The Wanderers have taken just two points from their first six A-League games and while performances have been on the improve - they have dominated their past two matches at home, against Central Coast and Newcastle - they're still last on the table.

To make matters worse, the Wanderers will need to find extra reserves of energy for Saturday night's Sydney derby at a sold-out Parramatta Stadium.

Some players have been visibly tiring towards the end of matches because of the club's inability to structure a full pre-season, primarily due to their Asian Champions League commitments. Popovic said Dutch winger Romeo Castelen was "dead" after only 35 minutes against Newcastle last weekend.

Having played three games in the past week, Fairfax Media understands several players have only been getting two or three hours' sleep per night as their bodies struggle to settle into a normal pattern.

But while it remains a hurdle to staying competitive in the A-League, Popovic is worried the public does not comprehend how hard their schedule has been.

"I think you have to know the ins and outs of our club and what's happened and the players that have come in to understand it better. But if we keep talking about that, it just sounds like excuses," he said before training on Tuesday. "We know why these things have happened and we also know why we've improved in the last two weeks and we'll continue to improve."

The coach is certain the elusive three points are coming, saying all the signs are there for the Wanderers to start taking matches by the scruff of the neck.

"Our last two games have been very good and our performances have improved. We had four away games to start with and obviously there are circumstances and reasons but no excuses [for not winning]," he said. "We lost four games in a row and it's not something that we've done before. We're not accustomed to that. But in the last two games we've seen a real improvement in the performance and unfortunately we haven't been able to get that win."

Popovic denied that it was a "must-win" game but said any derby would carry a naturally higher level of significance, particularly for those in the stands.

"We feel like we need to win matches, but I wouldn't say that this is a must-win. It's a must performance for us. If we can perform again, we give ourselves a good chance of getting that first win," he said. "Derby games are special, every player wants to be involved in that and the fans look forward to it. We had a poor result in round two, we were up 2-0 and fell away in the second half, which is disappointing, but we've improved a lot since then and we look forward to this one."

Left-back Seyi Adeleke missed the draw with Newcastle last weekend through injury and was replaced in the line-up by 17-year-old Daniel Alessi, who was subsequently benched at half-time. Popovic said he would  keep monitoring the Nigerian throughout the week.

"Seyi missed with an ankle injury on the weekend. He's the only one with a concern at the moment and everyone is pulled up quite well from the three games in seven days," he said. "We hope to have a fully fit squad."

Wanderers striker Nikita Rukavytsya arrived in Australia in time for the first Sydney derby of the season but was not fit enough to play, meaning this will be his first taste of an A-League derby after participating in derbies in Berlin and Frankfurt.

"I was watching the first game, but unfortunately I couldn't be a part of it. It was really great atmosphere, but unfortunately and now we're looking to win again," he said. "Especially after the last result [against Newcastle], it's very important, and derbies are always very important, I played in some derbies before and we're looking forward to it.

"We're going into every game to win it and unfortunately we couldn't get it in the last few games. But I think we're improving as team, each game we're getting better and I'm sure it won't be long until we start winning."