Sydney FC star Douglas Costa will be out of A-League Men action for at least six weeks after re-injuring his hamstring.
The high-profile recruit was forced off the field in the Sky Blues’ 3-0 win over rivals Melbourne Victory after setting up Joe Lolley’s second goal in the 26th minute.
Sydney coach Ufuk Talay confirmed the extent of Costa’s injury on Thursday, ahead of their round 12 clash in Newcastle.
Talay has earmarked their AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) match on February 12 against Thai Premier League club Bangkok United as a return for Costa.
At worst, the 34-year-old winger could be out for eight weeks.
“Not good,” Talay said of the Brazilian’s injury.
“We’ll just make sure we get him right and push him again.
“If we can push him to that first leg of the ACL, that means he’s come back a little bit early.
“He’s probably as frustrated as I am.”
Costa had missed three weeks earlier in the season with the same injury, picking up the issue in their ACL2 match against Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima in October after making his A-League Men debut in round one.
He returned to feature in their round five triumph over Western Sydney before finally hitting the scoresheet four weeks later in the 3-3 draw against Adelaide United.
The Reds had got off to a perfect start thanks to Archie Goodwin and Stefan Mauk goals, before Costa scored twice and added an assist to salvage a point.
His assist against the Victory was his fourth goal involvement in two games, and he played a part in Sydney securing their first clean sheet of the season.
They are ninth on 13 points, while the Jets are 11th on six.
“He was enjoying himself. He had a really good first half against Melbourne Victory,” Talay said.
“I thought we got him into a really good place physically but these things happen in football.”
Perth Glory striker David Williams will miss the rest of the A-League Men (ALM) season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), while defender Luke Bodnar has become the latest player to leave the struggling club.
Williams tore the ACL in his left knee during last week’s 3-0 loss to Macarthur FC.
The 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, with the injury putting his future in doubt.
Williams is a much-loved figure at Perth, and his goal against Brisbane two weeks ago ended the club’s 18-match winless run.
David Williams of the Glory in discussion with Referee Lachlan Keevers. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
The veteran journeyman has scored 51 times in 228 ALM games across stints at the Glory, Queensland Roar, North Queensland Fury, Melbourne Heart, Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Bodnar is the fourth player to leave the club over the past three weeks after having his contract mutually terminated so he can take up an overseas deal.
Bodnar’s exit comes after the Glory cut ties with former skipper Mustafa Amini, Ecuadorian defender Luis Canga and Colombian forward Cristian Caicedo.
The injury-hit Amini has initiated legal proceedings against the club, arguing the termination of his contract was unlawful.
Bodnar first joined Perth as a teenager and progressed through the ranks of the club’s academy before making his senior debut in the 2020 AFC Champions League campaign.
The 24-year-old went on to make 45 ALM appearances, but just one this season under new coach David Zdrilic.
The exit of the four players will open the door for the Glory to make important changes to their squad during January’s transfer window.
They sit second last on the table after posting just one win and two draws from their opening 10 games.
Perth will be back in action on Friday night when they host Western United at HBF Park.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Brisbane Roar have claimed their first scalp of the A-League Men season, knocking off Sydney FC 4-3 at their Allianz Stadium home. The Roar…
Perth Glory have secured the services of Sydney FC striker Pat Wood on loan for the remainder of the A-League Men season. Wood became…
Adrian Segecic scored his first-ever hat-trick as Sydney FC returned to winning ways and climbed to fifth on the A-League ladder after defeating Central…
A Joe Lolley hat-trick has launched Sydney to a 3-0 A-League win and heaped more misery on Perth Glory. The ever-reliable Lolley broke through…
Joe Lolley scored twice as Sydney FC ended their three-game winless run with a 3-0 win against 10-man Melbourne Victory in the first Big…
