Italy will wait a week before deciding whether to call up an emergency replacement for midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo suffered a calf injury in the world champions’ 2-1 defeat to Mexico on Thursday, and medical staff expect him to be out for up to 20 days (Italy 9/4 to be eliminated in the quarter-finals).

That would rule Pirlo out of the opening Group F fixture against Paraguay in Cape Town on June 14. (Italy 5/6 to win, Paraguay 16/5, draw 23/10)

“He will probably travel to South Africa but will, for sure, miss the first game,” said Enrico Castellacci, Italy’s head doctor.

The 2006 World Cup winner now faces a race to be fit for the second Group F game against New Zealand.

“It’s an injury which worries me but there’s time,” Castellacci said, saying the recovery period was at least 15 days.

“The intention is to take him to South Africa to see if he can be fit. Before June 13 we can change players in the squad.”

Pirlo, who would have been a definite starter, has left the Azzurri’s training camp in the Italian Alps to rest at home.

He was due to miss Saturday’s final friendly with Switzerland in Geneva in any case after coach Marcello Lippi said he would use players who did not feature against Mexico.

Lippi already has concerns over winger Mauro Camoranesi, who has a knee injury, and the loss of Pirlo for any games at the World Cup would be a big blow to the holders.

Castellacci said Camoranesi was progressing well. Lippi had already put midfielder Andrea Cossu, left out of the 23-man squad, on alert to go to South Africa if Camoranesi was not fit and the Cagliari man would also be the most like-for-like replacement for Pirlo.

If both Pirlo and Camoranesi are not fit for the tournament, midfielder Antonio Candreva could come in having been in the provisional 30-man squad.

Pirlo’s dead-ball ability and neat passing were key to Italy’s 2006 triumph but he has struggled for AC Milan in the last two years.

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