DAVID Meyler will be welcomed back from his two-game suspension at Ipswich and that leaves Steve Bruce with a midfield dilemma.
Someone will have to drop out (providing everyone is fit, of course) and, in my view, that player has to be Robert Koren.
We've just not seen enough from Hull City's captain in the last few weeks and months.
Teams look at their skipper for leadership and inspiration but we've just not seen that when it's mattered most recently.
You might be able to get away with a luxury player like Koren at times but when such significance is placed on every game during the run-in, you're going to need 11 players giving everything they've got now.
My midfield three at Ipswich would be Corry Evans holding, with Meyler and Stephen Quinn working hard on either side.
That was a trio that really struck it off when the side enjoyed arguably their best run of form this season when winning all those games in December. With their work-rate, you are guaranteed they'll get about the opposition and make life difficult.
When those three midfielders were together we used to see Koren up behind a front man. No doubt he could be used in that role again, where there's less emphasis on defending, but George Boyd has made that position his own.
Although Boyd wasn't at his best against Watford or Middlesbrough, he's shown enough for me before that to warrant his place. I'm not sure you can say the same about Koren, at least not in 2013.
To complete my line-up I'd have Jay Simpson as the man up front with Boyd.
Although Simpson is still struggling to get the goals, he's a terrific team player.
His hold-up play is excellent and he chases defenders all day long. He doesn't give them a minute.
We saw him work well with Boyd in the last away game – a 1-0 win at Huddersfield – and who knows? Perhaps Simpson can reproduce a moment of magic like he did at Ipswich a couple of years ago. The header he scored there in 2011 was wonderful.
I wouldn't be overly surprised to see Matty Fryatt back on the bench either.
I appreciate he didn't get the run-out he was looking forward to at Birmingham yesterday, but he can't be a million miles away if he's been in full training for the past three or four weeks.
No one is suggesting he starts after eight months out but the chance to throw Fryatt on for the last 15 minutes if you're chasing things will be a temptation for Bruce.
