The Victory have lost their past two matches and will fall eight points behind the Sky Blues should they suffer a third straight defeat in the Australia Day clash.

"We know that Melbourne are going to come out fighting and we're ready for that fight and we've got the players who are prepared for that fight. So, we go down to Etihad, it should be a great occasion, Australia Day, and we're looking forward to it." Arnold said.

Arnold reiterated the importance of winning the fight against an under-pressure Victory side.

"You've got to win the battle, got to win the fight for the second ball, you've got to be prepared for the physical battle," he said. "If that is not in place then you're always behind the eight ball. For me, it's about being ready for the fight, being ready for the battle and winning that game.

"Every game the first 15, 20 minutes of that is a fight and it's about winning the battle. Then spaces open, the quality of the players takeover and the game plan."

Sydney FC head to Melbourne with a relaxed mindset, knowing that with a five-point buffer atop the ladder, the pressure is on Melbourne to pick up the three points.

"I think more pressure [for Melbourne] is not losing three in a row. Melbourne City are hot on their tail, I think that's more for them. It doesn't bother me what they're doing, it's about what we're doing. We had a very good training session yesterday, obviously the boys are in a wonderful head space, they're extremely confident and they're healthy and fit."

However, that doesn't mean that the Sky Blues will be taking this game lightly. Arnold is still not fully satisfied with the way his team is playing, again highlighting wastefulness in front of goal as his major concern.

"There's aspects of the game last week that I'm still not happy with and we've worked on this week.

"Again, our final ball. The amount of times we were getting into the areas, last week 46 times we got into their penalty box and converted only twice. So we can still do so much better with that aspect of our game, that's what we're working on and finishing off those final touches."

With defender Rhyan Grant suspended for Thursday's game, Arnold will be forced to make at least one change to the side that defeated Adelaide last week, with Dutch recruit Jordy Buijs a strong chance of making his club debut.

"We've got great options, we've got Calver that's played at right back for us on a few occasions, Jordy Buijs, his clearance is through, ITC, and his visa's through, so he's available. Josh Brillante played for six to eight months in the Serie B at right fullback, Dimitrijevic is fit, so we've got plenty of options."