Midfielder Cole Skuse will miss Tuesday’s home game with Wigan due to the concussion he suffered during the first half of Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Birmingham, but Emyr Huws and Jonny Williams are both available for selection and top scorer and fellow Wales international Tom Lawrence is closing in on his return.
"He can’t play on Tuesday because he was concussed but providing all his symptoms are clear he should be alright for Fulham on Saturday,” manager Mick McCarthy said regarding Skuse.
Jonathan Douglas controversially came back into the team on Saturday having not played since January.
Quizzed on whether the 35-year-old would be able to be selected to start two games in four days, McCarthy said: "Do you think I should? I thought he was very good and I watched it again this morning and he was probably our best player.
"Wardy got the man of the match because he scored the goal but he kept going and stuck at it.
"It was a game I needed to play him in and I wanted to play him on and I wanted to play him in because of circumstances and I thought he did well.
"As for getting two games out of him Saturday and Tuesday having not played, I’m not sure.
"I don’t know, he’s a lesson to all professionals actually. We’ve got some that if I’d played them they’d have been coming off after 70 minutes but he got through it and did a bit more, he was terrific.”
Regarding the Blues’ three Wales international loanees, he added: "They’ve all trained today. Admittedly Tom’s only had one training session today, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow, you never know. You can do all the rehabbing and then you train with the lads and that can be different.
"Jonny Williams had been poorly and missed Saturday but he’s trained on Sunday and Monday, so he’s OK and Emyr’s had four or five days’ training now, so he’s all right to be selected.”
McCarthy says Kieffer Moore has missed out on a place in the 18 in recent games as he has had other options, while he says he has no plans to recall Kundai Benyu from his loan at Aldershot, despite Skuse’s absence.
The Blues boss confirmed that Tommy Smith was omitted from Saturday’s squad as he only arrived back at Heathrow from international duty with New Zealand on Friday afternoon.
Teddy Bishop is playing for the U23s this afternoon following his groin injury, while Adam Webster and Luke Hyam (both ankle) and Giles Coke (knee) remain sidelined.