AC Milan playmaker Andrea Pirlo will miss Thursday's UEFA Cup first round, first leg match with FC Zurich after pulling a thigh muscle, his club has revealed.

Milan ruled the Italian international out of the home match against the Swiss team, but did not speculate on how long he would remain on the sidelines.

Pirlo hurt himself during training this morning and will undergo further tests on Friday.

The injury comes at a bad time for Milan, who have had a dreadful start to their Serie A campaign, losing their first two matches.