Bleiberg has paid tribute to Newcastle's display in the 3-2 defeat of Melbourne Victory last Sunday, saying it was one of the 'performances of the season'.

With his side lying third on the A-League ladder, the Gold Coast United boss knows today's visit of the fourth-placed Jets is sure to be one of his toughest assignments of the season, particularly as Branko Culina's outfit have won five out of their last six matches.

Included in that rich vein of winning form are the scalps of Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Bleiberg's Gold Coast, a fact not lost on the United coach.

"Newcastle gave their performance of the season against Melbourne on Sunday," he said. "When you take into account all the factors; the heat, ten men, the pitch, the standard of the opposition, their courage, etc, it was remarkable.

"If they play to that level against us on Wednesday then there is no doubt that they will cause us a lot of problems.

"They were not so good in the previous game against Perth, so if we're optimistic we can hope for a repeat of that, but if we're pessimistic we can expect a similar performance to the Melbourne game. I prefer to be optimistic.

"The game also has a little added spice because they have beaten us twice and we want to put that right."

A win for Gold Coast would place them six points clear of the Jets, but victory for Branko Culina's men would see the two clubs level on points and hand the title advantage back to Sydney and Melbourne.

One game at a time might be the old adage, but as well as focusing on the visit of the Jets, Bleiberg says he must keep one eye on his next challenge, an away fixture with league leaders Sydney FC on Sunday.

Bleiberg added: "At their best Newcastle are as good as any other team in the Hyundai A-League.

"They are genuine contenders and it should be a very good game. If they were to beat us it throws it wide open, but then again, if we can take the points it could make it a three-horse race.

"We will be making a few minor alterations because with having three games in eight days it would be foolish to overload every player.

"Players like Tahj Minniecon and Matt Osman come into our calculations and one or two will get a rest for this match.

"The Sydney game on Sunday is also a big one and we have to keep this in our minds as we want to field a strong team against them also. It's a testing period but it will give us a good idea of where we are in the title race."