Phoenix's away form in their four-year history in the A-League has been awful, with last year's paltry five points gained from their 13 away matches last year contributing to a less-than-satisfactory sixth position on the table.

After three matches so far Phoenix have four points - one away point courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Gold Coast United - to sit in fourth place heading into this week's clash with the star-studded Melbourne Victory in Wellington on Sunday.

Warner believes their opponents - who lie in seventh spot with just two points and no goals scored after three rounds - will be a lot more threatening than the form book would make them out to be.

"You can look at form and all that, but at the end of the day form doesn't help you out. The best thing is to prepare ourselves professionally," he said.

Warner said the threats of the 'world class' Harry Kewell and Marco Rojas were just two of the attacking threats they posed.

Add to that the likes of Danny Alsopp and Costa Rica international Carlos Hernandez, and the Victory are more threatening than their position of seventh.

"I'm sure that’s not going to be their form guide for the rest of the season," he said.

While their home form has been impressive over the last few seasons, it is their form away from the Westpac Stadium that is of an immediate concern for Warner.

"I think four points isn't far off the mark. But I think we have to address our away form. I don’t think you can sit back and rest on that [home record], really," he said.

While Warner said he understood how teams wouldn’t like coming to the 'Ring of Fire' - they won eight of 13 matches and drew three last season before starting this year's home campaign with a 2-0 win against Newcastle two weeks ago - it was their form in Australia that had his side raising their eyebrows.

Also of concern for the 37-year-old goalkeeper was the hype surrounding the return of Marco Rojas for the first time since leaving his former club for the superstar side.

"I think football's football, people come and go," the well-travelled Warner said.

"You've just got to forget about it. The more you put into things you can't control you less you can put into what you can.

"The more attention you give him, the more holes there are in other areas and they're quite heavy up front. We've just got to focus on our game. It's an important game for us and we've got to do it right."

Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory do battle at Wellington's Westpac Stadium at 4:30pm (NZT) on Sunday.