Koscielny: France coach Didier Deschamps has called up Roma’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to replace the injured Laurent Koscielny for his side’s upcoming friendly double-header. Arsenal central defender Koscielny, who has been suffering from “chronic tendinitis of both Achilles tendons for several months”, was released from international duty after he was struck down by the injury when he met up with the rest of the France squad in Clairefontaine three days ago.

Lovren: Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren has withdrawn from Croatia’s squad with an abdominal injury to give club manager Brendan Rodgers a potential defensive headache. The defender was due to play in Euro 2016 qualifiers against Bulgaria tonight and Azerbaijan on Monday but sustained a problem in training which has ruled him out.

Stones: Everton and England defender John Stones will be out of action for 10-14 weeks due to an ankle injury. The 20-year-old suffered ligament damage during Sunday’s 2-1 league defeat at Manchester United. Stones, 20, has had an impressive start to the season for club and country having just missed out on the final England squad for this year’s World Cup.

Ferdinand: Former QPR striker Les Ferdinand has been appointed the club’s head of football operations. Ferdinand, who played for QPR and coached at Tottenham Hotspur under current Rangers manager Harry Redknapp, will be in charge of overseeing the footballing structure.

Varela: Winger Silvestre Varela has undergone a minor groin operation and is expected to return to training with West Brom next week. Varela, who joined Albion on a season-long loan deal from Porto over the summer, has so far made only one appearance for the Baggies, as a substitute in the Capital One Cup. The 29-year-old Portugal international went under the knife following consultation between West Brom and his parent club.

Under-21: UEFA play-off, first leg – Netherlands vs Portugal 0-2.