Sampdoria received yet more bad news in their battle to avoid relegation, as goalkeeper Emil Audero suffered a serious shoulder injury.
The shot-stopper has initially been diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder following the training ground incident.
More tests are required over the next few days to ascertain the extent of the damage and give a better idea of how long he will be out of action for.
Audero will certainly be out of Sunday’s Serie A match against his former club Juventus, but there are fears it will be several weeks, if not months.
The alternatives at the disposal of coach Dejan Stankovic are Nicola Ravaglia and 19-year-old Martin Turk.
At least Manolo Gabbiadini will return to the team after a one-match ban.
Sampdoria are propping up the Serie A table after picking up just 12 points from 25 rounds and face problems off the field too, with the threat of bankruptcy looming over the summer.