Raul Jimenez’s flawless penalty record helps Fulham past Nottingham Forest
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Raúl Jiménez extended his perfect Premier League penalty record to seal an error-strewn match where quality in the final third was in short supply.
The Mexico striker, 34, netted his 11th spot kick in as many attempts in first-half stoppage time to move Fulham 10 points clear of third-bottom West Ham United . Nottingham Forest remain fourth from bottom, five points ahead of West Ham, who play Fulham on Saturday.
Jiménez, using a stuttering run-up, sent Forest goalkeeper John Victor the wrong way from the spot and said of his technique: “I do it well, so it’s something I have been training for my whole career. I like to have this pressure with these penalties. I’m happy to score. I’ve never missed. I’m really happy about that, so I want to keep doing it like that. More penalties to come, I’ll be there.”
Fulham were without Samuel Chukwueze , Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey , on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Nigeria . Forest also made an Afcon-enforced change – Douglas Luiz replacing the Ivory Coast’s Ibrahim Sangaré in midfield.
The first chance was Forest’s but Igor Jesus was off target after Neco Williams found him eight yards in front of the near post. Kevin had a shot deflected over after Forest made a mess of playing out from the back and Sasa Lukic sent Fulham’s next attempt wide.
Jiménez headed Antonee Robinson ’s delivery to the near post into the side-netting three minutes before the break but five minutes of added time were enough for the striker to open the scoring with the game’s first shot on target – from the penalty spot after Luiz foolishly stuck out a foot to trip Kevin.
Victor, still in the Forest goal despite Matz Sels ’s return to fitness, was booked for delaying the kick but the mind games did not work as he guessed wrong with his dive.
Williams forced Bernd Leno into his first save with a long-range shot early in the second half before Morgan Gibbs-White was off target with an overhead kick, but at least Forest had woken up. They passed the ball patiently but attempts at goal were all from a long way out.
A rare Fulham break went wrong when Kevin lost control. Jiménez passed up a chance to wrap up victory by flashing a header wide from Kenny Tete ’s cross but Forest could not take advantage.
Sean Dyche, the visitors’ manager, conceded it had been “a low-quality game, a lot of huff and puff from both sides”.
Of the penalty decision, he said: “It was a tough call, but nowadays when you get a touch in the box they go down and that’s the way it goes.”
10:21pm
Post-match thoughts of Marco Silva
“We are very happy and pleased for the players, for the three points. We spoke before the match at how important it was to win at home and get back-to-back league wins. Tight game, difficult game. The first half was better from us than the second. We had some good moments in the first half. We managed the second half well and I do not remember one chance from Nottingham Forest.”
10:18pm
Fulham’s matchwinner Raul Jimenez speaking to Sky Sports
10:11pm
100%
10:10pm
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports
“We said before kick-off that it would not have been the end of the world for either team if they lost tonight. But whoever could get three points could put a bit of distance between them and the bottom three and it will feel huge; to get two wins on the bounce in the Premier League is big, especially for teams near the bottom.”
10:08pm
Nottingham Forest’s next five matches
December 27: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
(Premier League)
December 30: Nottingham Forest vs Everton
(Premier League)
January 3: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
January 6: West Ham vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
January 9: Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest (FA Cup)
10:06pm
Fulham’s next five games
December 27: West Ham vs Fulham (Premier League)
January 1: Crystal Palace vs Fulham (Premier League)
January 4: Fulham vs Liverpool
(Premier League)
January 7: Fulham vs Chelsea
(Premier League)
January 10: Fulham vs Middlesbrough (FA Cup)
10:03pm
This round of Premier League fixtures
Saturday:
Newcastle 2 Chelsea 2
Bournemouth
1 Burnley
1
Brighton
0 Sunderland
0
Manchester City 3 West Ham 0
Wolves
0 Brentford
2
Tottenham 1 Liverpool 2
Everton 0 Arsenal
1
Leeds
4 Crystal Palace
1
Sunday:
Aston Villa
2 Manchester United
1
Tonight:Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
10:01pm
FT stats
Possession:Fulham 49%-51% Nottingham Forest
Shots:11-12
Shots on target:1-2
Corners:1-5
Touches in opposition box:23-21
09:59pm
Full time
There is the final whistle and Fulham have seen it out, claiming a 1-0 victory courtesy of Jimenez’s penalty near the end of the first half. An important win for Marco Silva’s side which moves them 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
09:58pm
90+5 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Fulham look like they will see this one out as Forest are still struggling to actually create a golden opportunity. 60 seconds remain.
09:57pm
90+3 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Andersen is booked for dissent, with the Fulham centre-back extremely unhappy that his side were not awarded a free-kick.
09:55pm
90+1 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
One final throw of the dice from the visitors as Kalimuendo replaces Hudson-Odoi.
09:54pm
90 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
There will be six minutes of added time. That is slightly more than I expected.
09:52pm
89 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Time is running out for Forest to find an equaliser and there may not be more than four minutes added on. No VAR delays in this second half so it would be a touch surprising to see more than four, maybe five minutes of additional time.
09:49pm
85 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Triple change from the hosts as Traore, Diop and Kusi-Asare come on. Jimenez, Wilson and Smith Rowe head off.
09:48pm Key moments
84 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
That was a decent opportunity for Jimenez to get his and Fulham’s second to wrap up the game. After great work by King and Tete down the right, the latter’s cross picks out Jimenez but the Mexican’s header goes wide.
09:46pm
83 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Anderson’s cross from the left is missed by Milenkovic and then a huge melee ensues. At the heart of it are Milenkovic and Cuenca. Milenkovic would be fortunate to escape this situation without a booking and he does not. Cuenca is also shown a yellow card.
It all stemmed from Milenkovic wanting a penalty that was never going to be given and the Fulham players took umbrage to those appeals.
09:44pm
81 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Another change for the visitors as Zinchenko replaces Savona.
09:41pm
77 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Fulham are making a change but it is not Wilson. Instead Kevin is replaced by 18-year-old King. Wilson is going to try to continue.
09:40pm
76 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
This could be of concern for Fulham as Wilson has gone down clutching at his knee. He actually picked up the injury fouling his compatriot Williams and, to compound his misery, he is going to be booked. Wilson has been quite quiet tonight and his game could be over here.
Traore is getting ready to come on.
09:36pm
73 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Cairney drags his effort just wide from range. Fulham want a corner and the replays show they should have been as Victor did get a touch diving to his left. Forest are furious that Jesus was not given a free-kick inside the Fulham half in the build-up. No-one is happy!
Sean Dyche is going to make his first changes of the night, three in total. Awoniyi, Dominguez and McAtee come on. Interestingly, despite being a goal down, Forest take off their most creative player in Gibbs-White.
09:34pm
70 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Murillo is into the book for a foul on Tete.
09:33pm
69 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
That is really poor from Kevin and the home fans let him know about it. Wilson finds the Brazilian in acres of space out on the left and he moves into the box. Instead of shooting off his left, he shows a lack of confidence by cutting inside and is then dispossesed before he can even get a shot away.
09:32pm
68 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
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It’s all Forest in the second half but Fulham have retreated in numbers and are restricting them to pot-shots from extreme distance so far.
09:29pm
65 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
The first change of the night is made by the hosts as Cairney replaces Berge .
09:28pm
64 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Both managers are getting animated on the sidelines and are not agreeing with certain decisions. Fourth official Tim Robinson has a job on his hands keeping the peace. Both sets of fans are taking it turns to express their frustrations at the officiating.
09:26pm
63 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Hutchinson drives past Robinson down Forest’s right and crosses for Jesus, whose first touch is loose inside the Fulham box, which allows Tete to intervene and then Jesus fouls Tete.
09:25pm
62 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Murillo shoots from range and strikes it well but Leno just about manages to gather.
Moments later Gibbs-White also has an effort from distance that goes not far wide of Leno’s right post. Leno did look like he had it covered.
09:24pm
61 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Nottingham Forest have definitely had the better of Fulham since the break but have yet to carve out a genuine goal-scoring opportunity.
09:22pm
59 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Marco Silva is clearly not agreeing with some of the decisions being made and has been engaged in some animated discussions with fourth official Tim Robinson.
09:20pm
56 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Berge cynically pulls Gibbs-White down and it is no surprise to see Anthony Taylor go to his pocket and book Berge. Put that one down as a “professional foul”! Gibbs-White gets up a little gingerly.
09:17pm
54 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Fulham do have the lead but are they are being too negative at the start of this second half?
09:16pm
53 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Robinson is caught offside but he is also caught by Savona, who is lucky that play had been halted as had Robinson been onside, that would have been a free-kick and almost certainly a yellow card.
09:14pm
50 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
After Kevin inexplicably gives the ball away on the edge of his own box, Hutchinson clips in a cross to the back post, where Gibbs-White connects with an acrobatic overhead kick but it goes wide. Gibbs-White was actually offside anyway so it would not have counted anyway.
09:12pm
49 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Williams drives a shot towards goal from the edge of the box but his effort is straight at Leno.
09:11pm
47 mins: Fulham 1 Nottingham Forest 0
Jesus gets in between the two Fulham centre-backs, Andersen and Cuenca, and gets his shot away on the stretch from the six-yard box but the effort goes off target.
09:09pm
Second half
We are back under way at Craven Cottage. No changes from either side at the break.
09:03pm
Inconsistency?
Jamie Carragher has brought up on Sky Sports that the contact from Douglas Luiz on Kevin is similar to a situation in Arsenal’s win at Everton, when William Saliba was not penalised for an almost identical challenge on Thierno Barry . Fans ask for consistency from officials but this proves there is not. The one tonight was a penalty and the one on Saturday night should have been as well.
09:01pm
HT verdict
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If ever a game needed a goal it is this one. Anthony Taylor was right on the spot and right to point to the spot even though the leg that wasn’t kicked was the one that suddenly collapsed. Home Alone fans know Kevin always outwits people at Christmas though...
08:58pm
HT stats
Possession:Fulham 52%-48% Nottingham Forest
Shots:9-6
Shots on target:1-0
Corners:1-1
Touches in opposition box:19-12
08:53pm
Half-time
That is it for the first half and Fulham take a 1-0 lead into the break courtesy of that Jimenez penalty. Not a half of many chances but Fulham took theirs from the spot.
08:51pm Goals • Key moments • Video
GOAL! Jimenez puts Fulham ahead from the spot
Despite Victor’s delay tactics that earned him a yellow card, Jimenez deposits the penalty into the bottom left corner. It is a long run-up from the Mexican with a few stutters in it but no mistake from the Fulham striker. That is his third league goal of the season.
08:48pm
PENALTY FULHAM!
Kevin goes down inside the Forest box and Anthony Taylor points to the spot. Luiz swings his leg to try and hook the ball away but only succeeds in hitting the back of Kevin’s foot. Taylor was in a good position to see it and it is definitely a penalty. It takes way too long for VAR to take a look at proceedings when it looked pretty clear-cut but eventually the decision stands.
Jimenez, who has scored 10 out of 10 Premier League penalties, to take...
08:46pm
45 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
There will be five added minutes at the end of this first half due to the treatment both Kevin and Andersen received.
08:44pm
43 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Hutchinson cuts inside out on the right onto his preferred left foot and curls a dangerous cross towards the far post. It looked like it may have been creeping inside the post so Leno has to get down to his right to make the save.
08:43pm Key moments
42 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Chance for Jimenez and plenty inside Craven Cottage thought the ball was in the net. Kevin feeds the ball forward down the left to Robinson, who crosses well. He picks out Jimenez, who wins the header but it goes into the side netting.
08:41pm
40 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
On the Monday night football this time last week, there were eight goals in a 4-4 draw between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford. This week, through 40 minutes, there have been hardly any chances.
08:40pm
39 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Robinson crosses from the left and Kevin misses it. The ball does come through to Lukic on the edge of the box and the midfielder tries to guide one into the bottom left corner but it goes wide.
08:39pm
38 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
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Forest fans don’t like Anthony Taylor though. “It’s all about you!” they chant as the referee gives another foul against them. To the same tune as before. Got to say I prefer a bit of ‘Mull of Kintyre’...
08:38pm
37 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Kevin’s shot from the left side of the box deflects over the bar for a Fulham corner. Only Arsenal have scored more goals from corners than Fulham in the league this season but it does not come to anything.
08:37pm
36 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
The combined xG between the two sides currently stands at 0.41, which highlights the lack of any clear-cut chances in this first half. We are still awaiting the first shot on target from either side.
08:34pm
33 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Luiz decides to shoot from range but is nowhere near hitting the target, missing miles right of the goal. Just about sums up the half!
08:32pm
30 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
There is a little frustration amongst the home fans as it is not clicking in attack tonight. The latest example sees Jimenez thinking there was a teammate on the overlap down the left but there was not.
08:29pm
28 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
This game is really yet to catch fire as both sides feel each other out. Not sure which manager will be the happier right now, probably Sean Dyche with his side away from home.
08:28pm
26 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Andersen has had a few fingers on his left hand taped together and he is set to continue. Considering he cannot handle the ball legally, he does not really need his fingers!
08:25pm
24 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Fulham kick the ball out of play as Andersen has what looks like a dislocated finger. If you are squeamish, you would not want to see that one! The finger was not exactly pointing where it should be, without wanting to get too graphic!
08:23pm
23 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
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“He walks on the Trent!” sing the Forest fans of Igor Jesus. Imagine what they might say if he actually scores some goals. The Brazilian is winning the physical battle with Jorge Cuenca so far though.
08:22pm
21 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Luiz bends a lovely cross from the right looking for Jesus but it is just in front of the striker and Leno gathers.
08:18pm
17 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Kevin should do better with that opportunity. A long ball forward goes all the way through to Kevin, who should be away for a one-on-one chance. His second touch is loose, which takes a bit away from goal. He then cuts inside on the edge of the box and his shot is blocked. Had Kevin’s second touch been better, he would have been in on goal.
08:15pm
14 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Play has been halted as Kevin’s head hit his own teammate Berge’s knee and has stayed down, receiving treatment. The medics do the mandatory concussion checks and Kevin is cleared to continue.
08:13pm
12 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Fulham have been hit quite hard by Afcon absentees, with Bassey, Iwobi and Chukwueze all away with Nigeria at the moment. Forest are without Ivory Coast’s Sangare.
08:12pm
10 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Robinson is a relieved man. He inexplicably passes the ball across the face of his own box and Jesus takes possession. The Brazilian’s shot though from inside the box is well blocked by a sliding Andersen.
08:10pm
8 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
A win for one of these sides would give them good breathing space down to the relegation zone. Fulham would move 10 points clear with a victory, Forest eight.
Williams crosses from the left and picks out Jesus eight yards out. The Brazilian striker should do so much better than blazing it into the stands.
08:05pm
4 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Sels is back from injury for the visitors but has to settle for a place on the bench as Victor retains his position in goal. Sean Dyche said before the game that Victor deserves this opportunity having done a decent job in their last few games with Sels out injured. Does that suggest that if Forest keep a clean sheet tonight that Victor will keep his spot or with more training under his belt that Sels will come back in for the next game?
08:03pm
2 mins: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
It has been a chaotic start for Forest as Fulham are appealing for a handball against Hudson-Odoi in his own box but it is cleared as it came off Hudson-Odoi’s thigh first before hitting the arm.
08:02pm
1 min: Fulham 0 Nottingham Forest 0
Inside the opening 15 seconds, Kevin fizzes a dangerous ball across the box but none of his teammates can get on the end of it. Plenty of Nottingham Forest fans would have had their hearts in their mouths for a moment.
08:01pm
Kick-off
We begin under the lights at Craven Cottage in the final Premier League game before Christmas.
07:56pm
Nearly ready for action
Both sides emerge from the tunnel and we are just moments away from kick-off at Craven Cottage. Here is a reminder of the teams:
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Lukic, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Kevin, Jimenez.
Substitutes:Lecomte, Reed, King, Traore, Kusi-Asare, Diop, Castagne, Ridgeon, Cairney.
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo,Williams; Luiz, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White,Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.
Substitutes:Sels, Morato, Awoniyi, Kalimuendo, Domínguez, McAtee, Bakwa, Zinchenko, Abbott.
07:52pm
Pre-match thoughts of Marco Silva
07:48pm
The Grinch!
07:47pm
Every Premier League player at the Africa Cup of Nations
With the Africa Cup of Nations starting on Sunday, Premier League players are beginning to leave their clubs for the tournament.
An agreement was made for players to leave on December 15 and some could be missing for over a month, with the final on January 18.
Arguably the biggest name in African football, Mohamed Salah will link up with the Egypt squad after a turbulent few weeks with Liverpool . No other players will leave Anfield for the tournament, giving the club a look at what life after Salah may be like.
07:43pm
Nottingham Forest’s last five results
Nottingham Forest 3 Tottenham 0 (Premier League)
Utrecht 1 Nottingham Forest 2 (Europa League)
Everton 3 Nottingham Forest 0 (Premier League)
Wolves 0 Nottingham Forest 1 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 0 Brighton 2 (Premier League)
07:38pm
Fulham’s last five results
Newcastle 2 Fulham 1 (League Cup)
Burnley 2 Fulham 3 (Premier League)
Fulham 1 Crystal Palace 2 (Premier League)
Fulham 4 Manchester City 5 (Premier League)
Tottenham 1 Fulham 2 (Premier League)
07:32pm
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports
07:27pm
Nottingham Forest’s January transfer plans revealed
Sean Dyche is targeting a reunion with Everton winger Dwight McNeil as he prepares for his first transfer window at Nottingham Forest. McNeil has been identified as a potential signing by Dyche next month, with Forest also prioritising the addition of a new left-back.
Dyche has managed McNeil twice before, at Burnley and Everton, and wants to offer the former England Under-21 international a fresh start at the City Ground.
McNeil has started just one Premier League game for Everton this season, but manager David Moyes is likely to delay sanctioning a deal as Iliman Ndiaye is away with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the midfielder, is also sidelined with a hamstring injury.
07:20pm
Pre-match thoughts of Sean Dyche
07:15pm
Marco Silva on the January transfer window
“We have been speaking, not just now, but for the last month and a half, probably, straight after the last summer things that we were supposed to do, and we did not. And of course, looking to the Africa Cup of Nations that we knew was going to happen and of course, the injury of Rodrigo [Muniz] that created a completely different scenario for us, and we know what we need. It is not about what the coach or the manager, it is not about Marco Silva as manager needs to improve or strengthen the squad. It is about what the football club needs to do.”
07:12pm
Teams in full
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Lukic, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Kevin, Jimenez.
Substitutes:Lecomte, Reed, King, Traore, Kusi-Asare, Diop, Castagne, Ridgeon, Cairney.
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo,Williams; Luiz, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White,Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.
Substitutes:Sels, Morato, Awoniyi, Kalimuendo, Domínguez, McAtee, Bakwa, Zinchenko, Abbott.
07:07pm
Visitors in the house
07:04pm
Omens on Fulham’s side?
06:59pm
This round of Premier League fixtures
Saturday:
Newcastle 2 Chelsea 2
Bournemouth 1 Burnley 1
Brighton 0 Sunderland 0
Manchester City 3 West Ham 0
Wolves 0 Brentford 2
Tottenham 1 Liverpool 2
Everton 0 Arsenal 1
Leeds 4 Crystal Palace 1
Sunday:Aston Villa 2 Manchester United 1
Tonight:Fulham vs Nottingham Forest (8pm)
06:52pm
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06:45pm Key moments
Nottingham Forest team
06:45pm Key moments
Fulham team
06:43pm Key moments
Match preview
The Premier League weekend concludes in west London as Fulham host Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage. In this fixture last season, Fulham claimed a 2-1 victory back in February, part of a league double over Forest having also won 1-0 at the City Ground. In fact, Fulham have won five of the six Premier League meetings with Forest.
Fulham earned a victory in their last Premier League game, winning 3-2 at Burnley but they start the game down in 15 th , two places above their opponents.
“Big game, last of the year for us at Craven Cottage in 2025,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said. “Very important for the football club that we are able to break the points record of last year, some great performances at home, but always trying to improve and progress. It has been a very good year for us, and it is important to end in the right way.”
Silva’s side were in League Cup action last midweek, losing 2-1 at Newcastle in the quarter-finals. This game being on the Monday night has afforded Fulham a bit more rest and Silva is grateful for that.
“At this moment, it is a very good thing for us,” Silva added. “I am not hiding the situation and the way we have been using almost always the same players, players that have been doing everything to help the team, putting a lot of effort every single game. It is important to have some days rest and this game being on Monday night is good after a long journey and a competitive game last Wednesday.”
Silva has confirmed that Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon are unavailable tonight whilst Nigerian duo Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze and Calvin Bassey have all headed off to Afcon.
Nottingham Forest were victorious last time out, cruising to a 3-0 home win over Tottenham eight days ago, but they start the night down in 17 th . They could though go above Fulham with a win tonight. Dyche is hoping to welcome back Matz Sels and Nico Dominguez from injury tonight but they will have to wait a little longer to welcome back Chris Wood and Ola Aina. Ibrahim Sangare and Wily Boly are away with Ivory Coast at Afcon.
Team news to follow shortly.
