Victory sits in third place, two points behind leader Wellington Phoenix but with a game in hand, with seven matches to play.
Five teams are locked in a dogfight for a top-two finish, with just three points separating Wellington and fifth-placed Adelaide United, but Muscat said it was important that his players didn't focus on that battle.
"It's easy to get caught up, at this time of the year, in the whole debate about who's going to finish where on the final table," Muscat said on Friday.
"Then you're taking your eye off the ball.
"We looked at ourselves in the initial weeks after the (Asian Cup) break as not concentrating as we would have liked."
Victory's task is made tougher with a host of players away on international duty next week.
Socceroos midfielder Mark Milligan, Olyroos Scott Galloway, Connor Pain and Jason Geria and Daniel Georgievski (FYR Macedonia) will all be unavailable when Melbourne Victory hosts Central Coast Mariners in Round 23.
However, Kosta Barbarouses has a hamstring injury and hasn't been selected by New Zealand.
"We're taking a little bit of care with him because it's back-related, so it could lead to other things," Muscat said.
"We'll treat the injury with as much respect as possible."
Barbarouses missed last week's win against Western Sydney Wanderers and won't travel to Adelaide for Saturday's clash against United.
The in-form forward may have recovered in time to take on the Mariners, but Muscat admitted he was unsure if he would be available for selection given New Zealand's decision not to pick him on injury grounds.
