Melbourne Victory captain Carl Valeri has warned against obsessing over the A-League ladder or fixture-gazing as the club enters a crucial fortnight.
Victory will have two shots to make up ground on Sydney FC -- a game against the Wellington Phoenix this Tuesday and a meeting with the Sky Blues on Australia Day.
Before that is a trip to Perth Glory, and Friday night's visit of Brisbane Roar.
It's four games in 14 days that will have a crucial bearing on Victory's season and Valeri believes it's a huge opportunity.
"It's massive," he told AAP.
"It's a bit unusual because in our league we don't really have midweek games.
"We've known about it for some time now and it's something the sports science people and coaches have all taken on board and adjusted for.
"January is going to be a massive month to help decide how the season's going to go."
Victory could hardly take better form into the crunch period, with five straight wins and 15 goals in that time.
Valeri said he wasn't taking the streak for granted.
"We know how special it is and we know how important it is," he told AAP.
"It's important for our ladder, our position, our wellbeing, our confidence -- everything.
"When you're winning you feel good and everything is great. We want to stay on that path."
And crucially, it's helped build a buffer between themselves and third-placed Melbourne City.
"There's a bit of a distance now between second and third. Not that we're looking at it because you don't win trophies in January," Valeri continued.
"But we're just focusing on the next game. If we start looking at the ladder, you lose focus."
The same goes for the fixture list, although many fans have already circled the top-of-the-table Australia Day clash as a potential game of the season.
"I always look forward to Sydney games. The fans do too, everyone loves it and there's a reason for that. It's always a good game," Valeri said.
"But it will have no importance if we don't do well against Brisbane and against Wellington, the game in hand, or against Perth [Glory].
"What kind of a battle will it be if we drop those games?"