Brisbane may be dealing with fresh injury troubles and facing one of the most difficult away trips in the Hyundia A-League, but coach Ange Postecoglou his implored his charges to throw caution to the wind when they clash with Perth on Sunday.
The Roar will travel to Western Australia minus Brazilian striker Reinaldo (hamstring) and influential midfielders Matt McKay (quad) and Danny Tiatto (hamstring).
Postecoglou opted for a change in formation in last week’s 4-1 victory over Wellington, making use of just three defenders in a fruitful move that saw Reinaldo grab a brace.
The former Qantas Young Socceroos tactician would be forgiven for taking a more risk-averse approach when his side locks horn with the Glory, a side which is undefeated at home this season apart from a 2-1 loss to league leaders Melbourne.
However Postecoglou vowed his side would continue to attack with reckless abandon.
“It all depends on the players you have available, we’ve got some great attacking players so that’s the best style of game we can play,” Postecoglou said.
“It’s the same as last week, we could have gone conservative but we took the game to the Phoenix and I think I’m pretty determined to take a game to them (Perth).”
“We’ve got some really good attacking options, so we’re going to use them.”
Brisbane has a chance to slip into the top six with a positive result this weekend, but Postecoglou was quick to dismiss the notion that the battle between fifth and seventh would be a high-stakes encounter.
“I don’t think it’s season defining, but it does help our cause enormously if we do win over there because you catch one of the teams that is in front of you,” he said.
“It’s almost impossible to play yourself out of it (finals contention) or keep yourself in – even if we win we’ll still be fighting with five or six other teams.”
“They’re an experienced unit and we’re going to put a young lineup out there, so it’s a challenge for us.”
“It’s going to be a tough game, but we then have two home games, so any kind of result over there will set us up pretty well.”
Postecoglou suggested there had been a notable lift in his side’s intensity after their productive display against the Phoenix.
“It certainly helps. They’re a good side and to knock four past them – and I thought we were good value for the four – was great,” he added.
“You could tell with the players themselves, I think they’ve been buzzing around training this week and are feeling a lot more confident.”