Brisbane Roar skipper Matt Smith will miss the rest of the season after making the decision to have surgery on his injured hip.

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Smith, 30, will go under the surgeon's knife and is set to sidelined for up to four months.

The Roar central defender Smith is holding on to the slim hope that he may make a quicker-than-expected recovery and be available for AFC Champions League duty in May - if the Roar are still in the tournament at that stage.

The reality is that Smith, who has not played since Brisbane's 1-0 loss to Newcastle on January 12, will not be seen in a Roar jersey again until next season.

But Smith is desperate to prove his fitness for Australia's East Asian Cup campaign in July, having in December helped the Socceroos qualify for the four-team finals.

The Roar could be tempted to sign an injury-replacement player for Smith for the remainder of the A-League season despite having last month acquired the services of another Socceroos defender, Jade North.

Watch Brisbane Roar in the AFC Champions League on Fox Sports 3 HD on Wednesday from 10.55pm (EDT).