on City’s success.

“That’s the beauty of this sport because it makes you better and challenges you more. You have to keep up with that pace and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“It’s a massive game for both teams. It will give us a huge boost again if we go there and win it. Still there is a long, long, long way after to make the ground to win it.”

Celtic captain Callum McGregor has a “very good chance” of facing Rangers but will not be risked on Livingston’s artificial surface.

Manager Brendan Rodgers will delay McGregor’s comeback until after Sunday’s cinch Premiership contest at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

The midfielder has been troubled by Achilles pain and has not featured since coming off at half-time during Celtic’s 7-1 win over Dundee on February 28.

Rodgers said: “Callum has been out on the field, but we are not risking him in this game. But he should hopefully re-join training next week.”

When asked if McGregor had a chance of facing Rangers, Rodgers replied: “Yes, a very good chance.”

Reo Hatate is set to make his return after playing only 19 minutes for Celtic since October. The Japan midfielder briefly returned from a hamstring injury at the start of the year only to suffer calf problems during the Asian Cup.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is also expected to play after being left out of the United States squad amid ongoing hamstring issues but Celtic could again be without wingers Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma, the latter of whom has a calf injury.

Rodgers said: “Cameron is fine, Reo Hatate is back and available in the squad, which is great news. He has worked very hard, he played a bounce game in the time off and he has built up his fitness.

“Yang has come back (from South Korea duty) with a bit of tightness so we just need to make sure that’s nothing more serious. He played two 60 minutes and a 30 minutes when he was away, so he has come back a little bit tight. We just have to check and make sure he is OK.

“Luis Palma will probably just miss out on this weekend but will hopefully be available soon.”

Rodgers admits Livingston’s artificial pitch comes into his thinking when making his team selection.

“You certainly have to consider it,” he said. “Like, for example Callum, you have to think along that route.

“There’s no doubt it comes into your thinking, especially on the back of an international break when players have been travelling.

“I think we are all hopeful in the future that we will have quality grass pitches here that the supporters can see the best possible game they can, but at this moment we play on the plastic pitch so we have to deal with that.

“Of course that means we have to think about team selection and the welfare of the player, and obviously from Callum’s perspective it’s probably too much of a risk for us.”