Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has provided an update on the fitness of striker Ester Sokler and defender Gavin Molloy.
Thelin watched his team lose their fifth straight match as a first half Slobodan Rubezic sending off proved costly in a 2-0 loss at Motherwell.
Aberdeen began the season by giving reigning Scottish Premiership champions Celtic a run for their money, but their drop off over the past six weeks has been remarkable.
Thelin's side have picked up just three points from a possible 30 available since late November, scoring eight goals - with three of them coming in one match.
Sokler, who has often been tasked with leading the line for Aberdeen this season, hobbled off half an hour into the defeat against Ross County on Thursday.
Molloy was not in the squad at Fir Park, but his injury, suspected to be a fractured collarbone, is not yet clear.
"They are going to be out for a long time, both of them," the Aberdeen boss confirmed.
"We’ll hopefully see them again this season.
“We keep working with trying to improve the team and stabilise the squad."
Aberdeen are already without No1 goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov, while Pape Gueye, who scored six goals from eight appearances before a long-term setback in September, is still working his way back to fitness.
Jack Milne and Vicente Besuijen are also currently sidelined, highlighting the requirement for January reinforcements.
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Summing up another disappointing result, Thelin told Red TV: "We are in a really difficult moment as a team right now. How we started the game, we controlled the game, did really well, and then there was a 10 minute bad period where they score two.
"Of course there's a red card and we go out with 10 men in the second half.
"The players who played the second half, the character that they had was strong and good. But the last home game against Ross County and this one, some parts of our performances is good and then we still drop momentum too low inside of games and it's two easy goals we get against us. That makes it difficult to come back from.
"We still have things to work on for sure."
Rubezic was given an early bath for lashing out at Motherwell's Tony Watt just before the interval.
On his centre-back receiving red, which adds to the news about his first choice partner Molloy being sidelined until further notice, Thelin said: "I haven't seen it back yet but for me it's always important when you are on the pitch to have emotional control.
"It's so important to not give the opponents something extra."
