Defender Jason Davidson says Melbourne Victory will relish a hectic end to the A-League Men season as they attempt to secure a finals berth for the first time in three seasons.
Victory sit third after their impressive 3-0 derby win over leaders Melbourne City extended their unbeaten run to nine games, with seven left to play.
"This is what you get paid for now, this is the business end of the season," Davidson said.
"It's always nice to have a good start to the season but we all know that this is the business end of the season now.
"So it's about timing that run, making sure that we're consistent. Hopefully stay injury free in the squad, I think injuries will be a big part of this next block of games."
Victory face a tight turnaround against Brisbane Roar on Tuesday night and Davidson was wary of an upset, given the unpredictability of results across the league.
"The games are coming thick and (fast) and the games can't be postponed anymore so you've got to play with what you've got," Davidson said.
"One week, a couple of teams lost 5-0, the next week they're winning, and everyone's beating everyone.
"What we want to focus on is making sure that we take each game as they come and be consistent and giving ourselves the best opportunity to catch the two teams above us."
Melbourne local Davidson hasn't played for the Socceroos since November 2015, but has impressed in his first season at Victory.
The 30-year-old said he'd been named in Graham Arnold's preliminary squads without making the final cut.
Aziz Behich and Joel King have been Arnold's most recent choices at left-back in World Cup qualifiers, while Brad Smith has also been in the mix.
"With the Socceroos, I've always said the same thing: it's about performing week in and week out and putting pressure on Arnie to make the decision," he said.
"The only thing that I can control is performing on the pitch. I feel as the season has gone on longer I've gotten stronger and been able to back up and perform week in and week out.
"I've just got to keep working hard, perform and do my job for Victory."
