The unavailability of half-a-dozen players for the 2007 Pre-Season Cup Group B game means that Sydney FC coach Branko Culina could give debuts to Popovic and former Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Michael Enfield.

Popovic won 58 caps for Australia in a 12-year international career, scoring eight goals and playing against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup.

Enfield, available after receiving his international clearance, played 11 matches for the Major League Soccer team that Sydney FC will face in a one-off friendly game at Telstra Stadium on November 27.

Sydney FC will have to subject Central Coast Mariners to capital punishment at Canberra Stadium to stand a chance of making the 2007 Pre-Season Cup semi-finals.

The mathematics are complicated but, as it stands going into the final round of group games, one thing is certain - Sydney FC must score a minimum of three goals and win to have any hope of progressing.

That is because bonus points over and above the usual three for a win and one for a draw are up for grabs in the competition. Teams receive one bonus point for scoring two goals in a match, two bonus points for scoring three goals in a match and three bonus points for scoring four or more goals in a match.