Luiz Gustavo will not play in Wolfsburg's crunch Champions League clash with Manchester United unless he is 100 percent fit, sporting executive Klaus Allofs has said.
Wolfsburg need a point from Tuesday's game at the Volkswagen Arena to ensure their place in the knockout round, while United must win to be certain of progress.
Gustavo missed Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund with a back problem and also sat on Sunday's training session.
Coach Dieter Hecking told kicker that the Brazil international "can't be ruled out" of the United clash, but Allofs said they would not take any risks with the 28-year-old former Bayern Munich midfielder, who has completed only eight games this season.
He said: "Luiz has to be 100 percent fit. Anything else would make no sense."
Gustavo has been struggling with injuries ever since undergoing a knee operation in June.
Regardless of whether Gustavo is fit, Die Wolfe are confident of bouncing back from their home defeat to Dortmund when Louis van Gaal's side visit.
They looked to have clinched a draw against BVB when Ricardo Rodriguez cancelled out Marco Reus' first-half goal from the penalty spot in the 91st minute, but Shinji Kagawa snatched victory for the visitors 118 seconds later.
Kagawa's goal brought an end to the DFB Pokal holders' 29-game unbeaten home run in the Bundesliga, and goalkeeper Diego Benaglio is looking to make amends.
"We would have loved to extend our run, and that was certainly possible," Benaglio told kicker. "We need to get the Dortmund match out of our systems as soon as possible to be at 100 percent on Tuesday.
"A really good opponent is awaiting us in an incredibly important match. We will do all we can to ensure we're still in the Champions League throughout winter."
Wolfsburg currently top group B with nine points, with United in second with eight, and PSV Eindhoven, who host bottom club CSKA Moscow, on seven points.