Italy have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their crunch Euro 2004 qualifier against Wales with the news that Francesco Totti is set to miss the match.
The Roma striker suffered a hip injury in his club's friendly against Real Betis on Monday and he will be out of action for the next two weeks.
That means he will miss the match against Wales in Milan on September 6th, and coach Giovanni Trapattoni's plans have been thrown into disarray by the news.
It was anticipated that Italy would select Totti in a three-man frontline, along with Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri, just as they had lined up to good effect in last week's 1-0 win over Germany in Stuttgart.
Totti, 26, was carried off the pitch in the first half against Betis, following a clash with midfielder Capi. He will undergo further tests today.