The Rhinos have had a tough two weeks which has seen them take on two of the powerhouse sides in the competition but can take confidence in their ability to remain competitive against the best Canberra has to offer.

Coach Gabriel Abdala said the team should be almost back to full strength with the exception of Darren Bailey and Jacob Donadel who are both suspended following red cards against Olympic.

While Abdala recognised Tigers hadn’t had the best start to the season, they still have to be on their game.

“Gaby Wilk’s (Tigers FC coach) teams always play good football,” he said.

“They like to play with the ball and will look to try and create chances from the middle of the park with quick passes and movement.

“We will be looking to set up to close them down as quickly as possible, and it will more than likely be a midfield battle.”

Abdala acknowledges the impact the absence of Bailey and Donadel would have but feels the depth of the squad will be able to cover adequately.

“When you have two of your first-graders out with suspensions or injuries it always makes things difficult,” he said.

“But the thing is we have the depth across our squad to be able to cover those positions confidently. You saw on the weekend when we had five first-graders out and had to fill with two players from the 18s, one from the 16s.

“I think we only had about four first grade players on the field and we were able to compete against Olympic until the last five minutes.

“It is a huge thing to have depth in the squad to be able to fill these gaps at short notice.”

Rhinos aren’t the only side with selection issues heading into the clash with Tigers also having suspension headaches.

In their 7-2 loss to Canberra FC, the score was locked at 2-2 following a bumper first half, but when Osman Fofanah was shown a straight red for an ugly challenge on Ian Graham, the contest was over with Canberra FC scoring five goals with the man advantage.

The action at EW Moore Oval will kick off at 11am with the under 16s followed by the 18s at 1pm. The under 20 will play curtain raiser at 3pm before the main game starts at 5pm.