Meireles: Portugal have called up Braga midfielder Custodio to replace injured Raul Meireles in their squad for the World Cup Group F qualifying matches against Israel and Luxembourg. Meireles, who plays for Turkish side Fenerbahce, has sustained an injury to his right thigh. It is the latest in a string of injuries affecting Portugal who will be forced to deploy an untried defence against Israel tomorrow.

Maicon: Roma full-back Maicon has targeted a return to club action in the Serie A summit meeting with Napoli tomorrow week. The 32-year-old is expected to return to training with the Giallorossi in the next few days after sustaining a hamstring injury. “I’m almost 100 per cent recovered,” he said yesterday. “This week I started physical work and now I have to improve because I have not trained for 12 days and because we have a difficult game against Napoli.”

Banned: Malky Mackay’s head of recruitment at Cardiff, Iain Moody, has been suspended by the club. Moody followed Mackay from Watford when the Scot joined the Bluebirds in 2011. The reasoning behind Moody’s suspension is unknown, but it is understood Kazakhstani Alisher Apsalyamov, thought to be a friend of owner Vincent Tan’s son who appears to have no previous experience in football, has taken over from him in an acting capacity.

De Bruyne: Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne has dismissed reports of an injury sustained while on international duty with Belgium. This week it was suggested the 22-year-old had sustained an ankle injury and was taken to hospital, making him doubtful for the Group A leaders’ match with Croatia tomorrow. De Bruyne wrote on Twitter: “Just to say. I’m fully fit for the game against Croatia... no injury at all.”

Boateng: A knee injury has ruled Kevin-Prince Boateng out of Ghana’s World Cup play-off against Egypt next week. Boateng was injured in Schalke 04’s win over FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga at the weekend and has withdrawn from the Ghana squad for the first leg tie in Kumasi on Tuesday.