Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic has no qualms about the controversial signing of Salim Khelifi ahead of the A-League Men grudge match against Sydney FC.
The versatile Tunisian has arrived from the financially troubled Perth Glory, who were told to accept the Victory offer by Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
Anthony Radich, the chief executive of Perth, without a private owner for the past six months, railed against the APL edict.
"This decision is neither the will, nor the want of the club. It is a direct consequence of our inherited financial legacy," Radich said.
Popovich said he was unaware of the background to signing Khelifi, who was contracted at Perth until the end of 2025.
"We're speculating on what happened," Popovich told reporters on Thursday.
"From our club's point of view we inquired about a player and we inquired about other players as well, which you always do at different clubs.
"And we're very happy that we were able to get Salim.
"You're always keeping an eye on players - who's available, where you feel you may need to strengthen or could help our squad. I believe all clubs do that, including Perth.
"We inquired about a player that we feel can help our team, help our squad, and we're delighted with how he's fitted in over a couple of days of training.
"The key is that we feel that Salim can add value to the team."
Khelifi is in the selection frame for Victory, sitting second on the ladder but equal on points with leaders Wellington Phoenix, ahead of Friday's fixture against the sixth-placed Sky Blues at AAMI Park.
Victory remain unbeaten with six wins and seven draws. Only Sydney FC have started a season with a longer undefeated stretch - 14 wins and five draws in 2016/17.
"It's up to the players to fight hard for that starting position," Popovic said.
"And we see that every day in training, we know that that's part of the reason why we are at the top of the table - and we want to stay there.
"And there's an opportunity tomorrow in a big game, big opponent doing well since (Sydney FC coach) Ufuk (Talay), come in."
Talay's team will likely be bolstered by the return of Slovak forward Robbie Mak.
After being sidelined for the past three weeks because of a groin injury, Mak is expected to come from the bench in a game which Talay said was eagerly anticipated.
"The rivalry makes the game a lot bigger and a fantastic occasion for these players to be involved in," he said.
"For us, it’s a big occasion."
