'It's a big blow' - Plymouth reveal shock injury bombshell on eve of crucial Portsmouth game

The Pilgrims have revealed they’ll be without joint-top-scorer Ibrahim Cissoko for the visit of the Blues on Tuesday night as he requires an operation on a groin/hip flexor muscle injury.

The 21-year-old will join Joe Edwards, Lewis Gibson, Brendan Galloway Conor Hazard and Muhamed Tijani in missing the crucial fixture against Pompey - a match that could potentially see either team move out of the relegation zone if victory is secured.

Cissoko is on a season-long loan at Home Park from Toulouse and had started nine of Plymouth’s 10 league fixtures this season up until their 5-0 defeat at Cardiff on October 19. However, that game saw the Holland under-21 international sent off in the first half, with an automatic three-match ban his punishment.

A return against Pompey was on the cards - until it was revealed the 21-year-old hadn’t trained since the Bluebirds loss because of his injury. The three-goal forward is now expected to be out for a couple of months - and certainly won’t be back before the end of the year.

Pilgrims boss Wayne Rooney told Plymouth Live: ‘He won't be in the squad, he won't be available for a couple of months. He's undergoing surgery. It's a big blow for us, a big loss.’

The news comes just days after it emerged captain Joe Edwards has also been ruled out until the New Year with a hamstring injury. Like Cissoko, the Plymouth skipper has been a key player for Rooney this season.

Defender Gibson missed Saturday’s defeat against Leeds with a thigh issue, while Galloway has been unavailable since the end of September with an ankle injury. Hazard underwent ankle surgery in September and was ruled out for 12 weeks at the time. Meanwhile, Tijani is out until the New Year with a hamstring injury.

Midfielder Adam Randell will have a late fitness on Tuesday after he sat out the Leeds defeat with a thigh injury.

Bottom-placed Pompey are three points behind third-from-bottom Plymouth in the league table. Tomorrow night’s hosts have lost three and drawn one of their past four Championship games.

The Blues have no new injury worries to report following their draw at Hull on Saturday.