Steve Bruce hopes to have 'one or two' Newcastle United players back for the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Magpies were without eight first-team players - Allan Saint-Maximin , Jamaal Lascelles , Matt Ritchie , Miguel Almiron , Jonjo Shelvey , Ciaran Clark , Ki and Karl Darlow - for the 1-0 defeat against Burnley last time out.
Shelvey and Almiron missed out with a sore calf and tight hamstring respectively and it was the latter who was closer to being involved at Turf Moor.
The pair are rated as 50/50 to come back in against Palace, who have their own injury problems at the moment , and Bruce is hoping for good news.
"We have been patched up and I saw Crystal Palace last night - I sat and watched that one - and they were patched up as well," Bruce told Sky Sports.
"At this particular time of year, games come thick and fast and injuries can be a bit cruel to you and certainly after looking at Crystal Palace and ourselves at the weekend, we both had a bad deal so hopefully we can get one or two fit and see how we are then."
Bruce was speaking as players and staff from the first team, women's team and under-23s made their annual Christmas visit to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).
The visitors all spent time with patients, their families and hospital staff and Bruce hopes his side can put a smile on their faces over the festive season.
"It pales into significance sometimes a football result, of course, but it means so much to everyone in Newcastle because it's tough in this part of the world up here," he added.
"It's tough going and the one thing they want to do is see their football team do well and that's been the case for years.
"If that can put a few smiles on people's faces, whether they are sick or not, if we can win a couple of games over Christmas, it would be great."
