Chester FC joint-manager Bernard Morley says that George Green and Scott Burton won't be risked if they are not 100% right.
Club captain Burton and fellow summer signing Green were both absent from the 4-2 loss to Everton under-23s on Saturday, with Burton nursing a tight calf and Green a muscle strain in his lower back
Burton pulled up early in the 2-2 draw with Morecambe last week while Green has yet to make an appearance for Chester since his move from Nuneaton Borough earlier this summer, withdrawing from the friendly with Bury during the warm up after aggravating an injury.
And with the National League North campaign getting underway in earnest for Chester this weekend with the visit of Spennymoor Town (Saturday, 3pm), Morley says that neither player will be risked if they aren't at full fitness.
"It was a tight calf (for Burton) and he has struggled through pre-season with that but got himself through the first five or six weeks but broke down last week (during the Morecambe game)," said Morley after the weekend loss to the Toffees.
"We're hoping he'll be ok as the squad looks stronger with him in it. Whether he starts or whether he is on the bench he is a leader and that's the reason we gave him the captaincy. So we'll speak to Luke (Davies, physio) and see what the chances of that is.
"It's touch and go with George. Could we have risked him (against Everton under-23s)? Probably. But it is a marathon and not a sprint and we don't want to get these lads in first couple of weeks and then they're out for six or seven weeks.
"We might have to bite the bullet with one or two, make sure they are 100% and not 90%. But that is something we need to address and see what the possibilities are."
Chester could add to their squad this week ahead of the visit of Spennymoor with the signing of a striker a possibility.
Morley and co-boss Anthony Johnson have been running the rule over three trialist strikers during pre-season, with former Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle striker Deane Smalley and young Fleetwood Town forward Mamadou Djabi among the trio.
The Blues bosses will now seek to nail down the final spot in their squad ahead of this weekend.
