After a busy Easter period and with the club hoping to overhaul Burnley for the final play-off place, Irvine would have liked to have kept his squad fresh.
But limited options mean there are unlikely to be many changes from their 2-0 defeat of Doncaster on Monday.
"It would have been nice to have had the luxury of rotating the squad over Easter but it is difficult to rotate without the players to do so," he told the Lancashire Evening Post.
Callum Davidson is still out with a hamstring strain so the defence and midfield should remain the same.
However, Irvine does have choices up front with Chris Brown and Neil Mellor both having scored on Monday and Stephen Elliott and Jon Parkin hoping for a recall.
Roger Johnson is unlikely to be risked for Cardiff's trip.
The influential centre-back spent two nights in hospital after taking a blow to his throat from Crystal Palace defender Claude Davis last weekend, an incident that chairman Peter Ridsdale has claimed could have killed Johnson.
The 25-year-old was keen to play a part in Monday's home clash against Burnley but the decision was taken out of his hands - and he will continue to be assessed on a daily basis until the club's medical team feel he is ready to return, although he is likely to play again this season.
Darren Purse should continue to partner Gabor Gyepes in his absence.
Stuart Taylor is likely to keep his place in goal having extended his loan stay until the end of the season, meaning Tom Heaton will again be on the bench.
Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd should continue to lead the line with 21-goal top scorer Ross McCormack on the wing as the Bluebirds look to maintain their challenge for a top-two finish.
Sporting Life