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TONY Mowbray admits he faces some tough selection issues ahead of tomorrow night’s match at Birmingham.

Several injured players including Jonathan Woodgate (calf), George Friend (hamstring) and Faris Haroun (calf), are close to a return.

But Mowbray is debating whether to give them an extra week to recover ahead of the trip to Peterborough on December 8, or gamble by picking them for the televised tussle at St Andrews.

“I think there’s a few players who’ve got a chance for Friday night,” Mowbray told the Gazette.

“Whether it comes too soon and I think, ‘after that match we’ve got eight days until the next game’ I’m not sure.

“I think Friend’s got every chance of being fit for Peterborough, Woodgate’s definitely got a chance for Peterborough, Haroun’s got a fair chance for Peterborough.

“If we risk them tomorrow night it might be a gamble too much. But we’ll wait and see.”

What makes life easier is the fact that the team performed so well against Huddersfield on Tuesday, winning 3-0 and keeping a clean sheet. In that match, Andy Halliday proved a capable deputy for Friend and Seb Hines recovered from a shaky performance against Bristol to perform well alongside Andre Bikey.

Further forward, Mowbray has options if Haroun is ruled out.

Grant Leadbitter will be assessed today to see if he’s fit to travel.

He was suspended for the Huddersfield match but would probably have missed the game due to a calf strain.