ADELAIDE defender Luke Brown will miss up to a month with a fractured cheekbone, but Jake Lever is expected to face St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. 

Brown suffered an accidental knock to the face in the Crows' 21-point loss to Geelong last Friday night. 

"Unfortunately, Browny received a knee in the cheekbone in the Geelong match," Crows general manager of high performance Matt Hass told the club's website.

"After investigation, it showed that there was a little crack in there that required surgery. 

"The prognosis for Browny is that we expect him back shortly after the (Round 13) bye." 

Brown has played every game for the Crows this season and established himself as a quality small defender.

The 24-year-old signed a three-year contract extension until the end of 2020 last month.

Brown's absence opens the door for Kyle Cheney to play his first game of the season.

Cheney was a fixture in the Crows' backline last year, but groin and hamstring injuries interrupted his start to the season. 

The 27-year-old has built up his match fitness in the SANFL during the past month. 

Lever has been cleared of serious damage after rolling his ankle against the Cats. 

"Fortunately, it’s quite a minor one (sprain)," Hass said.

"He (Lever) will train either with the main group today (Tuesday) or on his own tomorrow and we expect him to play this weekend."

Forward Mitch McGovern and wingman Paul Seedsman are also available for selection after recovering from long-term injuries.

Seedsman hasn’t played a game at any level this season because of lingering groin soreness, while McGovern has been sidelined since tearing his hamstring in the round three Showdown with Port Adelaide. 

Hass said the pair was likely to return in the club’s SANFL clash with Norwood on Saturday.