JAY Rodriguez is currently rated as ‘50/50’ to feature in Burnley’s match at Cardiff City on Sunday as he continues to battle a groin injury.

The Clarets’ star striker was forced off at half time in the weekend draw at home to Crystal Palace and is yet to train this week, with a big doubt hanging over his involvement in south Wales this weekend.

Burnley assistant boss Jason Tindall said after the Palace game that Rodriguez would be given time to rest the injury this week in a bid to aid his recovery, but the club’s initial confidence that the 22-year-old would be fit to face Cardiff has waned a little.

The Clarets will need to see evidence ahead of Sunday that he is fit to feature in the match and, with the striker understood to be ‘50/50’ to be involved, a final decision is currently due to be made on Saturday morning - before the squad embark on the journey to the Welsh capital.

The forward has proved pivotal to Burnley’s goal threat in recent weeks, scoring nine of the club’s last 12 goals stretching back to the FA Cup loss at Norwich City in early January.

Rodriguez now has 21 goals for the season, attracting interest from top flight clubs as a result.

He had been suffering with the injury last week, joining in training on Friday but admitting to staff that he did not feel right in the warm-up ahead of the Palace game.

Rodriguez did start the game but he was withdrawn at the interval after medical staff advised that he risked exacerbating the injury if he went out for the second half.

The Clarets, who have taken only one point from their last four games to slip to 14th in the Championship, will be eager for the former England under 21 international to be involved in what could be a tricky fixture at seventh-placed Cardiff – despite the Welsh side’s shock 3-0 home defeat to Hull City on Tuesday night.

But they will also not want to risk losing him for an extended period of time should he suffer a recurrence of the injury.

Burnley do not have a striker at their disposal who can match Rodriguez’s current goalscoring form but do have options in the shape of Danny Ings, Martin Paterson, Charlie Austin and Josh McQuoid.

Portsmouth have dismissed national newspaper reports linking them with a loan move for Ings, who would appear to be part of the Clarets’ first-team plans in any case following his return from injury.

Fellow Burnley forward Zavon Hines will hope to have forced his way into the squad to face Cardiff on the back of his double strike for the reserves in midweek.

* Tickets for both legs of Burnley’s FA Youth Cup semi final against Blackburn Rovers went on sale yesterday.

The Clarets have been allocated the lower tier of the Darwen End for the first leg at Ewood Park on Thursday, and the club will assess initial sales before deciding whether they will also need to request the upper tier.