Morecambe v Aldershot preview

Morecambe v Aldershot preview

Published Feb. 11, 2013 1:15 p.m. ET

Celtic manager Neil Lennon will give Georgios Samaras and Efe Ambrose every chance to be available for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Juventus at Parkhead on Tuesday night.

The Greece striker is battling to recover from a hamstring injury while Ambrose played for Nigeria in their Africa Cup of Nations final win over Burkina Faso on Sunday night and will not be back in Glasgow until the morning of the game.

Left-back Emilio Izaguirre has recovered from a knee injury while winger James Forrest is fit again following a hamstring problem.

Nicolas Anelka, Mirko Vucinic and Kwadwo Asamoah are included in a 22-man travelling squad for Juventus, but Paolo De Ceglie misses out with a thigh strain suffered in the 2-0 Serie A win over Fiorentina.

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Vucinic also picked up a knock to his knee in that game but is in contention, while Asamoah is jetting straight to Scotland after being on international duty with Ghana.

Anelka has not yet made his debut for Juve after joining from Shanghai Shenhua on a six-month deal but offers a different attacking option.

York strikers Ashley Chambers and Alex Rodman could both return to the starting line-up with manager Gary Mills tempted to make changes.

The Minstermen followed up their recent 4-1 home defeat to Morecambe with a 4-0 loss at Wycombe on Saturday and Mills could be ready to switch things around.

Chambers returned to the bench at the weekend following surgery to resolve a groin/stomach problem in mid-December and was a half-time substitute, while Rodman also went on at the start of the second half.

Recent new signing David McDaid is pushing for his first start after two substitute appearances.

Skipper Chris Smith is doubtful due to an unspecified knock and if he fails to make it David McGurk is set to return, although Daniel Parslow gives Mills an alternative option at centre-half.

Strikers Ben Everson (hamstring) and Michael Coulson (knee), plus defender Lanre Oyebanjo (fractured skull) are still out.

Gillingham will assess both Charlie Allen and Danny Kedwell ahead of their clash at York.

Midfielder Allen returned to the Gills' starting line-up for Saturday's 1-0 victory at Bradford but hobbled off in the 55th minute nursing an ankle knock, bringing an end to an impressive display.

Twelve-goal leading scorer Kedwell missed the game altogether with a hamstring injury and his involvement against the Minstermen at Bootham Crescent is more unlikely.

Otherwise, manager Martin Allen is expected to have a fully-fit squad to select from for the encounter.

The Gills have remained in Yorkshire for their away double-header and know they will return home to Kent having regained top spot in League Two if they can make it six points from six.

Morecambe boss Jim Bentley could welcome back defender Robbie Threlfall.

The former Liverpool trainee has been out since January with a thigh injury but is expected to be ready to return to first-team action.

Bentley will run the rule over midfielder Andy Fleming who is making good progress in his recovery from an ankle injury while defender Dan Parkinson requires a late fitness test after missing Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Exeter with a knock.

Jack Redshaw, Lewis Alessandra and Chris Holroyd will battle it out for two starting places up front.

Morecambe have not suffered back-to-back defeats since late November and will be hoping to avoid that with a positive result against the League Two strugglers.

Dean Holdsworth has plenty to ponder ahead of Aldershot's trip to the Shrimps as he looks to haul the Hampshire club out of the bottom two.

Holdsworth opted to go with two strikers up front for Saturday's crunch relegation clash against Plymouth but watched on as Argyle came away with a 2-1 victory, plunging the Shots into the drop zone on goal difference.

He must now decide whether to ditch the 4-4-2 formation and revert back to the 4-2-3-1 system which earned a goalless draw at high-flying Exeter the week previous.

Craig Reid is the man who would make way after he came in for the benched Asa Hall against Plymouth.

Aaron Morris was fit enough to join him among the substitutes having recovered from a hamstring injury and Holdsworth is not expected to have picked up any new concerns.

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