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AAP
AAP
Sport
Ed Jackson

Glory to start new ALM era against Phoenix

Ruben Zadkovich (r) will coach Perth Glory for the first time when they take on Wellington Phoenix. (AAP)

Interim coach Ruben Zadkovich is promising evolution, not revolution, as Perth Glory begin a new era for the A-League Men's club against Wellington on Saturday.

The last-placed Glory sacked Richard Garcia last weekend after a 4-1 humbling at home by fellow strugglers Brisbane Roar.

That extended a winless run to seven matches and left the Glory four points adrift at the competition's basement.

Former player Zadkovich has been handed the reins for the remainder of the season and the 35-year-old will begin his senior coaching career against the Phoenix at Leichhardt Oval.

"Trying to change too much, too quickly is obviously difficult," Zadkovich said.

"We're going to have a really heavy fixture list, a lot of games in a short amount of time. We start with some small changes.

"I'm just going to focus on the first game and then, outcome aside, if I get the performance that I think reflects the type of fight and the type of resilience that we need to start showing for this club, then that will be a massive positive and step forward."

Zadkovich will be without star import Daniel Sturridge for Saturday's game with the English striker still sidelined due to a groin injury.

But he has confirmed Irish veteran Andy Keogh - a former teammate of his - will be an integral part of his initial line-up.

"(He'll) be in the squad which is a big positive for us," he said.

"Obviously he's had a lot on his plate this season trying to play a role for the club almost out of position at times and he's been fantastic.

"I'll definitely look to try and put my spin on how I think he can help the team.

"I'm not brave enough to think you can change the world in a day, but there's a few things we'll implement and I think you'll see a distinct change."

Saturday's game is also an important one for the Phoenix, who sit seventh after back-to-back defeats to Brisbane and Newcastle.

Oli Sail, Clayton Lewis, Ben Waine and Ben Old are all expected to return after their recent absence to play for New Zealand in Oceania World Cup qualifiers while English forward David Ball returns from suspension.

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