Ibrahim Cissoko, the Pilgrims’ top scorer, will not be playing against the Blues on Tuesday night due to surgery for a groin/hip flexor muscle problem.
Along with Joe Edwards, Lewis Gibson, Brendan Galloway, Conor Hazard, and Muhammad Tijani, the 21-year-old will not play in the pivotal encounter against Pompey, which, if won, could lift either team out of the relegation zone.
Up until their 5-0 loss at Cardiff on October 19, Cissoko, who is on a season-long loan from Toulouse at Home Park, has started nine of Plymouth’s ten league games this season. But the Holland under-21 player was sent off in the first half of that encounter, and his punishment was an automatic three-match ban.
Before it was discovered that the 21-year-old had not trained since the Bluebirds’ defeat due to an injury, a comeback matchup against Pompey appeared imminent. It is currently anticipated that the three-goal forward will be out for a few months and most definitely won’t return before the year is up.
He won’t be in the team and won’t be available for a few months, Plymouth Live was informed by Pilgrims manager Wayne Rooney. He is having surgery. It’s a huge loss and a huge blow to us.
The announcement follows days after it was revealed that Joe Edwards, the captain, would also be sidelined until the New Year due to a hamstring injury. The Plymouth captain has been an important member of Rooney’s team this season, much like Cissoko.
Galloway has been out since the end of September due to an ankle injury, and defender Gibson missed Saturday’s loss to Leeds due to a thigh problem. Hazard was sidelined for 12 weeks following ankle surgery in September. Tijani, meanwhile, has a hamstring ailment that will keep him out until the new year.
Adam Randell, a midfielder, will be ready late on Tuesday after missing the Leeds loss due to a thigh injury.
In the league standings, third-from-bottom Plymouth is three points ahead of bottom-place Pompey. The hosts for tomorrow night have lost three of their last four Championship games and drew one.
The Blues’ Saturday draw at Hull means they have no new injury concerns to share.