Meralco is hoping to carry over its rosy 2-0 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup to the East Asia Super League in Japan next week but it may have to do it without key cogs Suleiman Braimoh and Allein Maliksi.

Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo said a cloud of uncertainty surrounded the team ahead of their EASL debut against Ryukyu Golden Kings in Okinawa Arena.

Meralco could be without Maliksi who suffered a broken nose on Saturday, Nov. 11, against Blackwater. 

He is now the second player to have suffered the same injury after Bong Quinto sustained it a couple of weeks back in practice although he is playing through it while wearing a mask.

“Bong broke his nose now Allein broke his nose. I think it was an incidental part of the game (but) it's a pity because we were gonna be moving to the EASL,” said Trillo after the team’s 91-84 victory over Blackwater.

“We have Bong not 100 percent tapos ngayon Allein's out. Actually Allein is playing with some pain in other parts of his body. He was not supposed to play today and now he broke his nose,” he added.

That made matters worse for the Bolts as they might also miss the services of the very same man behind their 2-0 start in the conference.

“Something is also with Su. We're fixing his multiple visas. It's being put on hold now. Those are things that are beyond our control now. We'll see what we can do,” he added.

Meralco still has import Prince Ibeh but he had just joined practice with the Bolts after needing to attend his wife who had just given birth.

The Bolts are set to face a full force Golden Kings bannered by former Meralco import Allen Durham and Filipino reinforcement Carl Tamayo.