Cristian Chivu could still play against Liverpool with heavy strapping to his shoulder, but an operation is a real possibility for the Inter man.
The Romanian fell awkwardly and popped his left shoulder out of joint during the 1-0 defeat to Napoli on Sunday evening.
This is not the first time he has suffered from shoulder problems and he could decide to go ahead and face the Reds on March 11 with the aid of special strapping.
Inter need Chivu to recover, as they must overturn the 2-0 first leg defeat with a decimated defence and midfield.
Walter Samuel, Ivan Cordoba and Olivier Dacourt are out for the rest of the season, while Cesar Aparecido and Maxwell are injury doubts.
On top of the packed treatment room, Marco Materazzi is suspended following his dismissal at Anfield, so choices in defence are limited.
Yet it is a risk Chivu might not be willing to take, as this is a recurring shoulder issue and damaging it further could force surgery.
If he does go under the knife, it would take two months to recover and the Romanian captain would risk missing out on Euro 2008.
From channel4.com..
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/mar4n.html