Macarthur FC coach Dwight Yorke expects the Central Coast Mariners to be buoyed by three of their teammates' inclusion in the Socceroos' World Cup squad when the sides meet in Gosford.
Scottish-born striker Jason Cummings, teenage super-sub Garang Kuol and veteran goalkeeper Danny Vukovic were all selected in Graham Arnold's 26-man squad this week.
The Mariners account for three of only seven A-League players on the plane to Qatar - the most Socceroos ever provided to a World Cup squad by an A-League outfit.
Throw in the fact the Mariners are coming off a 3-0 defeat of the second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers and Yorke expects his side's hosts will be brimming with confidence come Sunday.
"When you have players who are on a high and the World Cup is probably the biggest stage these guys will ever get to, why would (the Mariners) not be buoyant?" Yorke said.
"I'm sure the players around them will be buzzing."
Containing Kuol especially looms as a challenge as the Premier League-bound 18-year-old has been coming off the bench to devastating effect this campaign to provide the Mariners with an X-factor in the front third.
Last week alone he set up two quick goals in a match that was scoreless at the time.
"There's a lot of hype around him and quite rightly so," Yorke said.
"He is one of their talismans there.
"We'll make sure that when he comes into the danger zone that we pay attention to him."
As they hope to arrest a two-game losing streak, the Bulls are working more on self-improvement.
"You can't do what the Mariners will do," Yorke said.
"We've got to refocus and get back to playing the way we want to play."
No Bulls were selected in the World Cup squad with the side's best chance Daniel Arzani overlooked in favour of fellow wingers Kuol, Craig Goodwin, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil and Martin Boyle.
"I'm sure (Arzani) would be hugely disappointed, there's no two ways about that," Yorke said.
"But then you've got to turn that negative into a positive straight away.
"He now has to refocus and get back to doing what Arzani does best, which is create and score goals, entertain and play the game in a really nice and positive way.
"It might be a burden, the World Cup squad, that is now off and he can just be himself."
