Macarthur boss Mile Sterjovski has warned the A-League Men's creative stars are being bullied out of the game as he aims to haul his side into finals without two of their most influential players.
The Bulls head to Perth on Saturday with just five games of the regular-season remaining.
They do so without mercurial captain Ulises Davila and six-cap Socceroos winger Daniel Arzani.
Arzani was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury after being crunched in a friendly last week.
Prior to the international break the pair were two of the most-fouled players in the competition and the Bulls have also had to get through large chunks of the season without influential midfielder Danny De Silva.
"It (Arzani's injury) was from a bad tackle in our friendly last week and I feel like that sort of thing happens to the better players who can do something out of nothing," Sterjovski told AAP.
"Sometimes, those guys who can hold onto the ball get targeted.
"It's not just our players, when you look across the league the outstanding players get targeted.
"Uli is the heart and soul of our club and we are missing him big time, depending on the situation those players need to be protected."
The injuries have left the Bulls desperately short of options in the final third, with Georgian forward Bachana Arabuli still sidelined.
Striker Moudi Najjar is rated a chance to feature against Perth.
Macarthur, who sit in ninth spot, have endured an up-and-down season but can climb into the top six with a win over Glory.
"It's the business end and it's a critical time for us, especially with the ambition of wanting to play finals football," Sterjovski said.
"It's a time when we really need to be switched on as a squad.
"We need to have the urgency to play the type of football that we're capable of. I really believe the players have what it takes to compete."
