Melbourne Victory are determined to pounce on a tired Central Coast and leapfrog the Mariners into second on the A-League Men table.
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After their dramatic injury-time 2-1 win over Western United, Tony Popovic's charges sit third behind the Mariners on wins, with both teams on 31 points - five off leaders Wellington.
The Mariners face a tight turnaround from their dramatic 3-2 AFC Cup zonal final win in extra-time over Macarthur on Thursday night, and head into particularly hostile territory.
Victory are undefeated in all their 14 ALM matches (12 wins, two draws) against the Mariners at AAMI Park.
It's the most games any team has played against another at a single venue in the competition's history without losing.
"We've had two draws (this season), so they've both been very tight encounters, but we're yet to play them here at AAMI Park in front of our fans," Popovic said.
"That (crowd support) can make the difference.
"It's a big game, they had an important win in the AFC Cup and I'm sure they'll come here with confidence."
Popovic played down the impact of Central Coast's 120-minute thriller against the Bulls.
"You can always underestimate the (impact) of fatigue, playing in a big game for 120 minutes. But adrenaline and momentum can help you get through that," he said.
"We were fatigued on Tuesday from Saturday's match and we scored two goals in injury time.
"The mind is a powerful tool and they have a lot of confidence.
"So we certainly wouldn't underestimate them with or without Thursday's game and they'll get the respect they deserve.
"They're the champions of last year and they're having a very good season thus far.
"We expect a tough encounter but we feel here at home we're playing well and we want to build on Tuesday's result."
Victory defender Adama Traore (thigh) is unlikely to feature, nor is new signing Roly Bonevacia.
Mariners counterpart Mark Jackson emphasised the need for recovery, given the tight turnaround.
"It's an opportunity for us to get back to A-League business and keep pushing towards the top end of the table," Jackson said.
"We feel like we're in a good position now but these positions mean nothing.
"We know that we've given ourselves a good base to build on and push in this final part of the season.
"It's a game we're looking forward to. We're gonna be up against a really good team ... we know it's going to be really, really challenging.
"We're ready to recover over the next couple of days and prepare ourselves."
Australian Associated Press
