Goalkeeper Danny Vukovic says confidence is so high within the Perth Glory camp on the back of their impressive form that they feel they are genuine Hyundai A-League title contenders.
Goalkeeper Danny Vukovic says confidence is so high within the Perth Glory camp on the back of their impressive form that they feel they are genuine Hyundai A-League title contenders.
Only a dreadful finish to the season will prevent Perth from playing in the finals for just the second time and they're in contention for a top two spot with just five games to go.
The third-placed Glory (34 points) are hot on the heels of Brisbane, who sit second with 38, and can vastly increase the pressure on the Roar by winning Saturday's match between the two sides at nib Stadium.
Despite Perth's strong run, which has seen them win six of their past eight games and lose just one of 10, coach Ian Ferguson has downplayed lofty ambitions and said the focus remains on guaranteeing a finals spot.
But Vukovic said the squad firmly believed they can do much better than just making the top six and could challenge the likes of Brisbane and Central Coast for the championship.
"We're sitting third, we're only four points off Brisbane so (with) a good result on the weekend we'll be sitting very pretty with four or five games to go," he said.
"I think we can win the grand final. I think the Mariners are just a little bit too far (in terms of winning the premiership), but at the end of the day anything can happen."
"With the majority of our games at home, and the tougher ones of those games at home, we're confident."
Three of Perth's final five matches are at nib Stadium, but none figures to be more important than the clash against the Roar, who've bounced back into form with three straight wins.
Winger Travis Dodd said the Glory were hungry to make up for their last match against Brisbane, where they led 2-0 but only came away with a 3-3 draw.
"We really should have won that game," Dodd said.
"Being 2-0 up, at home, they're the kind of games that you really need to be winning and to come away with a 3-3 draw was a bit like a loss."
"We know that it wasn't good enough, the result there, but we're confident going into this game."
"As a team we've come a long way, our results have come along really well. There's no reason why we can't go in expecting to win this game."
"It's a massive opportunity not only for us to cement ourselves in a top six spot but to put pressure on Brisbane."