BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness faces an anxious wait before finding out if any of his international stars picked up injuries ahead of Saturday's trip to Premiership newcomers Birmingham City.

With central defender Andy Todd already a likely absentee after he limped out of Tuesday night's reserve game with a dead leg, Souness must now sweat on the fitness of five other key squad members following last night's international friendly action across Europe.

And he will only be able to fully assess the situation tomorrow once the quintet return to Brockhall training.

Nissa Johansson, Damien Duff, Hakan Unsal, Tugay and Henning Berg all appeared to come through last night's games unscathed.

But Souness knows from experience that players can return from international duty feeling jaded after Duff complained of feeling run-down following a Republic friendly at the back end of last season.

However, Ireland boss Mick McCarthy appeared to be more considerate last night, withdrawing Duff at half-time after he had set-up the opener for Robbie Keane in their 3-0 win over Finland in Helsinki.

Johansson also received his first full international cap after coming on as a 66th minute substitute in Sweden's 1-1 draw with Russia in Moscow.