Lazio's Rocchi out of Atlético double-header
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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S.S. Lazio will be without striker Tommaso Rocchi for their round of 32 encounters with Club Atlético de Madrid after the club captain suffered a strained thigh muscle.
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S.S. Lazio coach Edoardo Reja will be unable to call on captain Tommaso Rocchi for up to four weeks after the striker injured his left thigh at the weekend.
Rocchi sustained what the club described as "a second-degree strain of the left thigh" during Lazio's 3-2 Serie A defeat at Genoa CFC on Sunday and has been ruled out for a month. The 34-year-old is therefore unavailable for both legs of the Biancocelesti's UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie with Club Atlético de Madrid.
The news is a blow to Lazio, given the veteran forward has scored five times in 11 Italian top-flight outings this term and recently passed the milestone of 100 competitive goals – including three in this season's UEFA Europa League play-offs – for the Rome-based outfit.
Lazio, runners-up in UEFA Europa League Group D, host Atlético on 16 February with the return match to follow in the Spanish capital a week later.