HARRY Kewell admits Sunday’s searing heat will push both Melbourne Heart and Perth Glory to the limit at Lavington.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the Melbourne Heart captain told The Border Mail he was up for the challenge.
Forecasters are predicting temperatures of up to 41 degrees for Sunday’s match, with A-League officials confirming this week that measures such as added drinks breaks would be put in place.
Kewell, who has hit a rich vein of form over the past month, admitted the heat wasn’t ideal but said he had faith in his club’s medical staff to look after its players.
“Obviously you need to be looking at your hydration and we’ll have our medical staff looking at that,” Kewell said.
“But playing at 40 degrees, it’s still going to be very difficult.
“You need to drink the right amount to get the right hydration for the game.”
Click on the link below for the full round-up of HEART v GLORY news, including scoreboard and twitter feed.
Kewell, regarded by most as the greatest Socceroo of all, said he was looking forward to arriving on the Border this weekend.
“It’s a place I haven’t been to and I like to travel, so a place like Albury is going to be something different,” he said.
“I think Sunday’s game is going to be very tough.
“Perth are a very physical team and they have (striker) Shane Smeltz who always seems to score against us, so everything is going to be favouring them.
“We have to just go out there and play our game.
“If we do that, then we’ll have half a chance.”
Despite the heat, a crowd of up to 10,000 is still expected to flock to Lavington Oval for Sunday’s 3pm kick-off.