Melbourne Victory skipper Carl Valeri has been ruled out of the club's A-League match with the Wellington Phoenix on Monday night.
Soreness will stop Valeri, 32, from lining up on the now-traditional Melbourne Cup eve match at Etihad Stadium.
New signing Max Beister, who was unveiled earlier on Thursday, will also miss out on the extended 18-man squad as he acclimatises to his new surroundings.
But James Troisi could make a return to action just three weeks after breaking his collarbone.
The Socceroos attacker has trained through the week and has been added to the squad that lost 2-0 to Melbourne City on Tuesday night in the FFA Cup.
Joining Troisi in the squad are young pair Jai Ingham and Stefan Nigro.