Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessié has become the latest World Cup-bound skipper to pick up an injury a month to go before the tournament, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Achraf Hakimi and Mohamed Salah already facing anxious waits to be fit in time.
The 29-year-old midfielder was replaced with an injury after 32 minutes of Al-Ahli's 3-0 Saudi Pro League victory against Al Fateh FC on Wednesday, departing the pitch in some discomfort and raising concerns about his availability for the World Cup.
The Jeddah-based club are yet to release an injury update for the midfielder, who will be looking to add to his 99 caps for the Elephants when they face France in a pre-World Cup friendly in Nantes on June 4.
However, he was not included in the matchday squad for Friday's King's Cup of Champions match against Al Kholood, with head coach Matthias Jaissle yet to comment on the midfield powerhouse's absence.
Kessie has started 25 of Al-Ahli's 31 league games so far this season, and recently scored twice in the 4-0 victory over Al Akhdoud on May 3. He won the AFC Champions League MVP award earlier this year after helping Ahli retain their title against Japan's FC Machida Zelvia.
Also in Saudi, Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi is having to contend with a freak injury to Senegal captain Koulibaly, who hasn't featured since April 8 after colliding innocuously with a teammate during a training session.
The Italian head coach revealed that the 34-year-old had sustained a "thigh contusion with hematoma," and will only have three league games during the rest of the month to prove his fitness in time to join Senegal's World Cup squad.
Reports in the local media indicate that Koulibaly is not in contention to return to the squad for Tuesday's derby against Al-Nassr.
The defender, who will be hoping to participate in his third World Cup, was part of the Teranga Lions team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco earlier this year, although he was sent off twice during what proved to be a testing tournament.
Gab and Juls react to the news that Mohamed Salah will return from injury before the end of his last season at Liverpool.
Morocco have injury concerns about their own skipper, Hakimi, as well ahead of the World Cup, with the fullback sustaining a thigh problem during the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League semifinal victory over Bayern Munich.
The defender had to battle back to fitness during the Nations Cup in order to feature for the Atlas Lions during the latter stages, although has more time to return to sharpness ahead of Morocco's World Cup opener against Brazil on June 13.
There had been some concerns, when Egypt skipper Mohamed Salah was forced off the pitch with a hamstring problem in Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on April 25, that his World Cup would be jeopardised.
The forward's 2018 tournament was overshadowed by injury he sustained in that year's Champions League final, but he appears primed to return in good time this year, with Salah in contention to re-take to the field imminently for Liverpool after missing their 3-2 defeat by Manchester United last weekend.
Ivory Coast kick off their campaign against Ecuador in Philadelphia on June 14, before they take on Germany in Toronto six days later. The Elephants will conclude their Group E campaign against Curacao back in Philadelphia on June 25.