AC Milan and Italy star Antonio Cassano will undergo an operation to repair a heart defect on Friday.
Cassano was diagnosed with a hole in his heart after suffering an ischaemic stroke when he was taken ill last weekend.
He is set to be operated on by Dr Mario Carminati, a specialist in cardiological congenital defects, at the Policlinico San Donato hospital in Milan.
Dr Carminati is considered one of the leading experts in his field in Italy.
Cassano's condition is not a particularly rare one which usually causes little to no affects in the sufferer.
It is essentially an anomaly of the heart in which a small hole develops between the left and right atriums allowing blood to escape between the two, causing turbulence that can result in blood clotting.
Cassano was taken ill on Milan's return from Rome in the early hours of Sunday morning, following a 3-2 win over Roma.
The 29-year-old was suffering from difficulties in his speech and movement.
Source: AFP
