Steve Bruce is hoping his Ghana trio of Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari and John Mensah will have recovered from their long week in time to face Manchester City on Sunday.
And with Danny Welbeck making his first England appearance in the 1-1 at Wembley last night, and Fraizer Campbell scoring for the reserves earlier in the day, Bruce has every reason to be in good heart ahead of the weekend trip to Eastlands.
He said: 'I know we’re not in a great run at the moment and I know that the quality of the opposition we've faced over the last few weeks explains that-with us going up against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs.
''But I do feel a little bit frustrated that I’ve not been able to play what I would call my best team yet this season.
''What I’m hoping though is that in the last few weeks of the season I’ll get that luxury, because I know that when we’re back to full strength we’ll do some damage.''
Bruce added: 'We brought Stephane Sessegnon and Sulley Muntari in during the January transfer window and they'll get better and better as they adjust. Unfortunately, they haven't been helped by the absence of some important players for us."