Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich is adamant the club's skewed fixture won't be used as an excuse as he attempts to mastermind their rise up the A-League Men ladder.
Glory sit dead last with just two wins and a draw to show from nine games.
But seven of those matches have been away fixtures, including the first five of the season when Glory's temporary home venue Macedonia Park was being prepared.
Glory will now play seven of their next eight matches in Perth, starting with Friday night's encounter against second-placed Western Sydney.
The string of home games will give Glory an excellent chance to snare some wins and climb up the ladder.
But with their upcoming four-match stint at Macedonia Park being crammed into 16 days, Glory's squad will be put to the test.
Zadkovich feels like his side have been handed a raw deal on the fixture front this season, but he doesn't want his players to dwell on it.
"Look, it just seems to go that way. You get seven out of your first nine games away from home, and then when you do get to play at home, they cram them together in a 16-day period," Zadkovich said.
"It's not ideal. Let's not beat around the bush. It should be a week apart, one home, one away. That's what it should look like.
"It would give us a much better opportunity to win games. But in the end they just become excuses. It's not what anyone wants to hear.
"So we just have to embrace the hardships, we need to band together as a group, and try to pick up as many points as we can in front of our home fans."
The Wanderers enter the match in hot form after dispatching Macarthur 4-0 last Sunday.
Glory are six points adrift of sixth spot, but Zadkovich doesn't feel like his team are out of the finals picture.
"In this competition one win can turn your season around," Zadkovich said.
"We're not that far out of the top six. Two wins can get you back in the frame.
"This is our home, this is our fortress."
Glory will again be without midfielder Aaron McEneff, who is currently sidelined with a foot injury.
