Town's 11-goal top scorer Tom Lawrence will miss Sunday’s final game of the season at Nottingham Forest and David McGoldrick is a doubt for the match which could relegated his hometown club from whom he joined the Blues.
"Tom hurt his ankle again and he’s going to miss out,” manager Mick McCarthy confirmed. "If it was a cup final, he’s going to be playing in it. But it’s not the cup final.
"I’m not doing anything to weaken the team, he doesn’t want to be injured in the last game of the season.
"He’s missed quite a bit of football and he’s had a lot of injections in that and to be fair to him, he wants to be ready for his next challenge, not end up with ankle ligament damage and be off for the summer and not know what is happening. He’s got a sore ankle, he’s missing.”
Lawrence, who has spent the season on loan from Leicester, has almost certainly now played his last game for the Blues.
Regarding McGoldrick, McCarthy added: "Didzy’s got a really bad neck, he’s not trained all week, he’s looking like he’s slept in a draught for the last couple of weeks, he’s got a really sore neck.
"When you speak to him he turns around very slowly. He’s a doubt for Sunday. Kevin Bru is [as well]. Tom’s not playing but Didz is still a worry.”
McCarthy has a number of other players missing into Sunday’s match: "I’ve an injury list here - Steven Taylor [hamstring], Jonas Knudsen [shoulder], Tommy Smith [sore calf], Teddy Bishop [hamstring], David McGoldrick, Giles Coke [knee], Kevin Bru, Luke Hyam [ankle], Jonny Williams [hamstring], Tom Lawrence and Toumani Diagouraga [groin].
"There are a few, Didzy’s still a question mark but if he’s not right, then likewise, if it’s an FA Cup final he’d be saying ‘Gaffer, wait for me, wait for me’, but he’s not trained today so he’s a doubt.”
Central defender Adam Webster is back in training after his ankle injury but is unlikely to be involved at the City Ground.