Alessandro Del Piero likely to be a non-starter for Sydney FC

Former Juventus and Italy star Alessandro Del Piero has failed to complete a training session this week due to hamstring problems and is an unlikely starter for Sydney FC in its fifth-round A-League match on Saturday against Central Coast.

Del Piero carried the injury into his 800th career game last Sunday but scored for the third cosnsecutive week.

Sydney coach Ian Crook said he would give Del Piero until just hours before the evening kickoff to make a decision on his availability. It would be the first match Del Piero has missed since making his high-profile move to Australia in September on a two-year contract.

Crook said Friday "he (Del Piero) knows his body ... we will get medical advice and make that decision tomorrow."