LEFT-BACKS Nathanael Ogbeta and Georgie Gent are both likely to miss at least Barnsley’s next two games with injury.
Ogbeta has not featured in December while Gent returned from eight months out at Peterborough in the FA Cup but has not played since.
Hourihane said: “They are still a couple of weeks away.
“Nat is progressing well but it may be after the Boxing Day game that we have him back. Similar to Georgie, who will miss the next couple. He had a little bit of a hamstring issue off the back of Peterborough.
“It’s nothing major and we’re hoping, in the next couple of weeks, we will see them return onto the grass.”
Captain Luca Connell can return from his one-game suspension for this game.
Goalkeeper Murphy Cooper is on four league yellow cards this season.
If he picks one more up before the cut-off point of 19 games, he will be suspended for one match.
