Central Coast are confident of leapfrogging Sydney FC to move into the A-League Men's top six, with defender Kye Rowles saying the in-form Mariners fear no-one.
A thumping 5-0 win over Wellington on Tuesday extended the Mariners' unbeaten run to seven matches and has them on the cusp of the finals positions.
Sitting eighth on the ladder with seven matches to play, Central Coast hold a superior goal difference to those fighting for the top six and can move above Sydney with a win over the Sky Blues at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday.
Sydney suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Melbourne City on Wednesday and coach Steve Corica has already labelled this game and Tuesday's clash with Adelaide as make-or-break to the team's finals aspirations, especially as they have played more matches than either side.
Despite their opponent's reputation having reached the past three grand finals, Rowles and his teammates are backing themselves to get the job done over Sydney.
"We're aware of the dangers for them and every side that we verse but we're not intimidated by any teams," the Socceroos defender said.
"We just go out there, play our game and if we do stick to our structures and our game plan as best as possible and everyone gives a 100 per cent, then we'll go pretty close to getting the desired result."
Nick Montgomery's team has been built around a base of up-and-coming talent including Rowles, Lewis Miller, Matthew Hatch and Josh Nisbet alongside a smattering of experienced foreigners such as Marco Urena and Nikolai Muller.
The thumping win over the Phoenix also featured Garang Kuol - the younger brother of ex-Mariner Alou - coming off the bench to score his first ALM goal with a memorable finish.
Rowles says that core of young talent coming through into the first-team has been hugely beneficial to the team's recent form.
"It's great. Obviously having Monty as their coach for so many years in the youth setup as well has helped massively and all those boys coming through now they know each other's games pretty much inside and out," he said.
"They've already got that connection on the field which helps massively.
"They're really keen to learn and they're ready to work hard. Whether they're starting or coming off the bench, they're always bringing that energy that a side like us needs.
"Energy and attitude is something that we're really big on here. All these young boys have got it in abundance, so it's really good."
Sydney will welcome back Rhyan Grant for the clash after he missed Wednesday's loss to City through suspension while goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne may also be available after missing the past two games having tested positive to COVID-19.
