The Jets youngster is confident Newcastle can pick up the victory they desperately need to keep their Asian Champions League hopes alive but he knows they will have to fight every step of the way to get it.

Joel Griffiths is ruled out through suspension but there is still the prospect of having to deal with his brother Ryan.

And having suffered once at the hands of Griffiths, Elrich is in no mood to see it happen again.

"The boys are looking sharp in training and looking forward to the game. We've players coming back after suspension and we know it's seen as a 'do or die' match," he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

Joel Griffiths suggested last week that the Chinese club views their domestic league title as the big prize but Elrich doesn't expect the visitors to simply roll over at EnergyAustralia Stadium.

 "Even if they do have a few young boys in there, we've some youngsters in our side and they seem to be doing okay,"said Elrich.

"We're not reading anything into that (reports of a weakened side). We're just preparing for a tough game and we won't underestimate them at all."

If Ryan Griffiths does feature then Elrich says the Jets will need to be wary. He said: "I'm sure he'll have a point to prove. He'll want to come here and put in a good performance against us.

"He actually came here and trained with us a few times before he signed for them (Guoan) so we know a fair bit about him."

Ljubo Milicevic comes back into the reckoning for the Jets after suspension and Elrich is delighted. He said: "Ljubo has great experience and then you also have Ang Costanzo. They both have good footballing brains."

An early goal would be a huge boost for the Jets but whether it arrives or not Elrich says it is vital to blast out of the blocks.

"We want to take the game to them from the start, work hard and get the result we all want," he said.