Melbourne Victory head coach Tony Popovic urged his side to be mindful of an upset when they face bottom side Brisbane Roar in a rearranged A-League Men fixture on Monday.
Victory were meant to be the visitors on Friday night at the Roar but the game was postponed due to the severe weather in south-east Queensland.
Popovic’s side will now instead host the Roar at AAMI Park, with Friday’s original clash to be played at a later date.
While he conceded Brisbane had struggled this season, Popovic warned his team that Warren Moon’s men had enough quality to cause an upset.
“They’ve been very strong at home and they’ve picked up some very good results,” Popovic said.
“They’ve had some bad results, from their point of view, away from home.
“With the accumulation of games you can have three bad games in seven days and the mood can change.
“We’re playing at home and we’ve got to take the positive feelings from our last win and make it as difficult for them to get out of their sticky situation.
“We’ll show them the respect they deserve but we want to make sure our attack is firing.”
Victory defender Matthew Spiranovic is unlikely to feature due to a quad strain, while Rai Marchan is edging closer to a return from a facial injury.
“He removed his braces in his mouth which is a big step for him,” Popovic said.
“He’s getting a lot closer now and he’s unrestricted… He feels a lot happier and we’ve missed him.
“He does need to start eating a few steaks and it’ll be good for him to get some solid food back into him and get back to doing what he loves doing.”
As a result of the rearranged Roar fixture, Victory will have enjoyed a nine-day break between games.
That extended rest has been a rare one for Popovic’s side who had to juggle COVID-19-enforced postponements along with their FFA Cup run.
Prior to last week’s win over Central Coast, the Victory hadn’t won an A-League game since Boxing Day and Popovic was hopeful they could pick up where they left off.
“It always helps and it was a tough game,” Popovic said.
“The feeling is positive and winning late shows your belief is there.
“It shows that we were disciplined and positive in going forward.”