For the second time in a fortnight Brisbane and Sydney FC go head-to-head in the A-League on Saturday with both teams knowing there is room for improvement.
The Roar sit third on the ladder after nine games but their form has stalled somewhat over the past month, without a win in four outings and struggling to find the back of the net.
SImilarly, Sydney head to Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe eager to end a three-game winless run which has included back-to-back defeats in their past two fixtures.
Sky Blues coach Steve Corica is not overly concerned with his team's lowly ninth position on the ladder, arguing the mixed-up nature of this year's fixture list has created some imbalance in the standings.
He does however concede recent results haven't been up to the standard the back-to-back champions have set for themselves.
"Obviously results haven't been what we expect I suppose, but it's only been a couple of losses," Corica said.
"We've got lot of good players down there that obviously want to win games. We'll do our best against Brisbane and hopefully get three points."
For Roar coach Warren Moon, the problem he's dealing with is getting his team to trouble the scorers.
Jack Hingert's header in last weekend's 3-1 loss to Perth is the Roar's only goal in their past four matches.
And with ex-Socceroo Scott McDonald still sidelined with a hamstring injury, the onus will again fall on Dylan Wenzel-Halls and recruit Golgol Mehbratu to discover a scoring touch.
"We can talk about all the other key indicators in the match, possession and territory and where you might be, but ultimately it's about taking chances and scoring goals," Moon said.
"If we do that we're a chance to win any game, it's as simple as that."
While the Roar are still without McDonald, Sydney will welcome back ex-Brisbane player Luke Brattan after he sat out last weekend's loss to Macarthur due to a head knock but Paulo Retre is suspended following his first-half sending off against the Bulls.
KEY MATCH STATS
* Brisbane are winless in their past five matches against Sydney and have won just two of their past 13 A-League games against the Sky Blues.
* Sydney haven't lost three matches in a row since November 2013.
* Roar striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls has made a league-high 40 shots this season, scoring five goals but his last strike was in the ninth minute of Roar's 5-2 over Melbourne Victory on February 6.
Australian Associated Press
