Up to nine players could be absent when Cardiff City host Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday, with Brian Barry-Murphy facing a depleted squad despite several fitness boosts.
The Bluebirds welcome Chris Davies' side to Cardiff City Stadium looking to extend an upturn that has brought a 5-1 thrashing of Watford and a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough. However, injuries and suspension have left Barry-Murphy short in several positions.
Thursday's press conference brought some welcome news, with Yousef Salech declared fit, Perry Ng potentially returning and Rubin Colwill edging closer to a comeback.
Cardiff City Absences
Gabriel Osho will miss Cardiff's next three matches after being sent off during the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough. The centre-back received a second yellow card at the Riverside Stadium, and Cardiff's appeal was unsuccessful.
"We appealed it because we felt it was a good case, but it was dismissed," Barry-Murphy said.
Dylan Lawlor has been ruled out until after the international break after suffering a hamstring injury against Watford. The young defender had only recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee problem.
"Dylan's hamstring injury means he won't be back until after the international break. That's his timescale for now," Barry-Murphy confirmed. He also revealed Lawlor had still been experiencing discomfort in his knee before the hamstring problem.
Captain Calum Chambers remains unavailable with a knee injury and has yet to make an appearance this season, further limiting options in central defence.
Cardiff Fitness Boosts
Rubin Colwill is doubtful after being out with an ankle injury for a significant period. Barry-Murphy is reluctant to rush the attacking midfielder back.
"Rubin Colwill is close, but we're not quite sure about him yet," he said. "I'm really pleased. Obviously, he's such a huge player for us. The temptation for all of us, myself included, is to get him back as soon as possible. He's been out for so long with this injury, and even when he came back previously, he wasn't perfect. I just want to make sure he's really confident and assured in how he's moving, so that we can get him back for the remainder of the season and not just rush him back for one game."
Perry Ng is hopeful of returning after missing the Middlesbrough trip with a back problem. "Perry is expected to train today, and his back condition is improving daily, so hopefully he'll be available for Saturday," Barry-Murphy said.
Ronan Kpakio is doubtful after suffering a dead leg during the draw at Middlesbrough. "Ronan had a dead leg, so we had to take him off later in the second half," Barry-Murphy explained. "I don't think he's trained this week either, but hopefully he'll train today."
Yousef Salech is available after recovering from a shoulder injury suffered against Charlton Athletic. "Yousef Salech is back in full training. He's fit and good to go," Barry-Murphy confirmed. He faces competition from Jack Moylan, who has excelled in a more advanced role.
Callum Robinson is also back in contention after being omitted against Middlesbrough for failing to meet certain internal standards. "Callum's a great guy. He's been a great player for us and a great person, so there's no problem whatsoever. I'm very pleased to have him back in training this week," Barry-Murphy said.
Birmingham City Absences
Birmingham midfielder Paik Seung-ho remains sidelined and will not feature. The South Korea international has missed the last three matches and is still several weeks away from returning.
"Paik's making slow progress. I think he's still a few weeks away from it," Davies said. "He just took a knock, so we have to wait a little bit longer and be a bit more patient for it to recover. But he's working hard at the other things to minimise that."
Defender Kristoffer Lund has missed the club's last three matches and remains unavailable for the trip to south Wales. Marc Leonard is a long-term absentee after suffering an Achilles injury and is not expected to return until the new year at the earliest.
