Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich admits Newcastle Jets are a club close to his heart but he will be looking to send them packing on Wednesday night.
Glory are struggling at the bottom of the ladder but Newcastle are going well and are priced at 15/8 to make the top six and play finals this season.
Jets affection
Newcastle is an area and a club that Zadkovich knows well having captained them as a player during a four-year spell from 2010 to 2014.
The Jets sit just three points away from the top six but on Wednesday night Zadkovich will be doing all he can to get one over on them.
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Glory are going through tough times and Zadkovich has the head coach role on an interim basis following the sacking of boss Richard Garcia.
There is no chance of making finals but Zadkovich says they will battle until the end of the season and are out for three points against the Jets.
Fully committed
"When I cross the white line as a player or as a coach it's always been the same - you play football to win irrespective of the circumstances," Zadkovich said.
"Newcastle is a fantastic place, I have a lot of really close friends and family there. It's a great club, it's a club that's close to my heart.
"But certainly not closer than Perth Glory is to my heart right now, because I always take a lot of pride in the jersey and the badge that I'm wearing. I hope that we send them (the Jets) home unhappy on a long flight."
