Juventus and Mali midfielder Mohamed Sissoko will be out of football for the next three months after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury.
The 26-year-old has had surgery on his left knee at a hospital in France and will not return to action until June.
That means he will miss the rest of the Italian league season and also Mali’s next Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Eagles are due to play Zimbabwe at the end of March in Group A in Bamako – they are currently second in the table.
The former Liverpool player will be hoping to return to action for the match after that, which is the return fixture in Harare – scheduled for the first weekend in June.
Sissoko has been hampered by persistent knee problems this season.
His absence will also be a blow for Juventus who are down in seventh place in the Serie A table with a big game against leaders AC Milan on Saturday.
