Wellington coach Ufuk Talay isn't taking Devonport for granted ahead of Wednesday night's Australia Cup clash.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Phoenix arrived to the North-West Coast on Monday after a day of travel from New Zealand.
Talay said he was expecting to come up against a good opposition team that was doing very well in its own competition.
"I think they've got some exciting players in their front third, so look it's going to be a challenging game," Talay said.
"They're 16 games into their season, and we're at the start of our preseason, so it's always going to be a challenge."
While it will be the first time Wellington has played in the North-West, the A-League men's team has played in Tasmania, having come up against Western United at Launceston last year.
Rain is forecast for Wednesday, but Talay said that wouldn't be a concern for his side.
"We've had a lot of rain in Wellington recently, so I think the boys will adjust quite easily," he said.
Meanwhile, Devonport coach Tom Ballantyne said his side been working through two plans dependent on the weather and its impact on the condition of the pitch.
Lights will be brought into Valley Road to reach the requirements needed for broadcasting, and Ballantyne expected that to be a leveler.
"We're going to train tonight [Tuesday] under the lights to get a feel for how different it will be with those extra lights on," Ballantyne said.
He said his side had been preparing for the best way to tackle the Phoenix and at training this week they had been going through what they could be up against.
"Last season they struggled on the counter with the shape they play, so we'll look at that," he said.
The Strikers will have their full NPL squad available minus visa player Raphael Reynolds due to the two available visa spots in the competition being taken by goalkeeper Keegan Smith and striker Roberto Fernandez Garrido. The game at Valley Road kicks off at 7.30pm.