Caley Thistle have mixed fortunes when it comes to injury news ahead of Saturday’s Championship meeting with Airdrie.
Defensive duo Nikola Udjur and Morgan Boyes could recover from respective hamstring and knee injuries in a bid to make the squad for the fixture at the Caledonian Stadium.
However, on-loan Everton midfielder Sean McAllister, who scored his first ICT goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Morton, could be out for at least two weeks with a thigh injury.
Boyes, who is on loan from Premiership hasn’t played since the 3-1 Scottish Cup defeat to Hibs on February 10, while Australian defender Ujdur has been sidelined for the past two weeks.
Defenders might make the bench
Manager Duncan Ferguson admits losing McAllister, who was in last week’s SPFL team of the week, comes at a time when the Northern Irishman was beginning to hit the heights.
He said: “Morgan and Nikola could possibly be back on the bench.
“They were doing modified training on the grass on Thursday and Friday, so I hope maybe even one of them might be on the bench, although that’s not confirmed.
“Unfortunately, Sean McAllister is another injury for us. He pulled his thigh so it might be a couple of weeks for him.
“He had maybe his best game for me at the weekend and scored his first goal. It’s a big blow for us.”
👏 @spfl #TOTW place for Sean McAllister https://t.co/sn2ftD1PCJ pic.twitter.com/NE5ymlRZgq
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 5, 2024
Key Inverness players still sidelined
Inverness are already without full-back Lewis Nicolson (knee), midfielder Charlie Gilmour (knee) and forward Harry Lodovica (ankle) until the end of the season.
Wide midfielders Nathan Shaw (hamstring) and Luis Longstaff (knee) and central midfielder Roddy MacGregor (foot) are all sidelined, but should be back this month.
Nigerian under-21 international Sammy Lawal, who has impressed Ferguson since arriving on loan from Livingston last week, could get a chance to debut against the Diamonds.
Airdrie have risen to fifth position on the back of 2-0 victories at Dundee United and Dunfermline Athletic.
ICT are ninth in the division, but a win could take them up to sixth with just nine games to go at this point.
Just one loss in their last six Championship matches has given them belief and growing confidence.
Desperate need for a home victory
Inverness have not won a home league game since defeating Ayr United 3-1 on November 11 and Ferguson knows they must deliver a winning result for home supporters.
He said: “Airdrie are a really good team and they’ve had a couple of good results on the road, beating Dundee United and Dunfermline with two clean sheets.
“It will be a tough ask for us at home. It looks like they will push the top four for promotion. We must hang in there and hopefully keep away from the bottom.
“It has been a long, difficult road. We’re coming to the business end we need wins to try and push up the league.
“Our home form is concerning. It’s not good. Hopefully we can sort that out on Saturday.”
➡️ Up Next: Airdrieonians (H)
On Saturday we face @AirdrieoniansFC in #cinchChamp action
🎟️ Save money on tickets when bought in advance from https://t.co/iOIFJ8EV0e, over the phone on 01463 222880 and in-store during office hours
Full Info: https://t.co/ls0uVBvGK3 pic.twitter.com/8PY5OGVvyS
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 5, 2024
Duncan Ferguson – ‘Let’s go for it’
Ferguson underlined the worth of a win this weekend as ICT seek to kick out of ninth position.
He added: “We’re in a difficult position. We’ve been in this position for most of the season.
“But the league is very congested down in the bottom half and, if you can string a couple of wins together, you can put yourself into the pack. That’s what we’re looking to do on Saturday, although it will be a tough match.
“Airdrie are a good team, but we’re in a nice bit of form too and we go into it on the back of a good result at Morton. Let’s go for it.”
