Italian media reports have confirmed the absence of Napoli's midfield star Stanislav Lobotka from the upcoming top match against Juventus on Sunday in the Italian Serie A, due to a muscle strain.

Napoli stated in an official announcement on Thursday that the Slovak player sustained the injury during warm-up before the match against Cagliari, which took place on Wednesday evening as part of the round of 16 in the Coppa Italia.

The statement read: "Stanislav Lobotka suffered a muscle strain in the hamstring of his left leg during warm-up before Wednesday’s match," adding that the player has already started a medical rehabilitation program.

According to the newspaper "Corriere dello Sport," Lobotka is out of coach Antonio Conte’s plans for the Juventus match, which further complicates the team’s situation amid a severe shortage of midfield players, as Kevin De Bruyne, Gilmour, and Frank Anguissa are also sidelined due to injury.

Conte only has two midfielders available to face Juventus, namely McTominay and Elmas.

Napoli had qualified for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals after defeating Cagliari 9-8 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw in regular time.