Brisbane has had four weeks to improve on what goalkeeper Michael Theo describes as one of the team's worst performances during his time at Roar.
That was a 3-0 loss to Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium on 3 January. The first game for both teams after the AFC Asian Cup 2015 break is the rematch in Brisbane.
Wellington began the split 15th round in second place behind Perth Glory, but was pushed back to fourth - at least temporarily - after Melbourne Victory had a 3-3 draw with Glory and Adelaide United whipped Newcastle Jets 7-0.
A win would not only take Phoenix back to second, but also leave it just two points behind Perth after starting the round four points adrift of it.
Even with another 12 rounds to go after this one, the Premiers' Plate would start to become a tantalising prospect for the only A-League team based outside of Australia.
Wellington goalkeeper Glen Moss said it wasn't crunch time yet this season, but that Phoenix was delighted with its first half of the season and was in a good position to set itself up well for when crunch time did arrive.
Brisbane, on the other hand, has had a disappointing season so far, but in a competition in which 60 per cent of the teams make the finals it is still in the race for a top-six spot.
Seventh-placed Roar is four points behind sixth-placed Melbourne City, which plays Western Sydney Wanderers at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Theo is playing his first A-League match of the season. He broke his wrist at training in September. Brisbane's key player, attacking midfielder Thomas Broich, is also back after an extended period out injured, but central defender Jade North is out suspended and attacker Henrique is out injured.
New signings Jerome Polenz and Luke DeVere were each named in a Brisbane squad that has two to be omitted.
Striker Jeremy Brockie played his last game for Wellington in that recent clash against Roar before leaving to continue his career in South Africa, but fellow attacker Roy Krishna is back from injury.
Both teams named their Socceroo representatives at the Asian Cup in their squads for this match - Matt McKay for Roar and Nathan Burns for Phoenix.
THEO ON HIMSELF AND BROICH
"I was going to play in a youth team match last week as a warm-up, but unfortunately it was called off due to bad weather. But we had a game amongst ourselves during the week which was a good hit-out, so no dramas there.
"I've been training now for three-and-a-half weeks, so I'll be ready come Monday. Thomas has been training fully as well and looking good, so he's coming back ready to go too.
"I can't wait to get back out there and get some games under my belt. The rehab was pretty full-on and I'm glad it's out of the way now and I can concentrate on getting back on the field and helping the guys out."
MOSS ON GOALKEEPERS COMING BACK FROM LONG LAYOFFS
"I've been in a similar position. I was out for a while with an adductor strain two years ago - not as long as Michael but at least a couple of months - and we didn't have a youth team so I couldn't get any games under my belt before coming back.
"The thing that enabled me to handle the situation again straight away was my experience. It probably would have been a bit harder if I was 18 or 19.
"I don't think Michael will have too many worries either, because he's so experienced. He'll be well prepared, even with the lack of match time under his belt."
The last-start win for Wellington over Brisbane was a rare one in these clashes. The two teams have met 22 times for 14 Roar wins, three to Phoenix and five draws. Phoenix is yet to win in 11 games in Brisbane, where it is nine wins to Roar and two draws.
THEO ON THE LAST TIME ROAR AND PHOENIX MET
"It was pretty convincing to them and to be honest I thought it was one of our poorest performances in the five years I've been at the club. We were obviously all disappointed in that and we've had some time out with this break to work on things so that we can improve and gather momentum.
"Wellington is playing extremely well. They're a free-scoring team and it's obviously going to be a tough game for us. They're confidence is up and they've got so many players who can hurt you. We have to make sure we're all switched on and try to dictate the play and get a positive outcome."
MOSS ON KRISHNA
"Roy missed our last game, but before that he'd come into some really good form. Jeremy moving on is a big loss for us, he's a good player and a real character around the dressing-room, so the fact Roy is scoring goals and playing with a lot of confidence is perfect timing."
Everyone saw how bumpy the Suncorp Stadium surface was during the Asian Cup. It affected the quality of games.
The last game there was on Thursday, 22 January, meaning there will have been a week-and-a-half to try to improve the surface before this game is played.
MOSS ON BUMPY GROUNDS IN GENERAL
"I suppose it's something that gets talked about, but our training ground isn't real flash at the moment so, who knows? Training on a bumpy training ground might work in our favour!
"Truth is, you can never really get used to it, but I heard they were fixing the ends up so as long as the goals are soft to dive around in I won't complain."
THEO ON THE SUNCORP SURFACE
"You'd like to think that with 10 or 12 days off since the Socceroos played, to our game, it will be much better. The groundsmen had to change the grass from winter to summer grass and it took a while to catch. Hopefully it's much better this time."
SUMMARY
There are obviously going to be some key changes to the line-ups from the last time they met, which makes things a bit harder to predict.
Brisbane hasn't defended that badly overall, but Wellington plays in such a way that it will expose any defensive frailties on the day - as it did last time - and the loss of North is a potentially big one for Roar.
Wellington has scored 28 goals in 14 games. Brisbane has scored 14 in 13 and Henrique has come up with half of those, so being without him is another potentially big factor.
Roar will have worked on precision, retaining possession and keeping the pace of the game up to its liking. It will come out at home with the attitude that this is a very important game and approach it with a lot of intensity.
But, to win, Brisbane has to take control and keep it. If it falls behind against Phoenix the home side could find itself in big trouble.
