Marquee striker Alessandro Del Piero has been ruled out of Sydney FC's A-League away clash with Wellington Phoenix on Sunday after scans revealed he has a hamstring strain.
However new coach Frank Farina took some heart on Thursday from the fact the scan results showed there was no tear in the Italian superstar's hamstring.
Del Piero has been bothered by hamstring tightness for several weeks and he had to be replaced late in struggling Sydney FC's scoreless draw with Melbourne Heart on Sunday.
"It's a long flight (to Wellington) and, with time differences, it's not an option for him to play (on Sunday)," said Farina.
"The positive news is that there is no tear but we will re-evaluate how the injury has progressed and what we do going forward next week when we get back into training."
NZN