Aloisi is one of three players under an injury cloud for Monday’s blockbuster, which will see the current A-League leader’s playoff against the club whose achievements they are trying to emulate – season two Premiers and Champions Melbourne Victory.

Along with midfield pair John Hutchinson and Greg Owens, Aloisi’s presence for Monday’s fixture looked doubtful immediately following the Mariners’ unforgettable derby loss to Sydney FC last Saturday.

While Aloisi has shown significant improvement in recovering from his knee strain, Hutchinson is a less likely starter and Owens is certain to watch from the sidelines for a match where Central Coast’s depth and versatility will be stretched as much as it has been throughout the current campaign.

Also ruled out of Monday’s match are suspended duo Adam Kwasnik and Danny Vukovic, while defender Dean Heffernan has had his impressive recent progress curtailed by a season-ending leg injury suffered in the dying seconds of last Saturday’s epic.

Despite a significant crop of absentees, Aloisi believes that the pedigree the Mariners showcased last Saturday is evidence enough that Central Coast can do the job required against the reigning champions on Monday.

"I’ve never played in a game quite like that, not only the score line, but also every five minutes there was a player going down from our side, we ended up with eight players from two sending offs and another one from a player that we couldn’t sub, it was an amazing game," said Aloisi.

"It was unfortunate that we were on the losing team, but I thought we played really well.

"I think when it was eleven against eleven, we showed that we could kill any team and I thought that we showed, even with ten men, that we can match a side with eleven players, especially a side with the quality that Sydney has got."

Aloisi is one of two of the Socceroos’ all-time top goal scorers that will face off at Bluetongue Stadium on New Year’s Eve.

Mariners marksman Aloisi is Australia’s second highest ever goal scorer, having netted 27 times in green and gold from 54 international appearances since 1997, while Melbourne Victory counterpart Archie Thompson has scored on 21 occasions from his 27 caps to be placed equal fifth in Australia’s most prolific goal scorers list.

Aloisi and Thompson are also the holders of some unique goal scoring records, with Thompson having netted a world record 13 goals in one international match – against American Samoa in Coffs Harbour in April 2001.

In the match previous to the one that welcomed Thompson’s record haul, Aloisi netted the most goals in one game for a Socceroo in 20 years – six against Pacific minnows, Tonga.

Furthermore, all-time leading A-League goal scorer Thompson will oppose the player that poses the greatest threat to his crown on New Year’s Eve, Sasho Petrovski, who trails Thompson’s 27 goals in A-League matches by seven presently.

The array of first-class marksmen at Bluetongue Stadium on Monday adds another subplot to what already shapes as the latest A-League classic, which will be played out in front of an anticipated huge holiday crowd at the Mariners’ picturesque bay side home.

Aloisi, himself, is desperate to be involved.

"I trained a little bit today and felt pretty good, I have another day off tomorrow and then Saturday and Sunday training, so I’m pretty confident I’ll be alright for Monday," said Aloisi.

"I can’t wait for Monday, I think the 17,500 people that watched the game here against Sydney would have enjoyed it, even though we lost, but I’m pretty sure that most of them will be back on New Year’s Eve and hopefully it’ll be a great New Year’s with us beating Melbourne."