The equaliser: Tomi Juric celebrates a goal against Brisbane last Saturday. Credit:Getty Images “I think we’re better than everyone in the league on our night,” he told Fairfax Media. “I don’t think anyone can keep up with us when we’re playing our football and we’re strutting our stuff. “It was disappointing we didn’t beat Brisbane but if we had, it would have proved to everyone that we are the best team in the league.” Juric’s confidence stems from seeing the side clicking into gear at the right time, except in attack. However, he’s confident he and his fellow forwards can iron out the kinks before the play-offs. “It will come, it will come. We just need to be patient and we’ll be fine,” he said. “Unfortunately we haven’t had much time to work on it because of all the travelling and the heavy workload (playing 11 games in 43 days) but we just need to stay positive and focused in that final third. I’m sure the football gods will take care of us come finals time.”

However, the hectic schedule of combining the Asian Champions League and a domestic campaign doesn’t bother Juric one iota. “I love it because it’s something that you don’t get to experience often,” he said. “Not everyone gets to play in the ACL and it’s pretty special. Look across the league – everyone wants to be in the position we’re in. We’re soaking it all up and trying to make the most of it. “Hopefully we can next week against Melbourne Heart and then we’ll be able to focus on getting a result against Ulsan Hyundai over there.” But getting over the Heart on Saturday at AAMI Park may be easier said than done. The match will have a sizable emotional component to it for the hosts, who are farewelling Harry Kewell and, quite possibly, the club’s name and colours. Juric believes his teammates must stay head strong if they want to get the job done.

“We just have to go down there with confidence. We really have to believe we’re going to win it,” he said. “We obviously want to win every single game but destiny is in our hands this time. We’re in second spot, it’s ours to lose, and we’re going to go down there and give everything we’ve got. We’ll prepare as well as we can and when the dust settles, hopefully we’ve got second.” Nothing would aid the Wanderers’ cause more than seeing Juric on the scoresheet for the second game in a row, having bagged a fine equaliser against Brisbane last week. “Sometimes you just know that you have to be in a certain position at a certain time if you want to score,” he said. “The play was unfolding and I just knew if I was going to score, that was where I had to be, and fortunately I managed to slot it into the corner.” The goal not only secured a point for the hosts but fuelled the confidence Juric is back to his best before the finals kick-off. After a scintillating start to the campaign, injuries appeared to get the better of the former Adelaide striker, who claims he’s now in perfect health.

“Sometimes you don’t expect certain things from your body and that’s what has happened to me this year and it’s been frustrating,” he said. “There was a knee injury, as everyone knows, then a groin niggle, and so it’s been tough to find that consistency in matches, getting those 6-7-8-out-of-10 performances each week. That’s what I’m working towards and I believe I’ll get there.” Meanwhile, Juric hasn’t abandoned hope of getting to the 2014 World Cup, despite injuries curbing his chances of making a recent impression on Ange Postecoglou. “I haven’t given up but nor have I been thinking about it too much,” he said. “It’s not really playing on my mind because we have such a busy schedule. But you never know what can happen if you play well, so we’ll wait and see.”