Glory coach Ron Smith admits Sunday's Hyundai A-League clash between Perth and Sydney will be a bit of a guessing game with both squads missing a host of stars through injury and international duties.
Perth skipper Simon Colosimo is on duty with the Qantas Socceroos, while defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley, midfielders Billy Celeski and David Micevski, and goalkeeper Tando Velaphi are in the Qantas Under-23 camp preparing for crucial Olympic qualifiers against North Korea and Lebanon.
Defenders Hayden Foxe (knee) and David Tarka (hamstring) couldn't be considered for selection, while Stan Lazaridis is unavailable until round 15.
But Sydney will also be forced to field a new-look starting XI. Star Brazilian recruit Juninho has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a shoulder injury, while goalkeeper Clint Bolton and striker Alex Brosque are in the Socceroos' squad. They will also be without youngsters Ruben Zadkovich and Mark Milligan, who are with the Olyroos.
"Sydney will be (unpredictable) on the weekend because I'm not even sure who's going to be playing," Smith said with a laugh on Thursday.
"They'll be saying the same about us; they'll be thinking 'well I wonder, with six or seven players out, how they are going to get a team out onto the park'. So it will be a little bit of a surprise for both. It will be an interesting game on Sunday."
Perth was forced to rest defender Dino Djulbic from training on Thursday after the 24-year-old complained of hamstring tightness.
"He should be all right. It's just a precaution really because of the situation we are in," Smith said.
"It was just feeling a little bit tender, so I said 'look, don't risk it'. He's a fit boy so missing a day's training won't mean much."
Smith said he was disappointed Juninho wouldn't be making the trip to Perth.
"In a football sense it's a shame he's not coming to town, I think an awful lot of people would have liked to have seen him play," he said.
The Glory have called upon twins to help their cause against Sydney, with Tyler and Jordan Simpson linking up with the squad in time for Sunday's clash at Members Equity Stadium.
The 198cm Tyler made one appearance for the Glory last season - a 3-0 loss to Queensland in round one - and is expected to start in defence, with his height sure to cause Sydney's defence trouble at set pieces.