Returning Sydney FC captain Terry McFlynn is confident a lack of recent match time will not hamper him in Tuesday's must-win Asian Champions League clash with Shanghai Shenhua in China.
Both teams enter the second half of the four-team round-robin phase three points behind South Korea's Suwon Bluewings and Japan's Kashima Antlers.
'It's more or less a must win game for both sides," McFlynn said on the phone from China.
"I think one of the positives we took out of the 1-1 home draw we had against Shanghai Shenhua in Sydney was that we had the lion's share of possession and hopefully we'll continue that tomorrow night and turn the possession into goals."
Sydney took just two points from its three home games and its three remaining fixtures are all overseas.
The Sky Blues will be bolstered by the return of McFlynn and defender Sebastian Ryall.
Midfielder and marquee player Nicky Carle, who missed last week's 3-0 home loss to Kashima with a hamstring strain, will play if he recovers from Monday's training session.
On the minus side, striker David Williams and central defender Stephan Keller were both ruled unfit.
While Sydney went five weeks without a competitive game following the postponement of its match at Kashima due to the earthquake and tsunami, McFlynn has had an even longer break.
The Irish midfielder missed Sydney's last two ACL games due to suspension after being sent off in the opener against Suwon on March 2.
In the seven weeks since, McFlynn has played just half a practice match on March 30.
"Fitness-wise I will be fine," McFlynn said.
"We knew that I was going to face a long time off, especially with the tragic circumstances in Japan.
"I've basically had a little mini pre-season under my belt, a practice game in between as well.
"To be honest, I'm refreshed and ready to go for the game tomorrow."
Shanghai adopted a cagey approach in Sydney, but McFlynn was wary of the Chinese team's ability to hit opponents on the break.
"I think we've got to be aware of their quick counter attacks, they are a very quick, very mobile side."
The Sydney skipper said the team had put last week's emphatic loss to Kashima behind them and that the atmosphere in the camp was fantastic.
- AAP
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