Morais adds to Collins' worries for United clash

JOHN COLLINS' problems ahead of Saturday's crunch SPL clash with Dundee United deepened today as the Hibs boss revealed winger Filipe Morais has been banned from Easter Road in a bid to prevent a flu bug spreading.

The Portuguese under-21 star was sent home when he reported for training on Tuesday and has been told not to return to the ground until tomorrow when his fitness will be assessed.

Collins said: "Filipe trained on Monday but, when he came in on Tuesday, he was really badly affected by flu. We sent him straight home and told him to keep away from the ground to stop it spreading. So far it seems to have worked and we'll see what the doctor has to say when Filipe comes in tomorrow."

Collins, already resigned to losing striker Clayton Donaldson with a broken finger, has also rated influential midfielder Guillaume Beuzelin as "doubtful" for a match between two sides who share second place in the SPL table with Rangers.

The French ace was forced to quit only 25 minutes into the victory over Gretna having tweaked a hamstring, Collins immediately raising a question mark over his fitness for Saturday. But, in an indication of how important Beuzelin is to his side, the Hibs boss disclosed he'll wait until the last minute before making a decision.

He said: "Boozy has done quite well in training and we'll step things up today. There's been an improvement since the start of the week, but he's still 50/50. We'll make a decision tomorrow or even on Saturday morning."

But on a brighter note, Moroccan striker Abdessalam Benjelloun could take a seat on the bench having not featured in a first-team game since the 1-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle on September 1.

Collins said: "He's back training with us, we'll see how his sharpness is and while it might be a bit soon for him to start a match, he'll perhaps get a place on the bench."

Hibs fans have been advised to buy their tickets early for Saturday's game with the upper tier of the South Stand opening to accommodate the home support.

The match is also a "Hibs Kids Day" which will swell the gate. Tickets are £21 (adults) and £11 (concessions).