Former Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge is set to miss Perth Glory's next two A-League Men games after being hit hard by COVID-19.
Sturridge was struck down by the virus last week but was cleared to exit quarantine on Tuesday, along with several of his teammates.
Glory take on Western Sydney on Wednesday at CommBank Stadium followed by a clash with Melbourne City on Sunday at AAMI Park.
Sturridge will definitely miss the Wanderers match, and it's almost certain he won't be ready to take on Melbourne City.
Skipper Brandon O'Neill, star striker Bruno Fornaroli, Mitchell Oxborrow, and Jack Clisby are other Glory players who tested positive and in a similar boat.
"It's going to be a hard one for most of the guys who actually had COVID to take part in that game, especially the guys who had it a little bit rougher," Glory coach Richard Garcia said when asked about the Melbourne City match.
"Some guys had mild symptoms and others got hit pretty hard.
"He (Sturridge) was one of those that was hit pretty hard for a few days, so it's probably going to take him a little (time to regain match fitness).
"We've spoken to other teams and their medical staff, and there were reports of guys taking a couple of weeks to try to find their feet because of a bit of fatigue, the impact it has on your breathing.
"We're going to have to take that day by day and just manage these guys and see how they get on when they start training."
With up to seven players unavailable after their recent diagnosis or being a close contact, Garcia has been left with just enough bodies to scrape together a match-day squad.
The absence of Fornaroli and Sturridge means veteran striker Andy Keogh will be set for a big workload against the Wanderers.
Keogh has been restricted to just three matches this season after injuring his calf in round one.
The 35-year-old's most recent appearance was a 29-minute cameo off the bench in the club's 2-1 win over Sydney FC on January 22.
"Andy's going to have to probably push himself to the extreme tomorrow," Garcia said.
"We've got a few guys who will be on the bench ready to come and and give him a break, but we've just told him to go as hard as he can for as long as he can."
Garcia is expecting a tough challenge from the 11th-placed Wanderers after the club sacked coach Carl Robinson and replaced him with Mark Rudan.
"There's always a lift when a new coach comes in," Garcia said.
