Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler is sweating over the fitness of captain Lewis Dunk for Wednesday's EFL Cup last-16 clash with Liverpool at the Amex.
The 32-year-old was a late withdrawal from the team to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, where his side astonishingly went 2-0 up in the 85th minute only to throw away their healthy lead in a 2-2 draw.
Hurzeler confirmed that Dunk would be sent for scans on a calf injury sustained in the warm-up, leaving his participation here in serious doubt, while Jack Hinshelwood and Yankuba Minteh are pushing for returns.
The Seagulls doctors are already working overtime, as Joao Pedro (ankle), Solly March (knee), Matt O'Riley (ankle), Adam Webster (thigh) and ex-Liverpool man James Milner (thigh) are absent too, while Georginio Rutter is cup-tied for Wednesday's game.
Thankfully for Hurzeler, Danny Welbeck made a rapid recovery from a back injury to start and score at the weekend, but Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso could now form a new two-man strikeforce as the hosting coach rotates his resources.
Simon Adingra also recovered from a muscular issue to make the bench on Saturday and is a candidate to start out wide alongside Kaoru Mitoma, while Mats Wieffer's fresh legs could come in handy in the engine room, even though he wasted a four-on-one opening against Wolves that led to Matheus Cunha's equaliser.
If Dunk and Hinshelwood are not passed fit for this one, there should be no respite for Igor, Jan Paul van Hecke and Pervis Estupinan in defence, but Tariq Lamptey and Jason Steele are primed to step in for Joel Veltman and Bart Verbruggen respectively.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steele; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Adingra, Baleba, Wieffer, Mitoma; Enciso, Ferguson
> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this clash
Ben Knapton
