Coming off the back of a confidence-boosting 2-1 win over fierce rivals Adelaide United, the Melbourne club is bringing a steely resolve heading into the match.

Leijer said the derby loss in round one and a 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Brisbane Roar was just the wake-up call the two time championship winning side needed.

“We spoke about it internally – we needed to get a bit more ruthless in the way we played the game, we needed that resilience and determination,” the skipper said.

“It’s fair enough to want to play nice football but you also need that competitive edge as well and we had that against Adelaide.

“Losing a derby – it felt like losing a grand final and then following it up with the defeat to Brisbane made it a very difficult two weeks.

“We were all down and we were all gutted and that’s why it’s important that we bounced back the way we did.”

Victory suffered a season to forget last year, limping in at eighth on the table, missing the finals play-offs and chewing through two coaches in the process. But Leijer said there was no doubt new coach Ange Postecoglou had them heading in the right direction.

“This year the side is a lot different to last season,” he said. “The players have changed, there’s a new coach and we’re very confident that we’re on the right track.

“There was never a moment where we thought – it’s going to be another season like last. We just knew it was a terrible start and we wanted to change it as quickly as we could.

“The result in Brisbane was a wake-up call and probably showed us that we do need to get a lot better to be contending and to get to where we want to be.

“After (Brisbane) it was a tough week on the track and it was a good reaction from the players and that’s what we wanted.

“We want to win every game we play. The first two games we didn’t do that and basically we were sick of losing.

“If we can string a few wins together then hopefully that confidence builds and then we can really enjoy our football. We see it as a good test.”

Victory won’t be saving any special attention for Jets’ marquee and EPL cult-hero, Emile Heskey, who scored in the Hunter club’s last two matches and earned his side a controversial penalty in a fiery F3 derby against Central Coast Mariners on the weekend.

“Newcastle is not an easy place to go but the A-League’s always like that and I think this year, especially this year, it’s very close and we’re going to have to go there and be at our best again,” Leijer said.

“There are no special plans (for Heskey). Obviously he’s a great player, he’s got a big name and he’s someone I’ve got massive respect for.

“But I think once you cross that line and you’re out there it’s 11 v 11, it’s one v one. All you’re out there to do is beat your opponent and that’s what we’ll be concentrating on.”

The defender expects another big game from Mark Milligan, describing his former Olyroo mate as “outstanding” in their win against the Reds. The Victory line-up was clearly boosted by the return of Socceroos Milligan, Archie Thompson and All White Marco Rojas from national team duty.

Leijer said both Milligan and Rojas who scored against the Reds as “massively important” to the team.

He added: “(Rojas) has done very well, especially on Friday night. He looked dangerous all the time and got himself in good positions.

"That shows the importance of the international players to our team.”