Socceroos midfielder Vince Grella has been ruled out of the Australian side to take on Ukbekistan in Thursday's World Cup qualifier.
Coach Pim Verbeek said Grella would not recover from a calf injury in time for the match early Thursday morning Australian time.
The hard-working defensive midfielder has returned to his English Premier League club Blackburn for further treatment.
Despite the loss of key man Grella, the Australians will take plenty of confidence to Uzbekistan after stunning European powerhouses The Netherlands on the weekend.
Uzbekistan were beaten 3-0 by Qatar on Sunday.