West Ham United are facing a 'massive blow' if Michail Antonio is unable to feature in the Hammers' Europa League last-16 second leg against Sevilla tonight, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.
The east Londoners go into the clash at the London Stadium with a 1-0 deficit to overcome if they want to book their place in the quarter-finals, but there are serious concerns that Antonio will be forced to watch on from the sidelines.
What's the latest news involving Antonio?
Antonio was forced off the pitch early in the second half of West Ham's 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the weekend.
Left-back Aaron Cresswell was also substituted after suffering an injury against the Midlands side and Hammers boss David Moyes has doubts over whether either will be fully fit in time to face Spanish giants Sevilla.
In his pre-match press conference, Moyes revealed neither Antonio or Cresswell trained with the rest of the squad yesterday but insisted he would give them every opportunity to prove they have overcome their injury problems by holding off naming the team until later today.
It appears there is still hope that Antonio and Cresswell, along with winger Nikola Vlasic, could be included in the squad as they were spotted taking part in individual sessions at West Ham's Rush Green training ground 24 hours before the clash is due to get underway and the trio will undergo late fitness tests.
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What has Pete O'Rourke said about Antonio?
O'Rourke feels being without Antonio for tonight's encounter with Sevilla would have a major impact on West Ham's chances of progressing in the Europa League.
The journalist believes it would be a bitter pill to swallow, particularly with 12-goal winger Jarrod Bowen unable to provide ammunition due to an injury ruling him out until after the international break.
O'Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: "It's a massive blow for West Ham if Antonio joins Jarrod Bowen on the sidelines.
"They've led the line for the Hammers all season. They've been their main strikers and if those two are missing, there's not a lot else in the background."
Why would Antonio's injury come as a huge blow?
Antonio is the only senior striker on West Ham's books, so being without the 31-year-old would result in Moyes having to deploy one of his players out of their preferred position or promoting a youngster to the starting line-up.
The six-cap Jamaica international may not have been so prolific in recent weeks, but he has found the back of the net 58 times in a Hammers shirt.
Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui has also admitted to being weary of Antonio's presence and described him as an 'extraordinary striker', so his confidence at advancing to the quarter-finals at the east Londoners' expense will increase if the former Nottingham Forest man is unavailable.