Alessandro del Piero and Brett Emerton out for Sydney FC Sydney FC marquee pairing Brett Emerton and Alessandro Del Piero have been ruled out of Sunday's clash with Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium. Sky Blues' coach Frank Farina has decided to give the pair the weekend off given that neither were able to complete training this week. Del Piero only played the first half against Melbourne Heart last week before needing to come off and Emerton was only able to manage the final 45 minutes. Alessandro del Piero on route to scoring a sensational goal for Sydney FC against the Melbourne Heart last week. The Italian has been battling back and hamstring issues in recent weeks, despite pulling off a sensational strike against the Heart. Emerton has been fighting a back problem and muscle tightness since the start of the year. Farina told Fairfax Media it wasn't worth the risk to push them against the league's equal-bottom club. "It's not bad for Alessandro but with the amount of games coming up and the travel involved in getting to Wellington, he'll miss the game and won't be travelling with us when we leave on Saturday morning," Farina said. Because we've got Brisbane and Adelaide coming up in pretty quick succession, we think it makes more sense to rest him. Brett Emerton has only started four games for Sydney FC. "It's the same with "Emmo." Hopefully he'll miss only one week and we'll see how he is and whether he can face Brisbane. Both marquees have been a source of frustration for Farina this year, with Del Piero averaging just 62 minutes in his eight games and Emerton starting just four matches since round one. It's just the way it goes sometimes. Some of the younger boys have been injured, too, and it's just a matter of getting everyone on a roll with their fitness," he said. There is always going to be some issues and our job is to manage them properly to make sure you don't lose them long-term. If you lose them for a week, but gain them for the next three or four, then I think it's worth it. The coach conceded the situation regarding Del Piero, 39 and Emerton, 34, "wasn't ideal" and that it may be related to their advancing years. "It could be - I'm not a doctor, but they've had long and distinguished careers and sometimes time catches up on you," he said. These are not long-term injuries but because they're that bit older than some of the players, we've got to be extra careful to get them back to full fitness. The carousel of injuries at Moore Park this season has at least meant Farina is used to rotating his squad. This week, he might even get a look at striker Corey Gameiro, in line to make his debut after a nightmare run. "We know that as long as we don't get too many injuries at once, we've got the depth to handle it," he said. The reality is we'll get two or three injuries at any one time and, right now, we can wear that. The Phoenix were desperately unlucky not to come away with at least a point from Thursday night's visit to North Sydney Oval where they generated a glut of chances but failed to convert and ended up losing 1-0 to Central Coast. Just as Farina warned his players against complacency against the Heart last weekend, it's the same message against the league's other winless club. They were very unlucky last night but it all came down to their lack of finishing. I told our players I hope they bring the same boots on Sunday," he said. But they're a dangerous side and on their day they'll hurt somebody. Farina said he was already well advanced on his planning for the January transfer window. "We've started the process and things are happening," he said. I can't say too much, but we've looked at possibilities to strengthen every line of the team.