Canberra FC coach Miro Trninic expects the race for the premiership to go down to the wire and knows three points against Cooma is crucial to his side's chances of keeping Canberra Olympic on its toes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Olympic (22 points) has the weekend off and will watch with interest as its two closest rivals on the Canberra National Premier League ladder square off at Deakin Stadium on Sunday.
Canberra FC (18 points) can close the gap to the competition frontrunners to a solitary point with a victory, while the Tigers are only two points further back.
Defending champions Tigers got off to a sluggish start, but have re-emerged as a genuine challenger for the title thanks to dangerous striker Stephen Domenici and creative midfielder Robbie Cattanach.
Before next week's rematch with Olympic, Trninic knows he must go in with an attacking mindset if Canberra is to keep the pressure on the ladder leaders.
''Cooma is a very unpredictable team and it's very hard to break them down,'' Trninic said. ''They've had the same team for many years and it's going to be hard work.
''If we want to do something in the championship, we don't have a choice, we have to play for the win.''
Canberra FC will have to do better converting its chances than what it did in last week's 1-0 loss to Olympic.
Robbie Deeley's splendid free kick proved enough to secure all three points despite Canberra FC forcing Olympic goalkeeper Angelo Konstantinou into countless saves.
A watertight defence has been the hallmark of Canberra's FC campaign. Trninic's men have conceded a meagre six goals through their eight games this season, while they also boast the best attack in the league with 32 goals.
A growing injury list has not helped their cause, but the return of James Field and an influx of youngsters has Trninic confident he has the depth to keep up with Olympic.
''It's going to be very close with Olympic, and Cooma is coming back after they had a few injuries,'' he said. ''We've had a few as well, but we've got the players who can come in and do the job.''
The Tigers will be full of confidence after progressing to the quarter-finals of the Federation Cup with a 5-1 thumping of the Monaro Panthers on Thursday night.
Belconnen United were just as untroubled in disposing of Weston-Molonglo 5-0.
