DANNY Karbassiyoon faces a desperate race against time to be fit for the start of the Championship season.

The versatile American looks certain to miss both games of Burnley's Austrian trip due to a persistent injury that has limited his pre-season action.

And manager Steve Cotterill is keeping his fingers crossed that the problem clears up in time for the big kick-off at Crewe in 11 days time.

He said: "It's been a bit unfortunate for Daniel because he was coming along nicely.

"He'd had a small piece of knee cartilage removed at the back end of last season at Arsenal, so he hadn't played a lot of football for a couple of months when he came here.

"Somehow he seems to have jarred his groin and hip and it's a strange one really.

"But he's sore with it and I don't know whether he'll do anything on this trip unfortunately, which is a blow.

"He will still be in the swimming pool or on the bikes so there will certainly be enough for him to do, but we're in the lap of the gods with it a little bit and we're just hoping he'll be alright."

Meanwhile, Cotterill has drafted in Russian trialist Vladimir But ahead of tonight's opening game of the tour against Greek outfit PAOK Salonika in Abtenau (6pm KO).

The 27-year-old midfielder, who hails

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from Novorossiysk, holds a German passport and is a free agent after playing for Borussia Dortmund, Freiburg and, later, Hannover.

And The Clarets boss, who is hoping to welcome another FOUR trialists to the Austrian training camp before the end of the week, could now run the rule over But at some stage tonight.

Cotterill, who had the player recommended to him by a European contact, said: "We don't know enough about Vladimir, but with Artim Sakiri not travelling with us, we had a spare place.

"It was easier to get him here than England, so we've sorted out for him to come over so we can have a look at him.

"He's been at Dortmund and Hannover and we just need to look across the waters a little bit more because everything costs you money back home. We're just trying to look down all avenues that we can."

To that end, another influx of trialists could yet end up joining the Clarets at their Obertraun base.

Cotterill revealed: "There could potentially be another four people here this week, but we don't know at the moment.

"We're still trying to work on that, and whether they come or not, we'll wait and see."

* The kick off for Burnley's second and final game of the tour, against Wacker Burghausen in Bad Wimsbach, will now kick off at 4pm on Saturday and not 6pm as previously agreed.