A back injury is threatening to rule Cardiff's Danny Gabbidon out of Wales' Euro 2004 qualifier in Azerbaijan next Wednesday.

The centre-back will definitely miss his Cardiff's LDV Vans Trophy match at Exeter on Tuesday, and is doubtful for Saturday's FA Cup match with Tranmere.

Gabbidon was taken off at half-time against Barnsley with back spasm he failed to shake off.

The problem has plagued Gabbidon for a few years, and so Bluebird's manager Lennie Lawrence expects the defender to resume training on Thursday.

But if Gabbidon does not recover in time to be considered for selection against Tranmere, Lawrence will stop him from joining the Wales squad.

Said Lawrence: "If he was definitely unfit for Saturday and it didn't look like he would get better, then there would be a problem with him going.

"But I expect him to be declared fit and to play. That's the most likely scenario."

The Wales squad meets next Sunday before taking a six hour flight to Azerbaijan the following day.

Gabbidon will also need to convince Wales manager Mark Hughes that his back can cope with such a long journey.

The 23-year-old has played in all three internationals this season and has performed well beyond expectations on each occasion.

Whalley faces a long injury lay-off

Cardiff are also waiting anxiously on the results of a scan to discover the extent of a knee injury to Gareth Whalley.

The midfielder was carried off during the Bluebirds' 3-2 defeat at Oakwell on Saturday after a tackle by Chris Lumsdon.

The 28-year-old former Bradford player was taken to hospital with suspected medial ligament damage, and had a scan on Monday.

At first it was feared that Whalley could be out of action for up to a year.

But a specialist confirmed on Sunday that the injury will keep the player out for weeks rather than months.

Lawrence said it was a "black day" after Saturday's match, with three players picking up injuries as Barnsley put a dent in his promotion hopes.

A committed Barnsley performance also left captain Graham Kavanagh with a bruised shin which could keep him out of Tuesday's match.