Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is not expected to feature again for the club before the World Cup break as he nurses a muscle problem.
The Argentina international has missed three of the last four matches with a calf strain but is expected to be fit in time for his country's opening World Cup match against Saudi Arabia on November 22.
Romero sat out Tottenham's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle but played in their subsequent draw with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, with head coach Antonio Conte afterwards saying he had taken a "big, big risk" in playing the combative centre-back.
He has since missed the wins over Bournemouth and Marseille, and is now not expected to feature in Sunday's visit of Liverpool, the midweek Carabao Cup third-round tie at Nottingham Forest or the home game against Leeds on November 12.
In the first half of last season, Romero was sidelined for nearly three months with a hamstring strain and he has since missed games with adductor and hip problems.
Conte's injury concerns are mounting ahead of the winter break, with Heung-min Son set to undergo surgery on a fracture around his eye this week and fellow forwards Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison still not fully fit.
Kulusevski has been missing since returning from the September international break with a hamstring problem but has been training outside and is hopeful of returning before the break for the World Cup. Richarlison is also nearing a return to outdoor training after a calf strain.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg appeared to be struggling before scoring a brilliant winner with the last kick of the game against Marseille on Tuesday, booking Spurs' place in the Champions League last-16, and Conte is set to provide a fitness update on Friday afternoon before the Liverpool game.
