Adelaide have lost key onballer Rory Sloane for six AFL games because of a fractured cheekbone.
Scans on Monday revealed the break, Adelaide's football manager David Noble says.
"He will be going into surgery in the next 24 hours to address that," Noble told the club's website on Monday.
"It's a fairly simple procedure to address the fracture.
"It has been depressed and it's just a little operation to press that bone back out."
Sloane joins fellow onballers Richard Douglas (foot) and Brad Crouch (foot) on an Adelaide injury list featuring 13 players.
The Crows have ruled out Ricky Henderson (pectoral) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (hamstring) from returning against St Kilda on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
The injury new comes as ex-Adelaide captain Nathan van Berlo praises the leadership of his successor, Taylor Walker.
The Crows sit in fifth spot with four wins and two losses to start Walker's reign as captain.
"Tex has been really good, outstanding," van Berlo told reporters on Monday.
"What you see is what you get. He hasn't changed personality-wise throughout the footy club which is what he said he was going to do.
"His leadership on game day has been great. His messages to the boys have been really clear and on track with what the coaches want."
Walker is delivering on-field: third-most marks in the competition and booting 18 goals - only three players have scored more, one is his teammate Eddie Betts (20 goals).
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