Cardiff should welcome back midfielder Stephen McPhail for their home clash against Coventry.

McPhail missed Saturday's 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace having seen an operation to remove a small lump on his neck take longer than expected and subsequently rule him out for an extra couple of days.

His return, having been in top form for the Bluebirds prior to the international break, will represent a big boost to manager Dave Jones who must now decide whether to include the Irishman in his starting XI or keep faith with central pairing Joe Ledley and Gavin Rae.

Forwards Ross McCormack and Warren Feeney and defender Kevin McNaughton made the bench at the weekend having been sidelined for lengthy periods due to injury and all three will be battling for involvement once again.

That means Jones will have a full-strength squad at his disposal as his third-placed side look to cut the gap on Newcastle and West Brom.

Jay Bothroyd will come up against his former club and he will likely be joined in attack by Michael Chopra, who will not be taking any further action following the alleged racial slur he received from a Palace player at the weekend.

Aron Gunnarsson will be missing from Coventry's ranks having suffered a suspected broken leg at the weekend.

The influential Iceland international had to be stretchered from the field during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday and, although the club are still awaiting official scan results, early indications suggest a break or fracture.

His absence will be a big blow to manager Chris Coleman who is already without fellow midfielder Sammy Clingan until next month as he recovers from a broken toe.

Defender Ben Turner (knee and ankle) and midfielder David Bell (ankle) are not expected to be ready for first-team action after recent injuries and are unlikely to make the trip to the Welsh capital.

Defender James McPake (shoulder) also misses out once again, as does left-back Marcus Hall for family reasons.

New loan signings Chris Hussey and Gary Madine should make Coleman's squad for the encounter which will see former Sky Blues striker Jay Bothroyd come up against his old club.