Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic reckons Melbourne Victory have nothing to lose - and that's what will make them so dangerous in their A-League clash at Jubilee Stadium.
The Victory are in the dying stages of their worst season, with the four-time champions posting five wins and five draws from 24 outings.
Their current losing streak stands at a club-record five games, which included a 3-2 loss to last-placed Central Coast on Monday.
Victory's hopes of turning around their horror form have been boosted by the return of forward Andrew Nabbout from an ankle injury, while Aaron Anderson will line up in defence after being rested.
Popovic's side is buoyant following their 3-1 win over the Wanderers on Tuesday, but he said they can't afford to get complacent against Victory.
"We know we'll face a team full of energy, full of enthusiasm, and with nothing to lose," Popovic said.
"That can always be dangerous. We'll certainly respect Melbourne Victory regardless of the position they're in.
"We know they have players that are good enough to hurt anyone at any given moment."
Victory's caretaker coach Grant Brebner said the loss to the Mariners hurt, but he shouldn't need to use that as motivation for his players.
"I want to see the players that can motivate themselves," Brebner said.
"If I have to use a result for them to get up it tells me a lot about the players, because I'm not using it.
"I've got a two-game campaign now. Whether you're contracted or not, I want to make sure and see if the players are up for this game, otherwise we'll have decisions to make."
Glory striker Bruno Fornaroli has scored just one goal in four matches since the season restart, but Popovic feels more goals will soon come, especially if he starts to receive more protection from the referees.
"We feel there are times that he should get more free kicks, but that will always happen with the type of player Bruno is where he'll draw contact regularly," Popovic said.
"We saw the other night that Bruno took a lot of contact. I'm not sure if all of them were fouls or not. But he dealt with the situation well.
"I thought it was one of his best all-round games for Perth Glory, and all that was missing was a goal, and I'm sure if he continues playing that way, that will happen."
Popovic said his son Kristian Popovic (infected foot) and defender Ivan Franjic (knock) were in some doubt for Saturday's game.
STATS THAT MATTER
* Melbourne Victory have lost a club-record five consecutive A-League games, conceding an average of three goals per game across that stretch.
* Perth Glory boast a shooting accuracy of 54.8 per cent this season, the highest of any team.
* Melbourne Victory have scored 86 per cent of their goals this season in open play, the highest percentage of any team.
Australian Associated Press
