JANI Viander is on standby to make his Premiership debut as the man who recommended him sweats over his fitness.
There is still a doubt over Jussi Jaaskelainen's availability as Wanderers make their final preparations for Sunday's Sky TV showpiece at Ipswich.
And, if he fails to recover from the back injury that has plagued him for a fortnight, his fellow Finn, Viander, could be thrown into the fray just 24 hours after being rushed into the Reebok ranks.
Sam Allardyce completed the three-month loan deal with Viander's club, HJK Helsinki, just in time to beat yesterday's deadline and immediately put him in his squad for Ipswich.
"We've had him on trial all week and played him in a game on Wednesday at the training ground, which he came through very well," assistant manager Phil Brown said of the new boy.
"A lot of work went in to get him signed up before the deadline. We managed it and he's travelling with the team."
Brown made it clear that Viander - a 26-year-old Finland international - was not the keeper Allardyce described as "not good enough" after a recent trial. "We've had two keepers in and it was the other one Sam dismissed," he explained.
"We had a scout go across to see him and his recommendation was backed up by video. Jussi was part of the process too and his recommendation helped."
Jaaskelainen, who dramatically pulled out of the Everton game a fortnight ago when he injured his back in the warm-up, has come through two training sessions in the second half of the week but Brown was non-committal on his fitness when he said: "I can't be certain he will play and I can't be certain he won't.
"It's fingers crossed."
Viander, nickname "Visse" (as in "Feesh!") joins veteran Kevin Poole in the back up crew with Steve Banks, who made his Premiership debut at Aston Villa three weeks ago, out of the picture altogether after picking up a thigh strain.
Djibril Diawara is suspended after his sending off in the 2-2 draw with Everton but Simon Charlton and Kevin Nolan, who have been under treatment for calf and foot injuries respectively, should be fit as Wanderers look to maintain their position in the Premiership's top 10.
Squad: Jaaskelainen, Poole, Viander, N'Gotty, Bergsson, Whitlow, Charlton, Wallace, Fransen, Warhurst, Nolan, Gardner, Ricketts, Holdsworth, Barness, Farrelly, Hendry, Hansen, Nishizawa.
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