Last Updated: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:11
Wigan manager Steve Bruce is praying his international contingent return unscathed from a 'baffling' round of friendlies.
Eight Latics players are away on international duty and are not expected back until the end of the week - leaving Bruce with little time to prepare for the trip to Portsmouth on Saturday.
The JJB boss has questioned the timing of the fixtures and is hoping his players return with a clean bill of health.
Bruce told the Evening Post: "It baffles me why there are international games now. All over the Premier League, clubs are going to have half their squads away playing friendlies.
"I won't see our internationals until Friday morning, and it might be later for some.
"But there you are - we just have to get on with it the best we can."
He added: "We've just got to concentrate on accumulating enough points from our last seven games.
"While 35 points has often been enough to keep you up in recent years, I have always said 38 points, level par, is the target.
"So we have seven games to get seven more points.
"The defeat at Blackburn was a jolt to us.
"We have had plenty of pats on the back recently for the way we have played - now we have to react in the right way."