More than 30,000 A-League fans will descend on AAMI Park for the blockbuster - but with injuries, international call-ups and suspensions, Heart coach John van’t Schip will have some selection dilemmas.

Due to the replayed AFL Grand Final, Heart last played a competitive fixture on September 25 – a hugely disappointing 4-0 loss on the road in Brisbane.

While the squad has spent the time since licking their wounds following their Suncorp horror show, Heart striker Jason Hoffman went on tour with the Olyroos in Vietnam. 

And he’s hoping that experience and the goal he scored will strengthen his case at the selection table ahead of Friday night.

“At Melbourne Heart I’ve been used sparingly at the moment – it hasn’t been as fluid as I’d like with match time but in saying that I got some good game time against the Mariners and with my time with the Olyroos playing flat chat in the heat of Vietnam should hold me in good stead,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

Hoffman, 21, scored in the 2-0 victory over the senior Vietnamese national team playing 66 minutes before being subbed off in Hanoi.

However, he has made just two appearances in the red and white this season – both off the bench – for a total of just 55 minutes. It appears the issue is a mental one, as Hoffman explained.

“I’ve had a good talk with John [van’t Schip] over recent weeks because I’ve felt I’ve been training really well. For John it’s definitely just about transferring my training ability and what I did in pre-season into match day.

“For me that’s always been a bit of a thing. It’s always been about trying to transfer to where it really counts. It’s about trying to stay consistent throughout the week and making sure I stay composed and relaxed towards match-day and not let the situation over-awe me on a match day.

“Sometimes it feels on a match day like the tension can get a bit high and it feels I have to do well. As a young player rather than focusing on the game your head can be elsewhere some times – for me it’s also about waiting for that chance.”

That chance may come Friday night but thus far this season the more experienced strike options of Rutger Worm, John Aloisi, Gerald Sibon and Alex Terra form coach John van’t Schip’s first choice attack.

Meanwhile fitness concerns surround key players at Heart with Simon Colosimo touch-and-go for the big game with a sore neck.

Central midfielder Joe Skoko is also battling an ankle concern while defender Dean Heffernan is suspended and Brendan Hamill is on Young Socceroo duty in China.