The Sky Blues head into a crucial seven-day period starting with Sunday's clash against the improving Gold Coast United.

This is followed three days later by North Queensland Fury and Adelaide on October 4 - all at home.

And while playmaker Nick Carle will miss Sunday's game, key men Alex Brosque and Terry McFlynn are set to return for this crucial clash in the context of Sydney's spluttering season.

"We spent the week off with good training and tried to switch off and relax," Lavicka said before this morning's session at the SFS.

"We had several talks about tactics and how we played in the last games. And we had a team talk and individual talks face to face.

"I think it was good. And now it's one of the most important games of this season against Gold Coast.

"As a head coach, I have a good feeling. Because the players know, everybody know, we expected a different situation. Now we are in tough situation but we stay positive."

However returning striker Alex Brosque said from a planning point of view it's difficult playing against a Miron Bleiberg side.

"They're unpredictable - it's really hard to do your homework on them," he said.

"They could do anything on the day. They'll be hard to contain but we're at home and we need to take the game to them.

He added: "We haven't really kept the ball well enough. When you're in a position like this, a lot of things don't go your way. In the last game against Wellington I thought the boys did well - so the signs are there."

Defenders Seb Ryall and Matt Jurman arrived back this morning from Olyroo duty in Vietnam and Ryall is expected to take his place in the Sydney side on Sunday.

A win against Bleiberg's men might just lay the platform for an unlikely return to the fringes of the top six if the sky blues can win all three games over the next week.

"We're not panicking," added Brosque. "But in saying that, it's getting deeper into the season and we need to start getting wins.

"For us it starts on Sunday and these next three games will go a long way to defining how our season turns out and stop this rut we're in."