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The Phoenix pulled off a brave 1-1 draw with Melbourne Heart on Sunday. The Roar had it far easier against Victory, but know what a challenge their opponents present

By VINCE RUGARI

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Brisbane Roar moved on from their stunning 5-0 rout of Melbourne Victory as soon as they hit the recovery pool the next day, according to captain Matt Smith.

But the defending A-League champions are still riding the wave of confidence as they prepare for their second long-haul away trip in three weeks.

Rado Vidosic's men are up against an always-tricky Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium on Sunday, and they will again have to do without key man Ivan Franjic.

The star right-back has an abdominal strain and will not travel, having only returned against Victory after missing the season opener in Perth with a groin problem.

However, Vidosic is confident that the lift from the massive Victory result and the character of a team that has been there and done it all in the A-League should hold them in good stead for one of the toughest assignments in the competition.

"You can see Besart [Berisha] is walking on his tippy-toes, he's a few centimetres taller," the coach said.

"Once the game kicks off you can see what these players are made of and I think they showed everyone on Saturday that we're still here, and we want to be competitive as ever.

"The experience of playing in two grand finals, in the [AFC] Champions League, in semi-finals and those big games - it just helps us.

"We've got a great culture we've developed over the last few years and it all helps a little bit."

Berisha, who struck twice against Melbourne, might have been on his 'tippy-toes' earlier in the week but he was not at Brisbane's last training session on Thursday before departing for New Zealand.

Vidosic said he was "on a different program" to the rest of the group and is a certain starter.

Brazilian speedster Henrique is also a chance of returning from a troublesome heel injury.

He will travel as part of a 16-man squad, with Vidosic unlikely to make the final decision on his starting line-up until Saturday. 

A combative Phoenix side awaits them, although Brisbane might be catching them at the right time; more than half the Wellington team missed the weekend's 1-1 draw away to the Heart because of All Whites duty.

"We feel that they’re very strong as a unit. They’re very physical," Smith said.

"You've got the flights, the slight change in time. The Westpac Stadium is always a hard place to go. Their fans make it very hard for you. They’re a very tough team.

"It's a completely different type of game [to the Victory game]. We've highlighted a couple of things we think we can play to our advantages over there.

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