JAY Jay Okocha is almost certainly out of Wanderers FA Cup quarter-final showdown with Arsenal.
The Whites captain limped out of Monday nights Premiership win at Manchester City with a hamstring injury and will need to make a rapid recovery if he is to be fit for Saturday's Reebok clash.
"The only disappointment is that Jay Jay is going to miss out on the cup tie," Sam Allardyce said, reflecting on the Eastlands win and relishing the duel with Arsene Wenger's Gunners.
"He will probably take a minimum of seven days to recover and 12.15 on Saturday will be too soon for him - and that's a great shame."
El-Hadji Diouf showed that he had fully recovered from his recent ankle problem, scoring the only goal of the Eastlands derby just before half-time and there was more good news on the fitness front with Gary Speed suffering no reaction to the virus that forced him to sit out his first Premiership start of the season.
Speed, who replaced Okocha in the final minute of the first half, was disappointed not to be in the starting line-up, but said: "I had to miss a week's training with a virus so the reasons were justified.
"When you've played as many games as I have you don't like sitting on the bench, and I had a bit of a face on me, but that's football. The manager puts his best team out to win a game and, thankfully, we did that.
"The goal came at the right time for us and in the second half we defended well and still had the most clear-cut chances."
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