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• Sheffield United postpone Women’s Championship game after death of Maddy Cusack

  Sheffield United’s FA Women’s Championship fixture against Crystal Palace, scheduled for this Saturday, has been postponed following the death of Maddy Cusack.

  The 27-year-old, who had made over 100 appearances and also worked for the club as a marketing executive, died last Wednesday.

  United said on social media: “Our @BarclaysWC fixture at Crystal Palace, scheduled for Saturday 30th September, has been postponed.

  “The Blades asked for the game to be postponed following the recent devastating news of the passing of Maddy Cusack.

  “A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.”

  The club paid tribute to Cusack before the men’s team’s Premier League game against Newcastle on Sunday, with players wearing shirts bearing her name and number and a minute’s silence held in her honour.

  In a statement of their own, Palace said: “The thoughts and condolences of everybody at the club are with Maddy’s friends, family, team-mates and colleagues.”

• Leicester still have Premier League quality – Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders

  Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders believes they will take on a Premier League quality team in Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

  The Championship leaders, who look set to vie for an immediate return to the top flight under new coach Enzo Maresca, will make the trip to Anfield for a third-round tie.

  Lijnders took over the hotseat from Jurgen Klopp for the pre-match press conference, and he said: “We know we’re going to play against a team that has a lot of individual quality.

  “It shows how they are doing in the league. A real clear offensive game idea, very quick installation of this idea with the coach Enzo – he does an unbelievable job. I think each player could play in the Premier League.

  “It will be really hard for us to get control of their key players and at the same time put them under pressure. As always in each game we will focus on ourselves.

  “Of course we will make changes but we want to put our game into place, we want to be dominant, we want to be in their half of the pitch.”

  The game will come too soon for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who Lijnders said “looked outstanding” on his return to training on Monday following a hamstring injury.

  Midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who is yet to make an appearance this season, is back on the grass but is working individually.

  There could be another chance, though, for 17-year-old winger Ben Doak, who started last week’s Europa League match in Linz.

  Lijnders cited his Dutch heritage while discussing Doak’s potential, saying: “He is young so a lot of things can happen.

  “I had the privilege to grow up in Holland and we have this culture, a long tactical culture of Johan Cruyff. This idea of having the wingers on the outside, they can create, can really disorganise the opposition, use the speed.

  “Then, if you get a young winger from Scotland but only 17 years old and he has this capacity to create and to reach the final line with individual movement, it’s nice to see.

  “The good thing about Ben in my opinion is he comes into a squad with so much senior authority. He will never make a sidestep, the boys will already tell him.

  “He has this great low gravity and that’s how he can control the ball better. So he’s a really interesting player but loads to come, he needs to mature, he needs to listen to Robbo (Andy Robertson), to Mo Salah, to all these guys that are trying to help him.

  “And I think it’s really good for the older players to have young players with this hunger. That combination is what we always had and that’s how we want to construct the squad.”

• Kalvin Phillips to start in Manchester City’s Carabao Cup clash at Newcastle

  Kalvin Phillips will make a rare start for Manchester City in their Carabao Cup clash against Newcastle, with Pep Guardiola admitting he is concerned about sustaining more injuries.

  Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic are available but City are without John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, while Rodri is suspended for three games following his sending off against Nottingham Forest.

  Wednesday’s trip to St James’ Park is the first of four successive away matches in less than two weeks, with City also visiting Wolves, Leipzig and Arsenal.

  Guardiola said: “We used it, when we won a few times this competition, at the beginning of the season there are four, five, six players that maybe don’t play regularly and it’s perfect because it’s better than training sessions to play a game.

  “But everyone was fit and we made a strong side. But now is an exceptional situation.

  “We have a lot of players injured and a lot of players with a lot of minutes – with national team, with the team – and they have to rest because tomorrow is important but Wolves, Leipzig and Arsenal are much more important.

  “The guys who didn’t play much are going to play and see what happens with the rest to try to make a good starting XI and travel there to win the game.

  “There’s no doubt about that but I have to take a consideration that a lot of effort we have in this period, with many players, a lot of minutes, and we have to avoid for them to get injured again otherwise we’ll be in trouble.”

  It will be only a fifth start for Phillips since his move from Leeds last summer, although he did play nearly all of the second half against Forest on Saturday following Rodri’s red card.

  Guardiola said his side are only able to train for five to 10 minutes because of the need for recovery.

  “We are used to it,” he said. “Previous seasons were the same. Yes you have maybe two or three more games for the (Club) World Cup but the rest is the same.

  “The problem is a lack of rest, mentally especially. The seasons come with two or three weeks off, and this is nothing. In the future, with the Champions League longer and more teams, that is what it is. I complain a little bit on my side here and then after that forget it and go to the competitions.”

  City won the Carabao Cup for four straight years from 2018 to 2021 but last season it proved their only disappointment, with Guardiola’s side suffering a shock defeat against Southampton in the quarter-finals.

  Phil Foden has already talked about going for the quadruple as the only way to top last year, but Guardiola said with a smile: “Phil is so young, you understand with time.

  “It’s nice to have that ambition but, as I said to the players, the ambition is the next game. Maybe in April, May, if you are still in all competitions you can start to think about it but, right now in the end of September, to think about the title is a big mistake.

  “But if he believes that I will not be the guy to let him think the opposite.”