Albury United must produce a faultless final seven weeks of the season if it's to capture its first league championship since 2015.
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Its most important game awaits at Jelbart Park on Sunday when it host leaders Wangaratta.
The Greens trail by three points and goal difference, but are prepared for a finals-like blockbuster this weekend.
However, centre back Harris Lee won't feature after sustaining his second concussion of the season last round.
"You can't take any risks, especially with (Boomers' captain) Dustin Patten being out (for the season with concussion)," United defender Sam Mason said.
"We can reshuffle the team around, we've got a lot of depth this year."
Mason admitted Wangaratta deserves to be on top and knows his side can't afford to drop any points.
"We sort of shot ourselves in the foot in the first half of the season with results like Cobram (2-2 draw), whereas Wang have taken their chances," Mason said.
The wing back is relishing the opportunity to take on former A-League striker Andrew Barisic this weekend - who debuted for the Red Devils against Twin City last Sunday.
"It's not every day you get to play on a former A-League player, so it will be a great challenge," Mason added.
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Wangaratta coach Daniel Vasilevski knows it won't be an easy task toppling United on its home pitch.
The sides drew 1-1 at South Wangaratta Reserve in their previous meeting in round three.
"Albury United are probably the best team we've played against, so Sunday is going to be a real challenge for us," Vasilevski said.
"The game we played last time, we weren't switched on from the get-go and they punished us for it, scoring in the first five minutes."
Brendon Barton strained his hamstring against Twin City and is no certainty to play, while Adam Burchell, Mason Nhansana and Ben Russell are overseas for another fortnight.
"They're a big part of our team, but we're not using that as an excuse," Vasilevski said.
"If you're good enough to win a league, you're going to do it with a squad of 16 to 18 players, not just 11."
He added Barisic will be better for the run having not played for two months prior to his 90 minutes last start.
"He's such a smart player and he brings other players into the game," Vasilevski said.
"Even though he wasn't as mobile, he was definitely good for us up front."
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