Melbourne Victory midfielder Billy Celeski is confident his side can overcome teams who try to interrupt their free-flowing style.
Ange Postecoglou's men suffered a 1-0 loss to Adelaide United last time out as the Reds picked up six yellow cards in a physical affair at Hindmarsh Stadium.
It left the Victory, who had Adama Traore sent off, six points behind A-League leaders the Central Coast Mariners with seven games remaining.
Speaking ahead of Saturday night's clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers at AAMI Park, Celeski said he expected teams to adopt similar tactics in the latter part of this season.
"I suppose all the teams are going to try to slow us down and close spaces on us," Celeski said after training at Gosch's Paddock on Thursday.
"They (Adelaide) did it quite well. They dropped off really deep and made it hard for us to play through the middle. It was hard to break them down and they were really well organised."
The Victory never found their rhythm in Adelaide as persistent fouling helped the hosts secure an important three points.
Worryingly for the Victory, Mark Milligan trained indoors as he recovers from an ankle problem, but is expected to participate with the main group on Friday.
Despite allowing the Mariners to move further clear at the top, Celeski said he had no concerns the top two, including the Wanderers, would pull too far ahead.
"I wouldn't say worried. It's a matter of us showing up and getting the business done, doing the job and getting three points because it's a very important game," the 27-year-old said.
"We can't let Central Coast get too far ahead of us with only seven games to go now."
Archie Thompson (calf) will miss the clash against the Wanderers, with Andrew Nabbout shaping as his likely replacement.
While he said overcoming the absence of Thompson, who has scored seven goals this season, would be tough, Celeski challenged his replacement to make the most of the opportunity.
"It's always difficult without Archie because he's such an influential player. He's great to have in your team and he's a guy that brings a bit of x-factor every week," Celeski said.
"It will be difficult but it's an opportunity for someone else to step up and prove a point because we'll probably be without him for a week or so."
Victory recruit Daniel Mullen could make his debut in the centre of defence, while Scott Galloway is likely to shift to left-back in Traore's absence.