After spending another weekend as spectators, Bleiberg's men resume A-League action this Sunday and face a tough test against one of the form sides of the competition when they travel west to take on Perth Glory at NIB Stadium.

Glory's rise to the top of the ladder has come as no surprise to Bleiberg, who tipped Dave Mitchell's men as potential title challengers after the two sides met in a pre-season friendly match in northern WA.

Impressed with what he saw back in June, Bleiberg must now plot Glory's downfall when the teams meet for the first time this term and the Gold Coast boss singled out his former transfer target, Mile Sterjovski, for special praise.

"When we played Perth in pre-season I declared then that they would be a force to be reckoned with this year and I am certainly not surprised to see that they have started as well as they have," Bleiberg said.

"Apart from the Robbie Fowler influence, which has taken them to another level status-wise as well as football-wise, the form of Mile Sterjovski has also been a major factor for Glory.

"Mile has been brilliant for Perth and looks in great shape. He is scoring and setting up goals so full credit to him and to Perth Glory.

"From our point of view this weekend's game is a big challenge. We want to make our mark on the league and what better way to do it than to go to the team that is top of the ladder and prove we are a good team."

Bleiberg faces an anxious wait on the fitness of several first team players, with Joel Porter struggling to shake off a hamstring strain, Brazilian midfielder Robson still suffering from a groin injury and young striker Golgol Mebrahtu nursing an ankle knock.

But certain to start is new signing Bruce Djite, who has integrated well into the squad after less than a week on the Gold Coast.

Bleiberg said: "Joel (Porter) has today and tomorrow for his physio treatment then he will try a full training session on Thursday.

"We won't rush him though because Joel is an important player for us and we need him fully fit for the rest of the season.

"This week we will have Bruce (Djite) ready to go so there is no pressure on us to fast-track Joel. Bruce is fitting in really well and has settled quickly on the Gold Coast, which is important.

"Plus, after the Perth game we have three matches in six days so we need everyone on deck and ready to play. No risks will be taken with anyone's fitness.

"It's the same situation with Robson; we will evaluate him at the end of the week, but again, we have to consider the cluster of games we have in a short period of time so that is certainly in our thinking."

Tahj Minniecon is also in line to be recalled to the squad with Bleiberg saying the Perth encounter is ideal for the young striker who is looking sharper than ever in training.

He added: "Tahj is keen and ready so will definitely be in the squad for Perth.

"He is training exceptionally well and when Tahj is in this mood he is a great weapon for us. It doesn't matter what the opposition does tactically, it is always very difficult to contain a player like Tahj with his pace and strength."

The Perth clash will have added meaning for Gold Coast defender Dino Djulbic, who will make his first visit back to Western Australia since returning to home shores. A former Glory player, Djulbic is eager to do well against his old club and is relishing the challenge of taking on the joint league leaders.

"I'm really looking forward to the game and it will be nice to go back to Perth. I had a good time when I was there and it will be interesting to see how the fans react to me. They supported me when I was there but they might be on my back this week!" Djulbic said.

"I watched their win over Wellington last weekend and they looked sharp and confident. But as a professional you want to play against the best teams and the best players.

"Perth are in good form and this is an important game for us. We've had a bit of stop-start beginning to our campaign, but now we have a chance to get some rhythm going and really get ourselves going for the season - it's a big game for us."