Perth Glory's defensive stocks have taken a double hit after co-captain Mark Beevers and fellow defender Darryl Lachman picked up fresh injuries.
Beevers was suspended for Saturday night's thrilling 3-2 A-League Men home loss to Melbourne Victory after picking up a red card a week earlier.
But he is now set to miss several more weeks after injuring himself in a training collision on the morning of Saturday's match.
Glory coach Alen Stajcic didn't want to specify the exact nature of the injury, but confirmed Beevers would undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
"He just went into a freak challenge with Jimmy Overy and they collided accidentally," Stajcic said.
"They both picked up a little bit of a knock.
"I think Beevs might be out for a couple of weeks minimum.
"I won't go into details around him at the moment until we find out what's wrong with him. But we'll see how that goes during the week after some scans.
"Jimmy hurt his ribs, so we're not sure how long he'll be out."
Lachman is also expected to undergo scans after limping off with a suspected groin injury in the 58th minute against Victory.
Glory were reduced to 10 men just seconds after half-time when attacker Bruce Kamau was sent off for his second bookable offence.
With scores locked at 1-1 at the time, Glory could have easily capitulated against the league leaders.
Instead, Perth produced their bravest performance of the season, and would have picked up a point if it wasn't for Ben Folami's 96th-minute winner.
The result left Glory with just eight points from 11 games, meaning they face a monumental challenge to make the finals.
Although Stajcic was visibly deflated after the late heartbreak, he was buoyed by the team's best performance of the season, and remained defiant about his team's title hopes.
"It's obviously a tough scenario. But, if we show that mentality and that spirit for the rest of the year, we'll be hard to beat in this competition," Stajcic said.
"If that's our platform for the rest of the year, then I think we're a chance of winning the competition. But they've got to start believing that
"The process tonight was excellent. It's the first time I've really seen true heart and spirit for a full 90-minute performance."
Glory will be aiming to snare their first win on the road since October, 2022 when they take on Wellington in Sydney next Sunday.
