Western United coach John Aloisi has confirmed Steven Lustica will miss at least two more months with a hamstring injury, but says the rest of his players are fit and firing.
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Lustica tore his hamstring in the round-five loss to Adelaide and isn't expected to return until February at the earliest.
"He'll be out for at least another couple of months," Aloisi said.
"It's not a great one in terms of his hamstring injury. That's a long-term one."
But it's better news for Mali international Tongo Doumbia, who will make his return from injury in Saturday night's clash with Perth Glory at Macedonia Park.
The 33-year-old midfielder injured his hamstring in the round-two defeat to Sydney FC and is a chance to slot straight back into the starting line-up.
"We played an internal (game) on Saturday and he played in that, so he's ready to go," Aloisi said.
"He's looking really good, even better than before his injury. We're excited about seeing him play."
Alessandro Diamanti and Aleksandar Prijovic are in line for increased roles after building up their fitness during the World Cup break.
Prijovic, whose start to the season was delayed by a toe injury, made a 24-minute cameo off the bench in the 3-2 win over Wellington before the break.
Diamanti has played four cameos off the bench since recovering from a knee injury.
"They're available and ready to go," Aloisi said.
"Now it's up to whether they start or come off the bench."
Defender Tomoki Imai has recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained in round one, but will miss this week due to illness.
Nikolai Topor-Stanley is available after serving his suspension.
Western United started their season with four losses and a draw before finally breaking through for a win just before the break.
Despite the 27-day gap between games threatening to stifle Western's momentum, Aloisi said it had come at a good time.
"We still had a lot of players out and not match fit," Aloisi said.
"It gave us more time to work with Prijovic, time to get Doumbia back, time to work on players who hadn't been playing."
Perth will regain skipper Mustafa Amini (quad) for their first home match of the season.
Glory haven't played in Perth since the final round of last season.
With HBF Park underdoing an upgrade in time for the 2023 Women's World Cup, Glory will host most of their games at the 4000-capacity Macedonia Park.
Perth posted just one win during their stretch of five away games and are desperate to make the most of their return home.
Australian Associated Press
