Juventus' Pirlo out until new year

Turin: Juventus and Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo is expected to be sidelined until the new year with damaged knee ligaments.

Pirlo limped out of Sunday's 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes.

Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee."

The club has not revealed how long Pirlo will be out for, but an injury of this type normally takes at least a month to recover from.

Juventus plays Bologna, Sassuolo and Atalanta in the Italian league before the winter break and also has a crucial final Champions League group match at Galatasaray.

Pirlo has been instrumental in Juventus winning the past two Serie A titles.