Brighton will send captain Lewis Dunk to see a knee specialist this week amid fears he could be out for up to three months.
Centre back Dunk missed his first league game of the season against Southampton on Saturday after suffering knee ligament damage late on in last week's draw at West Ham.
And he is now facing an extended spell on the sidelines with the length to be determined by the outcome of further examinations in the coming days.
Brighton are hopeful key man Dunk will avoid the need for an operation which could see him return in around six weeks, missing the rest of 2021.