Phoenix can expect to feel Roar's sting

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A struggling Wellington Phoenix could cop the full brunt of Brisbane's frustrations on Sunday afternoon at Lang Park.

While Brisbane has moved on from Saturday night's disappointing 2-2 draw against Melbourne Victory, which took the club's unbeaten A-League streak to 33, the mood of the players suggests a backlash is in the wind this weekend.

Midfielder Erik Paartalu was quick to jump on suggestions last week's failure to put away a nine-man Victory was a sign the Roar just expected to win their games.

"I don't think so. I definitely don't feel that individually, I don't think the team ever goes out there and takes any goal lightly," he said when asked if the players had slipped into the comfort zone following 33 games without a loss since last September.

"We set out to do a job on Saturday night and obviously with the two red cards that changed the game and we didn't adjust to that properly.

"There's definitely no complacency and the boys turn up with the same attitude every day which is great."

Victory pulled every man back in defence, shutting down the Roar's slick attack which was unable to find the back of the net for a second half match-winner.

Paartalu said it was possible teams would look at how the Victory's tactics frustrated Brisbane.

"I suppose a few teams might come and try that tactic now," he said.

"But as we've shown in the past when teams come and park the bus in front of the half way line we still find a way around it.

"We were just a but unlucky on Saturday night we didn't find the right solutions out there."

Brisbane, so clinical in its attack, resorted to long range shots at goal in a bid to find the winners.

"That was more of a frustration thing," Paartalu said.

"We had boys taking long-distance shots like myself because we couldn't open them up when they were all camped inside their box.

"We just have to be a little bit more composed around the edge of the box when teams do that."

Paartalu said rivals had tried every tactic in the book and they could keep trying to find ways to stop the Roar.

"Teams have tried to mark me out of the game previously and I got a lot of encouragement from the first five games when teams tried to stop me," he said.

"I think my game has gone to another level because of it."

Brisbane will be without midfielder Mitch Nichols, who is away on Socceroo duty, while German striker Thomas Broich failed to train on Tuesday.

Broich was still sore from the tackle which earned Victory's Matthew Foschini a red card.

"Thomas's ankle was was swollen after the game but hopefully he'll be back on the paddock tomorrow," Paartalu said.

AAP

Topics: a-league, soccer, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia