Wellington Phoenix forward Kosta Barbarouses hopes to become the first player to score in six consecutive matches for the club during their highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash with Melbourne Victory.
Barbarouses, 33, tied teammate Oskar Zawada and former Phoenix striker Tomer Hemed, when he scored a brace in Wellington's seven-goal epic against Perth Glory on Sunday.
The veteran admits he isn't 100 percent sure what has inspired his recent run of form.
"Nothing I can really put my finger on, but just continuing to put in work and obviously it helps when the team is doing well," he said. "The chances have been there and I've been taking them."
Barbarouses is one of the most accomplished players in A-League history, winning four championships with three different clubs, while accumulating more than 250 matches during stints with Wellington, Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.
He credits the Phoenix's terrific first half of the season for his chance to add another record to his personal resume.
"That's a great record," he said. "I think it just shows how well I'm going and how well the team's going, if someone is scoring in consecutive games."
Barbarouses' chance to make history only adds to the anticipation surrounding the biggest game of this year's A-League season so far.
The Phoenix take on unbeaten rivals Melbourne Victory at Wellington, with the winners claiming sole ownership of the competition lead.
After settling for a 1-1 draw during their first meeting of the season, Barbarouses says he and his teammates are fully prepared to go one better at home.
"There's no fear or worry that they are going to lock us out," he insisted. "We believe we are a really good side and you've seen we've been scoring, so we are definitely going to have a go at them."
Barbarouses, who is off contract at the end of the season, is open about his future with his hometown side, saying he would love to stay with the club going forward.
"It's still very early days and there's no real rush, but we both want to have a chat and see where we can go with it," he said.
"I'd love to [stay], if we can make it work. Obviously, there's a few factors, but I'm from here, and things are going amazing on the field and off it."
Whether Barbarouses breaks the record or not, his stellar form will have Wellington Phoenix fans hoping the club can re-sign the veteran goalscorer sooner, rather than later.
