Chris Hughton will be keeping his fingers crossed more tightly than normal during the next international break which follows Sunday's visit to Arsenal.

Particularly pertinent for the Albion manager are two unglamorous World Cup qualifiers, Holland against Belarus and Israel versus Liechtenstein.

Hughton and the players currently available to him are doing a remarkable job of papering over the gaping injury cracks in the Seagulls' Premier League squad.

It has very much been a team effort - but three individuals are especially important to Hughton right now.

He needs Davy Propper, Dale Stephens and Tomer Hemed.

He can cope with injury or suspension issues in goal, right across the back four and down the flanks.

Central midfield and up front? That is a different matter.

Steve Sidwell hopes to be back in six weeks after back surgery. Beram Kayal broke a leg in the final pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid.

It will be a little while before Kayal returns to contention, longer before he is fully back up to speed.

Stephens, thankfully, is not on international duty. Propper, his partner, will be for the Netherlands, not just against Belarus but Sweden as well.

What can Hughton do if he is without Propper (below right) or Stephens (below left)? Pascal Gross was a central midfielder with former club Ingolstadt.

The Argus: But Hughton will be loathed to lose the impact the German is making further forward in the No.10 role, even if the fit-again Izzy Brown can play in that position too.

Oliver Norwood, Rohan Ince and Richie Towell are all out on loan. They wouldn't be if Hughton regarded them as good enough to be serious contenders for a place in his Premier League plans.

The chronic striker shortage, exacerbated by the failure to make an addition in the transfer window, has been well documented.

The ankle damage Glenn Murray sustained at Leicester is proving troublesome. He was not in the squad for Sunday's win against Newcastle and Hughton is no more than hopeful he will be available for Arsenal.

It is one thing to be without a recognised striker for a Carabao Cup tie when you are fielding a second X1 - as was the case at Bournemouth - quite another to be in that situation when you are engaged in a season-long battle for survival in the Premier League.

That would be the headache confronting Hughton if Hemed is hurt for Israel against Liechenstein or Spain, or retrospectively banned for three matches for treading on Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin having been charged yesterday.

Even with Murray fit, Hughton does not have a striker with pace to make runs facing the opposition's goal, in behind defences.

This is more relevant away from home than at the Amex, where, with the crowd behind them and more possession, they can be on the front foot for periods.

Defenders are suspicious of speed. They tend to drop deeper, which would give Albion more opportunity to get up the pitch to relieve spells of pressure on their travels.

Hughton does not have that option in the absence of Sam Baldock, missing since the summer following calf surgery.

The Argus: It should also be borne in mind that Baldock (above) is unproven at Premier League level and will find it tougher to exploit his mobility against quicker, better defenders.

The upside of the injury crisis, improbably concentrated on two areas, is that once it has eased Hughton will have Sidwell, Kayal, Murray and Baldock to supplement a squad that has somehow accumulated seven points from the first half-a-dozen fixtures.

That it testimony to those who are fit and the management skills of Hughton.

The eleven sides below Albion include Everton, Crystal Palace, Stoke, three of the next four visitors to the Amex.

A healthy return from these games would be significant in the quest for safety. Hughton will hopefully have a bit more scope in at least one or two of them than he had in the encouraging home wins back-to-back against West Brom and Newcastle.