Thompson, 36, looked dejected as he left Gosch's Paddock and could miss the match against Sydney FC, a side he has terrorised since the first round of the A-League in 2005. The A-League's all-time leading scorer has netted 11 times in 24 games against the Sky Blues – and six of those goals have come at Allianz Stadium.

However, with Victory missing  four players to international duty – Kosta Barbarouses (New Zealand), Daniel Georgievski (Macedonia), Jason Geria and Connor Pain (Olyroos) – Thompson, who has already scored three times this season,  may have little choice but to push through.

Worryingly for the Victory, striker Besart Berisha and attacking midfielders Gui Finkler and Fahid Ben Khalfallah did not take part in the session. The club later claimed Thompson's removal was simply a precaution. "He [Thompson] had something going on there for a while but he's been managing it quite well,"  Victory vice-captain Adrian Leijer said after training.

Victory are arguably the worst-affected side from the international break –  all of their withdrawals are regular first-team members – and may have to dip into their youth team squad for the trip across the Murray.

Sydney FC will also miss key strikers Marc Janko (Austria) and Corey Gameiro (Olyroos) to international selection. Midfielder Terry Antonis was due to join the Socceroos but was  left off the flight to Japan after being admitted to hospital with minor injuries after a car accident on his way to Sydney airport. His condition is being monitored by the club's medical staff.

Another Victory player set to miss out is defender-midfielder Nick Ansell, still battling a navicular stress fracture that has left him sidelined since August. "They have to be careful with him," Leijer said. "He's had quite a serious injury, he's managed it really well. He's been great off the pitch, training hard and looking after himself."

Leijer's would-be defensive partner Mathieu Delpierre is also fighting a hamstring injury but seems a better chance of taking on Sydney FC's dynamic front-third.

Victory skipper Mark Milligan would have been away with the Socceroos but had to withdraw with injury, likewise Olyroos defender Scott Galloway. FFA regulations mean that, having withdrawn from their international squads, Milligan, Galloway and Antonis  are unable to play for their respective clubs this weekend.

Leijer said he believed the side would be strong enough to compete despite being heavily down on numbers. "You'd like everyone out here training but that's why we've got a squad," he said. "No matter who's out there, the depth we've got this year is massive."

The match promises to pit two of the A-League's sharpest brains against each other, with Muscat and Sydney FC mentor Graham Arnold demonstrating their tactical prowess in recent times.

"We will do a lot of work on Sydney," Leijer said, "[Thursday] is our big [video] preview towards the weekend. They've been good this year, Arnie's really got them well disciplined, well structured. They're going to be hard to beat."

Arnold has been leading the charge for the A-League to take a break for FIFA dates but Leijer said it provided opportunities for younger players.

"I'm two-sided on the issue," he said. "It also gives young Australian kids an opportunity, the league's growing, it's a time in the calendar where there's not much sport going on so it's a good time for us to play."