KOSTA Grozos had been eyeing off a return encounter with former club Western Sydney Wanderers, but now the Newcastle Jets recruit simply wants to make up for lost time.
"It's always disappointing to miss games, and against my former team as well so of course I wanted to go out there and play the best I can," Grozos said after training on Tuesday.
"It's never nice with COVID, but now we move on and we've got a big game this week."
No announcement has yet been made about when the missed match will get played while an element of uncertainty hangs over all upcoming A-League Men's fixtures amid the country's latest coronavirus outbreak.
Grozos says "we don't think about not playing. We always go into the week thinking we've got a game this week and prepare for that. If things change, things change".
The Jets last played against equal-top Macarthur, going down 2-1, on December 19 meaning almost a fortnight between appearances by the time they face City on New Year's Day.
"You can look at it both ways," Grozos said.
"We didn't play so we get to freshen up, but we always want to play and get as many games as possible."
Grozos, 21, arrived in Newcastle this year after an initial stint with Wanderers.
"Coming here I've been really fortunate and I think I've played more games than I did the past couple of years at Western Sydney," he said.
"I feel like I'm part of this team, I'm contributing well and I'm happy to be here."
Grozos has made five out of five appearances for the Jets in 2021-22 - three in the starting XI and two off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Jets announced on Tuesday they have "finalised a mutual contract termination with Kosta Petratos as he takes an opportunity overseas. We thank him for his contributions over the last four years and wish him well".
