Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan faces a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring strain as injury problems mount for boss Tony Pulis.
Whelan suffered the injury in the FA Cup defeat against Chelsea on Sunday and now looks certain to miss Stoke's Premier League clash with Burnley on Wednesday.
Whelan joins a growing list of Potters stars on the sidelines, with Salif Diao, James Beattie, Danny Higginbotham and Matthew Etherington all doubts ahead of the trip to Turf Moor.
To add to Pulis' problems defender Ryan Shawcross is suspended for the next two fixtures after receiving a straight red card for his now infamous challenge on Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey.
Pulis admits it will be a test for his squad on Wednesday, with Burnley in desperate need of points in their battle to beat the drop.
He told the club's official website: "The injuries are mounting up at the moment and it will be a case of seeing what side we can put out at Burnley on Wednesday.
"It is certainly going to test the strength in depth of the squad because we don't want to rush players back if they are not quite ready."