Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has everything crossed that Wes Morgan will be fit for the Champions League on Tuesday but admits that is a big ask.

Captain Morgan missed the away leg against Atletico Madrid, which Leicester lost 1-0, with a back problem and faces a race to get fit for the return fixture.

Shakespeare’s defensive concerns have been exaggerated by the suspension of Robert Huth after he picked up a yellow card in the Spanish capital.

Morgan returned to full training prior to City’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday and Shakespeare will give his captain every chance to make the starting XI on Tuesday night.

“[Morgan] looked better yesterday. He trained within the group and did the whole session,” said the Foxes chief.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

“I’m hoping that he joins in with the rest of the group. Of course, it’s a big ask of him because he’s had a difficult injury to get over in terms of the power as a centre-back and in terms of his spring.

“But we’re going to give him every opportunity [to be fit for Tuesday] and with the medical staff, we’ll see what their feelings are and we can make a decision.

“I’m assured that (Yohan Benalouane) was just cramp. Of course, cramp can turn into a pull, so it [taking him off] was just a precaution.”

He may have put in one of his poorer displays against Sunderland, but West Ham’s under-fire manager Slaven Bilic has thrown his support behind goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

The Hammers’ number one allowed Wahbi Khazri to score direct from a corner, before gifting Fabio Borini a 90th-minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw.

If Sunderland’s David Moyes felt under pressure during the clash, with fans demanding his removal, Bilic won’t have felt much better, with his side not completely safe from the drop and throwing away two crucial points here.

But the 48-year-old would not blame shot-stopper Randolph, a 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has already made 27 appearances in all competitions for West Ham this term.

“We aren’t pointing fingers. We are winning, losing, scoring and conceding goals as a team. We do it all as a team,” said Bilic.

“It was a well-taken goal from Borini and, OK, you expect to clear the ball, but with our goalkeeper in that position, the ball dropped and unfortunately, he couldn’t hold it.

“We were looking for three points and when you concede goals in that manner – for both of them – they are strange goals and you’re disappointed.

“It was a fair result though. Three [points] would have been brilliant but at this stage of the season, a point can be very, very important for us.”

Rumours of Romelu Lukaku’s impending departure from Goodison Park refuse to go away, but that is not stopping Everton manager Ronald Koeman from piling the praise on his prized asset.

The 23-year-old Belgian scored for the eighth straight home match on Saturday against Burnley, showing both his power and composure to turn and finish in a 3-1 victory.

That equalled a record set by club legend Dixie Dean in 1934, and Lukaku’s run stretches back to January 2 when Everton beat Southampton 3-0 at Goodison Park.

He will look to break the 83-year-old record when the Toffees host Chelsea – one of the several clubs rumoured to be after his signature for next season – in a fortnight’s time.

But with Lukaku still four goals ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot award, Everton boss Koeman cannot hide his admiration of the striker’s ability.

“He’s amazing,” he said. “He’s working hard and will always get chances to score.

“Burnley defended well against Rom but in one split-second, he got some space and showed that he is a great finisher.

“The goal now is to give some competition to the teams around us. We have the same points as Manchester United and we have three more points than Arsenal.

“The realistic situation [becomes clear] when we play the same amount of games but we know that if we finish the season strong, then everything is possible.”

Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce believes every member of his side are growing into their battle to avoid relegation – but in particular Christian Benteke and Yohan Cabaye.

The Eagles earned themselves a vital point on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City, but having been two goals down, they battled back with goals from Cabaye and Benteke.

Allardyce’s charges have improved considerably in recent weeks and have given themselves a great chance of avoiding the drop – they are now seven points clear of the relegation zone.

And the former England manager insists that is down to an improved state of mind in the dressing room.

“I was very pleased about [Christian] Benteke – his game is coming on and on, and the goals are coming back into his game,” said Allardyce.

“The front three are creating opportunities and Yohan Cabaye too. Our front line has got lots of ability and the whole team is playing well.

“I was disappointed to go 2-0 down, but really pleased to get back to 2-2. We didn’t keep the back door shut like we normally do, but it was a fantastic point in the end and a fantastic game.

“I think since the [transfer] window shut, we have been becoming mentally and physically stronger, and the players are miles better than when I first arrived psychologically.

“The biggest pressure on a player to perform is psychologically and the mental side has increased, and the decision-making process too, which has allowed the players to get better and better.

“The fitness has increased with it and the belief and determination, and the results are coming now.”

Xherdan Shaqiri says that his stunner for Stoke City in their win over Hull City was an example of practice made utterly perfect.

The 25-year-old lit up the bet365 Stadium with the Potters’ final goal in their 3-1 win over Hull on Saturday, the Swiss star drifting inside and unleashing an unstoppable long-range howitzer past a helpless Eldin Jakupovic to hand his team their first Premier League win in six games.

Shaqiri, who has a knack for producing the spectacular, revealed that his world-class strike had been honed on the training pitch.

“It was a really beautiful strike and I was so happy to score the goal because we work all day on it, so when it goes in it is always nice, and of course, it was an important one,” said Shaqiri.

“I’ve scored a lot of goals like this and I always try to bring my quality to the pitch.

“Everyone saw me try it and I also scored one like this earlier in the season against Hull City. I try it all the time and I’m really happy that it’s gone in today.

“It was a really nice one. I’ve seen it again and the ball goes just inside the post. I will not forget this goal for sure.

“At the end of the day, it was important to win the game, though.

“Of course it is always nice to score, but for me, it is most important that when I score, my team wins.”

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed that he came close to returning to the Premier League and joining Sunderland earlier this season.

The 36-year-old former Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham striker, who scored 122 goals across 305 appearances in English football, has been a free agent since leaving Greek outfit PAOK at the end of last term.

Berbatov, who won the Premier League title twice at Old Trafford, as well as the League Cup, which he also lifted with Spurs, says that he spoke to the Black Cats about a potential move to the Stadium of Light in January but that initial conversation was never followed up.

“I want to play and to be honest, I had a conversation with a couple of managers, even the Sunderland one, but in the end, nothing happened,” said the Bulgarian frontman.

“You know when you play for a long time, and I’m still in good shape. I stay in good shape and I’m looking to keep playing.

“Yeah, of course (I wanted to play for Sunderland).

“At that stage in my life, it’s all about football.

“To play a little bit more – one more game, one more year – enjoy my teammates, the football, the fans, the pitch; but as I say, in the end, nothing came of it.

“It is what it is.”

A shock England call-up could come the way of Sam Clucas this season, but Hull City manager Marco Silva is not among those surprised by the acclaim.

The midfielder has been a rare ray of sunshine in a disappointing season for the Tigers, still battling against relegation after a 19^th defeat of the campaign against Stoke City on Saturday.

But, five years after almost getting a call-up to the England C side when playing in the Conference, Clucas’ time to shine may now be forthcoming.

The 26-year-old has more than impressed onlookers this season, with no other Tiger featuring more prominently this term – less than a year after failing to make the Championship play-off final side.

And for City boss Silva, a chance for Clucas to feature in England’s plans against Scotland and France in June is not beyond the realms of possibility, so long as he believes in his ability on the park.

(Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

“We’ll see if he plays for England,” he said. “Whether or not he achieves this goal, he just needs to continue to work.

“First of all it’s important that he believes (in himself) and after that it will be up to the coach to make the decision. But it’s important that he believes. We will see in the future.

“What I see in Clucas is one player who improves every day and in every match.

“He can play in not only one position but for me it’s clear that his best position is to play as a midfielder, to play more in the central zone. He’s a very good boy. He works hard, he’s got good skills.

“In the past he’s not played at this level. He’s grown up in his career and maybe he has to do more than the others to stay in the Premier League but at this moment he’s working hard and is a very important player for us. He’s one boy who tries to improve every single day and this is important.”

Burnley fans have had away trips to forget in the Premier League this season, but Robbie Brady is urging the Clarets’ travelling army to keep the faith.

Brady and co. lost 3-1 to Everton on Saturday, failing to derail a Toffees bandwagon that has seen them take maximum points from their last eight games at Goodison Park.

More significantly for Burnley however came another defeat on the road, and they remain the only team in the top flight not to pick up a victory away from home.

The Clarets have had to rely on their form at Turf Moor for all ten victories so far this season, though just one win since January has threatened to drag them into the relegation battle.

But with just two away games left to break their duck, Brady is hopeful the travelling faithful can keep backing their side, just as the defender believes they have done all season.

(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

“They have been excellent and followed the team everywhere. Since I’ve been here it’s been amazing to watch,” said Brady.

“Even against Everton it was packed to the rafters over in that corner. I say just stick with us. We’ll grind out these results out and we’ll be okay.

“We felt we could have taken something from the game. We didn’t manage it in the end but there are plenty more opportunities to come and we’ll relish it.

“It’s a tough one to take. In the first half we put them under pressure and created some good chances.

“It’s disappointing in the end because I thought we put in a decent performance. We’re not too far off it.”

Southampton manager Claude Puel knows his side must be much better when they face Chelsea on Tuesday after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

Puel admitted the Saints were far weak in attack at St Mary’s, despite conceding three times on Saturday, including twice on the counter attack.

City were at their clincical best as Vincent Kompany scored on the counter before Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero completed fast breaks.

And Puel admitted there are plenty of areas for the Saints to improve on when they face the league leaders.

“It’s a disappointment because I think there are opportunities to make a good thing,” Puel reflected.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

“It was not enough from us with the quality and our passing. We kept good organisation in defence but when we recovered the ball we didn’t do enough.

“It was important to continue and we were too nervous today, so it’s not a good day for us.

“The first goal changed the game as it was difficult to find an opportunity for them, but then they scored from a corner.

“After we needed to play and leave space behind our back line. It was difficult to defend against them on the counter-attack and we had to take two goals.”

Watford may have reached the magical 40-point mark in the Premier League, but boss Walter Mazzarri is refusing to admit the Hornets are safe from relegation.

Etienne Capoue’s goal just before half-time gave Mazzarri’s men a 1-0 win over struggling Swansea City at Vicarage Road.

The victory means Watford stay in the comfort of mid-table – they are tenth in the league – 12 points clear of the relegation zone with just six games to play.

But despite this cushion, Mazzarri remains tight-lipped on proclaiming his side as safe from the drop until it is mathematically confirmed.

Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images

However, he was quick to praise his players on reaching the 40-point milestone, despite having injuries to several key players throughout the season.

“Until the maths and the numbers say [so], then we are not safe,” said Mazzarri. “I always say that we try to reach the maximum we can and we have to do this for the next games.

“This is also the mentality that I want to give to my players for next year.

“With what has happened this season, to have 40 points with six games to go is a very good record.

“I also want to thank (Adrian) Mariappa and (Christian) Kabasele and the players that have played less games because they have been great.”