City's Leckie priming for A-League Men finals surge

Star forward Mathew Leckie is confident he has timed his recovery from injury perfectly to help Melbourne City charge to an A-League Men championship.

Leckie missed more than two months with a serious hamstring strain, interrupting an otherwise standout season with the premiers.

He returned against Western United on Saturday via an impressive 27-minute cameo off the bench and will attempt to build on that against Western Sydney on Friday.

"(The injury) was obviously disappointing for me," Leckie told reporters on Thursday.

"Before that I was playing basically every game, I was in good physical shape. 

"So when I first got injured the diagnosis was that it would be an eight-week injury at least and there was no reason to also try and rush back. 

"The timeline was set up well where if I came back fit after eight weeks, there's two games left (before finals), which gives me opportunity to get some game time for fitness.

"Obviously after this game, we have a week off as well, which gives me more opportunity to train and I'm pretty sure we're going to have an (internal) game. 

"So fingers crossed, touch wood that I stay healthy now and I can go through those steps and be in the best shape I possibly can for finals."

Coach Rado Vidosic admitted Leckie had been a little bit behind schedule but City's guaranteed top-two finish and the first week of finals off gave them room to build his work load.

"He's probably one of the best if not the best player in the A-League and we missed him," he said. 

"Our attack was not as fluid as it was with him. So to get him back, it's going to be much easier for us to create chances, probably easier to score goals. 

"Then also he's got this unbelievable defensive quality."

City round out their regular-season campaign against fourth-placed Western Sydney, who are chasing a top-two berth, at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

The Wanderers (41 points, +17 goal difference) trail Adelaide (42 points, +10) and Central Coast (41 points +17, superior goals for).

"Last game against Wellington, (Wanderers) were unbelievable. All of their top guns were firing on all cylinders," Vidosic said.

"I'm really looking forward to see what we can do at home against one of the in-form teams in the competition."