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SYDNEY - Sydney FC could be without their marquee signing Juninho for up to two months, after the Brazilian suffered a shoulder injury during last weekend's A League soccer match against Adelaide.
Juninho was ruled out of Sunday's game against Perth, which Sydney skipper and central defender Tony Popovic is also expected to miss through injury.
The injuries to Juninho and Popovic come at a bad time for Sydney, who have also lost goalkeeper Clint Bolton and striker Alex Brosque to the Australian squad for an international against Argentina in Melbourne next Tuesday.
Brazilian World Cup winner Juninho opted against having an operation on his torn shoulder ligaments, which would probably have sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Sydney coach Branko Culina stressed the club wasn't yet sure how long their prize recruit would be sidelined for.
"It could be anything from two to four weeks to eight or more, but we are staying positive," Culina said.
"It's not only about Juninho and Popovic and four other (unavailable) players, it's about the whole team.
"There is enough confidence and belief in the squad that we've got, that they will be able to do the job irrespective of who is on the park."
- AAP
