That match was played on a day where the mercury topped 36 degrees, falling to 34 at kick-off, meaning the contest almost slowed to a walking pace as players on both sides tried to conserve energy.

The temperature is expected to hit 38 degrees in Sydney on Thursday but players and coaches on both sides are hoping that number falls considerably by the time the match kicks off at 8pm. The heat may also affect the crowd, already tipped to be around 10,000 due to the mid-week scheduling.

Ryall isn't perturbed about the short turnaround or the heat, saying his teammates are ready for whatever comes their way.

"It was very tough last week and we're expecting hot conditions tomorrow but there's a certain style you have to adapt to and in the second half last week was a big improvement. We'll be ready for the hot conditions," he said after training at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday. "We've bounced back quite well. We did recovery straight after the match and we haven't done a lot of physical work this week, its been more about the tactical side of things.

"Everyone is ready to go, we didn't have any injuries after the match and it's just business as usual."

Ryall has recently been displaced at right-back by Rhyan Grant but played as centre-half on Saturday, filling in for the absent Jacques Faty, who had to return to France owing to personal issues.

"I enjoyed it. I played a lot of my junior football there and I'm comfortable playing in either position," Ryall said. "We didn't get the result but there were positives there, like keeping a clean sheet."

Ryall said he hoped to keep his position, even though Faty is back and available for selection, giving coach Graham Arnold something to think about.

"It's not up to me. If it was I'd be saying yes, but it's up to Arnie and we'll see tomorrow. They [Perth] didn't score a goal and that's my job," Ryall said. "All over this squad there's a lot of competition for spots - there's two players for each position. It's a matter of making sure that when you play, you play well. I'm not sure what the team line-up is but there will be pressure on every player, I think."

After copping four goals against Melbourne Victory in the grand final rematch two weeks ago, Sydney's defence looked much tougher to break down against Perth. That Victory game aside, the Sky Blues have conceded just two goals in six matches.

"We're happy with the way we're defending. We speak about it a lot, defence wins premierships and it's something we worked on a lot in the off-season and the results are showing so far," Ryall said.

If the former Melbourne Victory defender gets the nod to start, he is looking forward to locking horns with a Phoenix attack featuring Michael McGlinchey, Jeffrey Sarpong and Roy Krishna.

"They're a very good side. I've played under Ernie Merrick before, I know he's a fantastic coach and they play a very attractive brand of football and we'll have to be at our best. They're scoring lots of goals," Ryall said. "But they also have weaknesses and we'll have to exploit that. We just have to be aware of their attacking powers. They've got some great players in their squad and we'll be prepared for that."