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• England call up uncapped pair Jones and Livramento

  England have called up uncapped pair Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento to their squad for this week's Nations League matches.

  Liverpool midfielder Jones and Newcastle United full-back Livramento have both been part of the senior squad before without being used.

  England confirmed the news on Wednesday and added Harry Kane is continuing his individualised programme, while Jack Grealish sat out of training with a knock.

  Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo have each pulled out of the squad since it was announced after sustaining injuries over the weekend.

  The Three Lions host Greece at Wembley on Thursday and then travel to Helsinki to face Finland three days later, with both fixtures coming in Group B2.

  Jones is well known to interim England head coach Lee Carsley, with only two players having been used more under him for the Under-21s in the Three Lions squad for this week's fixtures.

  The 23-year-old played 14 times at that level for England under Carsley, level with Anthony Gordon and behind Noni Madueke (19) and Angel Gomes (16). 

  He was included as part of Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024, a year on from scoring the winner in the Euro Under-21 Championship final, but did not make the final cut.

  Livramento, meanwhile, was part of the squad for last month's victories over Republic of Ireland and Finland but did not receive his maiden cap.

  The former Chelsea player has featured nine times for Newcastle this season and has helped his club side to three clean sheets, most recently in last weekend's 0-0 draw at Everton.

• King, David optimistic Soca Warriors will be at their best against Cuba in must-win Nations League fixtures

  With momentum by no means in their favour, Trinidad and Tobago’s interim Head coach Derek King and captain Aubrey David are optimistic that the Soca Warriors might have saved their best for last as they face a must-win situation against Cuba in their upcoming Concacaf Nations League encounters.

  Rooted at the foot of Group B in League A with a point, the Soca Warriors will have to take Cuba’s scalp in hostile territory on Thursday and again in the Twin Island Republic on Monday to not only improve their chances of progressing to the quarterfinals, but more importantly, avoid relegation to League B.

  Jamaica and Nicaragua are set for a top-of-the-table clash as both head the standings on four points each, with Honduras (three points) and Cuba (two points) in close proximity. French Guiana, also on a point, round out the group.

  After suffering a 0-4 loss away to Honduras in their opening fixture, Trinidad and Tobago were expected to rebound at home against French Guiana. Instead, they were held to a goalless stalemate, and that has left them in their current predicament.

  

  Still, King is hopeful that the addition of experienced midfielders Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino, and others will turn their fortunes and prove rewarding where securing six crucial points is concerned. 

  “The guys are fully aware of the task at hand; we had discussions, and we all know that we need six points. But let us focus on this very important game first. We have to go out there and give it our best shot and get three points to go back home with,” King said in an interview with TTFA Media from the team’s base in Cuba.

  “We had a locally-based team training for two and a half weeks, so we decided that we would go with some of the locally-based players and add some foreign-based players who were not with the team before. I think the guys we added would bring some kind of experience to the unit we have at this point. 

  “They are senior men to the team. They have played overseas as well, professional players. So, I think it's good to add their knowledge with this bunch. They will add some quality to the team as well, so we must go out there and give it our best,” he added.

  Meanwhile, David, who is charged with marshalling the Soca Warriors defensive line, is mindful that Cuba will also fancy their chances of progressing and, as such, are not going to be a walkover.

  “Cuba has a lot of foreign players; they have players who play in Costa Rica, in Guatemala, and the USA as well. Basically, they have a young team, but they’re willing to fight. They’re hungry and want to prove themselves because they’re at home,” David assessed.

  “So it’s just for us to be together and execute our game plan so that we can leave here with three points.

  “We have a lot of young players as well, and some with quality. I think they stepped up in the last Nations League; we saw a lot of them jumping onto the international scene and making a big impact, so it’s just for them to continue on that momentum,” he noted.

• Alisson set to miss at least seven Liverpool games with hamstring injury

  Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is expected to be out for at least seven games after sustaining a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace.

  The Brazilian went off in the 79th minute of Liverpool's 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday and, according to widespread reports, is likely to be sidelined until at least the November international break.

  Alisson was replaced by Premier League debutant Vitezslav Jaros against Palace as Caoimhin Kelleher missed that game through illness.

  Kelleher deputised earlier in the season when Alisson was sidelined by a different hamstring injury, and is set to do so again, having recovered to join up with the Republic of Ireland national team.

  Alisson also immediately pulled out of Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers before having his scans.

  "Alisson is our clear No. 1, the best goalkeeper in the world, so it's a blow when he gets injured for himself and the team," Slot said after the match on Saturday.

  "We have a second option that's already good. Caoimhin has already shown that, which is why Caoimhin is the No. 2, and the last time Alisson was injured, I played Caoimhin."

  The Reds have made a flying start to the season, winning nine of their 10 matches in all competitions.

  However, they will likely have to navigate Premier League matches against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, who they also face in the EFL Cup, and Aston Villa without their usual number one, as well as Champions League meetings with RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.