Star Perth Glory striker Bruno Fornaroli could be a shock omission for Sunday's clash with Central Coast as coach Ruben Zadkovich searches for a winning combination.
Glory's new-look squad have started the A-League Men campaign with losses to Western Sydney and Newcastle Jets, with the results ramping up the pressure on last season's wooden spooners.
Fornaroli is one of the competition's greatest strikers with 82 goals in 142 appearances, and he earned his Socceroos debut earlier this year.
But his quiet displays against the Wanderers and Jets have raised the prospect of Fornaroli being benched - or overlooked altogether - for the trip to Gosford.
The 35-year-old, who suffered a serious ankle injury in Australia's 1-0 loss to Saudi Arabia on March 30 and had a compromised pre-season, sat out a portion of Friday's training session.
"He's had a mixed pre-season in terms of he's had to be modified a little bit," Zadkovich said.
"He's worked pretty hard to get back on the pitch, but so far it hasn't been so effective.
"It could be (because of) fitness, it could be team cohesion with a lot of new faces. It could be a few things.
"Form comes and goes. We need every player at the moment, especially in that front third, to be making the right movements and forward runs to get into positions to score.
"That's a big thing he needs to focus on."
When asked if Fornaroli might need a stint out of the side, Zadkovich replied: "Potentially."
"I'm going to pick a side this week that I think wins the game, and after training we'll do that," he said.
Glory players were deflated after losing to 10-man Newcastle in stoppage time last week, but Zadkovich is backing his group to rebound.
"It's a tough way to lose," he said.
"I keep saying to the guys that my belief doesn't waver, and neither should theirs.
"You need to stay resolute in your beliefs and you need to continue to work really hard. As a team, that's what they're doing."
Glory have another three games on the road before being able to host games in Perth again.
The Mariners started their season with a 2-2 draw with Wellington.
