Melbourne Victory will regain Socceroos midfielder Ryan Teague from injury for their push to seal an A-League Men finals berth with a game to spare.
Teague was sidelined for Saturday's 2-0 loss to leaders Auckland FC, when Victory clearly missed his presence, with an ankle injury.
But coach Arthur Diles confirmed Teague's availability for Friday night's clash with Macarthur at Campbelltown Stadium, where a win will guarantee a finals berth, while a draw all but confirms it.
"Ryan's back," Diles said on Wednesday.
"He's training fully with the team again. It was a shame we didn't have him up for last week.
"But in the end, like always, we take the players wellbeing first and foremost. And it took an extra week, but no problem."
Teague is available to start the match against the Bulls and will be crucial to dictating the tempo of the game, while allowing dynamo Zinedine Machach to push higher up the field.
"It's a big thing for us - it's a big win for us," Diles said.
"Zizou (Machach) playing higher up the pitch - he's a very technical footballer, but he's a physical beast as well.
"When he's running at you or getting in between lines, he's a constant threat."
Midfield partner-in-crime Jordi Valadon will relish having Teague back alongside him.
"He's got a good presence in the middle and I work well with him. So look forward to having him back," Valadon said.
"We have that really good understanding and just work hand-in-hand together, and it works really well for us."
Fifth-placed Victory (39 points) are five points off second-placed City (44), behind Western United (41) and Western Sydney (40) and above Sydney FC (37), Adelaide (37) and Macarthur FC (33).
While a top-two finish appears a pipe dream, sealing third or fourth place would deliver a home elimination final.
Everyone in the top eight has two games left except Adelaide, who have just one remaining.
"This week's just as big as last week, if not bigger, and it's important that we're ready for that," Diles said.
"First things first, we want to secure ourselves in the finals, and then we'll look at the next step after that.
"So we're not there yet. We want to get there, and we'll do everything we can on Friday night to make sure we're there.
"It's very clear. They're intelligent young men, and they know what's at stake.
"If they need extra motivation from me or anybody else, then there's an issue in itself."
