The Socceroos' attacking stocks have taken a huge blow, with in-form striker Jamie Maclaren suffering a hamstring tear and fellow forward Andrew Nabbout to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury of his own.
It means Graham Arnold will be unable to call on either forward for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman on November 15.
Fellow striker Adam Taggart shapes as the man set to benefit from Maclaren's absence.
Taggart has been a revelation in South Korea, scoring 19 goals across all competitions for K League outfit Suwon Bluewings. He also scored a brace for Australia against Taiwan.
The injuries could also open the door for Apostolos Giannou to earn some game time, while Arnold could be tempted to bring Daniel Arzani and Chris Ikonomidis back into the fold as wide players. Tom Rogic is likely to return after missing the last international window.
A day after scoring twice in City's defeat of Western United, Maclaren said he had suffered a small tear in his hamstring, with the club confirming he would be sidelined for four-to-five weeks.
"Gutted to learn after scan results this morning I have a small tear in my hamstring! I will be doing everything I can to be back ASAP," Maclaren wrote on Instagram on Monday.
Maclaren had been in red-hot form for club and country, with 10 goals in seven games for City across the A-League and FFA Cup, along with four goals - including a hat-trick - in two games for the Socceroos.
Meanwhile, Nabbout scored his first A-League goal of the season against Brisbane Roar on Friday night but was ruled out of the game after just 33 minutes when he went down holding his hamstring.
"He has undertaken scans today and at this stage we expect Andrew to miss several weeks," Victory general manager of football operations, Paul Trimboli, said.
"We'll manage his recovery now week-by-week - keeping in mind the length of the season - to ensure he is 100 per cent fit when he returns to the pitch."
Nabbout joins fellow Socceroos and Victory attacker Robbie Kruse on the sidelines.