Juventus have lost Claudio Marchisio to an adductor injury, meaning coach Massimiliano Allegri may have to revert back to the 3-5-2 formation he has been keen to dispose of when the Bianconeri face Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Marchisio lasted only half of Juve's 1-1 draw at home to Chievo on Saturday, a result which means the Italian champions are without a win after three league fixtures.
He was diagnosed with a "muscle problem" and will remain behind "to undergo further tests" when the rest of the squad flies to Manchester on Monday, according to the Italian club.
He is expected to miss up to a month, joining summer signing Sami Khedira in the treatment room and leaving Allegri with only Paul Pogba, Stefano Sturaro and new arrivals Hernanes and Mario Lemina to pick from to form his midfield at the Etihad Stadium.
"It's not an easy time, but we will lift ourselves up all together," Marchisio wrote on Instagram. "Now the Champions League starts and we've got to think about improving game by game. I'll have tests on my right thigh tomorrow [Monday] and I hope it's nothing serious. Always and forever, to the very end! Forza Juve."
It is a testing time for former Cagliari and AC Milan coach Allegri, but one he must come through, according to the club's general manager Beppe Marotta.
"We're in a period of transition but that shouldn't be used as a way of excusing ourselves, that's not the way we do things at Juventus," he said to Rai Due, according to Juventus' official website.
"We're in unknown territory with the changes to our squad over the summer but that shouldn't be an excuse. We'll go to Manchester to try and win the game and show our best qualities as we always do.
"Undoubtedly, having a squad overhaul of nine or 10 players presents its own problems but our goals will always be the same, to go into every competition with the intention of winning. We mustn't allow ourselves to rest on our laurels from past achievements, instead we need to focus on the present with the future always at the forefront of our thinking."
Juventus head to Manchester as beaten finalists from last season and with the minimum objective of reaching the quarterfinals this time around. They also face Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach in their group.