Having shipped eight goals in its past two games, Roar's rearguard will need to improve drastically - and immediately - in order to contain Australia forward Nathan Burns, Fiji flyer Roy Krishna and chief schemersMichael McGlinchey.
Burns returns from injury to bolster one of the A-League's most in-form final third combinations.
Krishna and Burns have scored 21 goals between them, powering Wellington's surge to top spot on the back of dynamic midfield play from McGlinchey and boom import Roly Bonevacia.
It's a fearful prospect for Brisbane, which lost 5-4 to Sydney FC last weekend and surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a midweek AFC Champions League fixture.
However, boosting Roar is the re-signing of 25 year-old centre-half DeVere - ahead of his return to the Socceroos set-up for this months internationals against world champion Germany and FYR Macedonia.
"Coming back after a while in Korea, the club wanted to have a look at me after being gone for so long and I wanted to see if the club was still the same as I remembered it," DeVere said.
"I've been here for a few months now and everything is good, I am happy and enjoying my football."
DeVere rejoined Roar in January - initially until the end of the current A-League season - after a four-year stint in Korea Republic with K-League club Gyeongnam FC.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jamie Young, who has contributed in a big way to Brisbane's post-Asian Cup resurgence in the absence of injured No.1 Michael Theo, said Roar has been working hard on its defence.
"We had the ascendancy in the two recent games early on and maybe as a team we've just taken the foot off the gas. It could be like that," Young said.
At the other end of the park, Roar is sweating the availability of marquee man Thomas Broich - although Devante Clut's stunning brace against Suwon showed he is a hugely capable back-up playmaker.
Brisbane has been managing Broich through a flare-up of his ankle problems, which kept him out of the Roar side on Wednesday night.
Clut was thrust into the No.10 role for Roar and as he did on his memorable A-League debut last year, the 19-year-old delivered the goods with two goals, including a late equaliser.
Roar coach Frans Thijssen said he had no hesitation in picking third-gamer Clut for such an important fixture if Broich is unable to prove his fitness to face Wellington.
Incidentally, Clut's only two previous A-League matches have come against Phoenix, the last being the 3-0 loss at Westpac Stadium just before the A-League's Asian Cup recess, when he was a second-half substitute.
