Sydney FC's ALW title defence has been rocked with star English forward Fiona Worts undergoing knee surgery.
And in what could be a double blow for the fourth-placed Sky Blues, Matildas gun Cortnee Vine is a doubtful starter for Sunday's visit to the ninth-placed Central Coast Mariners.
Sydney are coming off a hard-fought 1-1 draw with last-placed Canberra United at Leichhardt Oval, with Worts missing her second match.
Vine has picked up a minor calf strain with Sydney coach Ante Juri unsure whether she will recover in time to face the Mariners.
Worts suffered the injury in a mid-game collision before Christmas and the news wasn't good when told she required surgery to repair a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in her knee.
The prolific striker could be sidelined for three months, which is a huge blow for the Sydneysiders with the former Adelaide United ace claiming the Julie Dolan Medal and A-League Women Golden Boot after a 13-goal campaign in 2021-22.
Wort has scored seven goals in nine games for the champions, including four in the AFC Women's Club Championship in Uzbekistan.
"I went to shoot in the first half and there was a collision between me and the defender," the 27-year-old said.
"I played on until the 85th minute and really didn't think anything was wrong.
"It was very painful the next day and I had to go for an MRI which did not show good news."
Worts will be in a brace for six weeks before starting rehabiliation but was upbeat about the possibility of playing finals, should Sydney FC make the cut.
"When I come back will depend on how the recovery goes but I'm feeling generally optimistic," she said.
"Hopefully I'll be back in time for the finals series and maybe even score the winner in the grand final."
Sydney FC are looking to emerge from a crowded ladder with just three points separating third-placed Wellington Phoenix from the Newcastle Jets, who sit seventh.
Unbeaten in their last two games and buoyed by the draw with Sydney FC, Canberra will be high on confidence ahead of their match-up with Newcastle on Saturday night.
In other matches, second-from-bottom Adelaide United will host league-leaders Melbourne United on Saturday night while Melbourne Victory (5th) take on sicth-placed Western United.
On Sunday, Brisbane (10th) take on Wellington while second-placed Perth are at home to Western Sydney Wanderers (8th).
