MILAN - Roma will be without Edin Dzeko and Francesco Totti when the Italians face BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Tuesday after the pair were ruled out for up to one month on Sunday.
Two of Roma's key players, Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko (L) and Italian forward Francesco Totti, have been ruled out for the upcoming Champions League clash
Dzeko (knee), Seydou Keita (hip flexor) and Totti (thigh) hobbled off during a 5-1 romp over league newcomers Carpi on Saturday.
Roma confirmed Dzeko has suffered a "grade one tear" in the collateral medial ligament in his right knee, while Totti has suffered a thigh injury that requires further tests "in 10 days time" to determine the length of his absence.
"Edin Dzeko will be sidelined for three to four weeks after suffering injury to his right knee during Roma-Carpi," said a club statement.
Italian media reports claim Totti will also be out for up to a month. After leaving hospital, the club icon -- who scored his 300th Roma goal last week -- admitted the injury had put a dampener on his 39th birthday celebrations.
"It could have gone better on my birthday, but that's football," Totti told reporters.
"All I'm thinking about now is getting better."
Roma have yet to say whether Keita, who suffered a suspected hip flexor injury on Saturday, will be available for Tuesday's clash in Belarusia, which comes two weeks after Roma battled to a 1-1 draw with defending champions Barcelona at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma are already missing their first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who suffered a finger injury in the draw against Barcelona.
Second choice 'keeper Morgan De Sanctis has stepped in, and despite fans' reservations he saved a penalty, and the rebound, on Saturday as Roma claimed their third win of the campaign to move to within four points of early pacesetters Inter Milan.
Coach Rudi Garcia, who could welcome back right-back Alessandro Florenzi and winger Iago Falque -- both of whom sat out Saturday's fixture -- for the trip to Belarus was left counting the cost.
"It was a pyrrhic victory," said the Frenchman as he weighed the positives of their league win against the negatives of losing three key players.
Although BATE have never beaten Italian opposition, they are bidding for a fourth consecutive home victory in the competition having accounted for Dundalk FC (2-1), Videoton FC (1-0) and FK Partizan (1-0) in the qualifying rounds and play-offs.
Previous matches against Serie A opposition finished in draws - 1-1 with AC Milan in 2011/12, and 2-2 with Juventus in 2008/09.