The Gold Coast United boss will welcome the return of skipper and talisman, Jason Culina, but will be forced into at least two other changes to the team that overcame Sydney FC last weekend.

Joel Porter (calf) and Matt Osman (hip) will both miss the game with Bleiberg naming a 16-man squad that includes both Steve Fitzsimmons and Daniel Piorkowski as potential replacements for Osman.

In for Porter is Brazilian striker, Milson, who is slated for his first start of the campaign after impressing in his substitute appearances so far this term.

"This will be my first start if I am selected and obviously I hope to do well for myself and for the team," Milson said.

He continued: "I have prepared well and I am really looking forward to the game. Replacing Joel Porter is not easy because he is a very good player who has done very well so far this season.

"But we have a very good squad and when we lose a good player there is always another good player ready to come in and perform well for the team.

"If I have a chance to score a goal then that will be very nice, but the most important thing is for Gold Coast United to win the game, get the three points and stay on top of the league."

Milson will partner Shane Smeltz up front with the A-League's leading scorer due to join his teammates in Perth on Friday afternoon after starring for New Zealand in their 3-1 over Jordan this week.

Smeltz hit two goals for the Kiwis and will be looking for more success against Perth to celebrate his 100th appearance in Australian national leagues (NSL & HAL).

 Perth have won both of their two home games this season and Bleiberg knows his troops face a tough outing against a much improved Glory outfit.

"Perth have recruited well and they are a quality side. It is not easy to win back to back games in the A-League and they have done that already," said the United Head Coach.

 "They have a good record at home and their current team is better than previous seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be reflected in their final position at the end of the season.

"It's not an easy trip and not an easy game, but we are here to win and that's what we'll be looking for.

"We like to be where we are at the moment, which is on top of the ladder, and we will do what we have to do to stay there.

"Against Sydney we played very aggressively in attack and had to change a few things around to accommodate for the fact that Jason Culina was not playing. This week our approach will be.... to keep Perth guessing," Bleiberg joked.

With Perth's striking firepower better equipped for an assault on the Finals than in previous years, much will be expected of Gold Coast's central defensive pairing of Kristian Rees and Bas Van Den Brink.

Both have other reasons to mark the weekend with another eye-catching performance, with Rees set to enjoy his 50th Hyundai A-League appearance and Van Den Brink celebrating his 27th birthday today (9-11-09).

 In other news, Gold Coast United's highly rated youngster, James Brown, continues his comeback from a serious leg injury with an appearance for United's National Youth Team this Sunday.

The Qantas Young Socceroo broke his leg back in June and did not feature in any of United's pre-season games.