Roy Hodgson is hopeful of a possible return of centre-back pairing Scott Dann and Gary Cahill, in light of Mamadou Sakho's impending suspension following his red card as well as the injury of Patrick van Aanholt against AFC Bouremouth on Tuesday night.
Defensively, Hodgson has been relatively blessed with options up until the last week. But with Sakho's suspension for the upcoming trip to bottom of the league Watford on Saturday, and a spate of injururies including a lengthy lay-off for Joel Ward - Hodgson's defensive options are at risk of being severly depleted.
With matches coming thick and fast - the 72-year old manager is hopeful of some positive news, with Thursday being earmarked for realistic updates.