Birmingham City caretaker head coach Pep Clotet has revealed that David Stockdale is a major doubt for the club's clash with Cardiff City tomorrow.
The goalkeeper, who has been used sparingly by the Blues this season, suffered an injury in training ahead of his side's 2-1 victory over Luton Town last week.
As a result of this issue, Connal Trueman was brought in as back-up for first-choice shot-stopper Lee Camp for the game at St Andrew's.
The Birmingham academy graduate may once again feature as part of the club's match-day squad when they travel to the Welsh capital tomorrow.
Stockdale has struggled to make any sort of impression for the Blues over the past two campaigns in the Championship.
After being overtaken in the pecking order by Lee Camp last season, the 34-year-old's only appearance of the current term came in Birmingham's 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup in August.
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Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by the Birmingham Mail) about the keeper's injury, Clotet said: "Stocky [Stockdale] is having a scan today on this problem in the hand but I don't think it is going to be a long one as I said last week."
Having beaten Luton last week, the Blues will be determined to back up this particular display by securing a positive display against the Bluebirds tomorrow.
Depending on results elsewhere, Birmingham could climb up to fifth in the Championship standings with a victory at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The Verdict
Although it is fair to say that the Blues may not miss Stockdale's presence this weekend, Clotet will be hoping that the keeper's injury isn't too serious.
Given that Birmingham have made a relatively impressive start to the 2019/20 campaign, they will fancy their chances against a Cardiff side who are currently experiencing a slump in form.
If the Blues do seal all three points on their travels, they could use the momentum gained from this particular result to launch a sustained push for a top-six finish in the Championship over the coming months.