Sergej Jakirovic has admitted that Hull City are facing a midfield crisis heading into their final Championship showdown of the season, with the Tigers' play-off hopes hanging in the balance.

The Hull boss revealed that the club has been hit hard by injuries in the middle of the park, most notably losing Eliot Matazo to a second ACL injury last week. The midfielder had only recently returned from his previous ACL setback, sparking questions about whether his comeback was rushed—but Jakirovic was quick to dismiss those claims.

"Eliot Matazo is in London. I think he will have surgery next Tuesday or Wednesday," Jakirovic told Hull Live. "Unfortunately, I saw in the public that there are a lot of questions because (they think) we rushed with him. This is not true. We spoke with him all the time, with the medical staff."

Jakirovic explained that Matazo had trained with the squad for nearly four weeks without issue, and the decision to ease him back into action was a calculated one. "My decision was that it's better to start in the game because if something happens—like now, of course not ACL, but hamstring, quad, groin—we can replace or split the minutes with Regan Slater."

The injury crisis doesn't stop there. Jakirovic listed a string of other midfield absentees that have left his squad stretched thin. "We have problems in the midfield line because of Amir (Hadžiahmetović) and Toby Collyer's injuries. Darko Gyabi has also come back after 12 weeks off the pitch, so if somebody doesn't know, we have a lot of problems with midfield players."

Despite the adversity, the manager remains focused on the task at hand. "We always try to do the best, make the best decision for the team that can help the team. Unfortunately, it's his right knee. It's very unhappy for me, but of course, life goes on, and we will do everything to help Eliot come back even stronger."

With Hull level on points with Wrexham, who currently hold the final play-off spot, the stakes couldn't be higher heading into their season finale against Norwich City. Every player available will need to step up if the Tigers are to secure a spot in the Championship's promotion race.