The Phoenix have lost Manny Muscat and Albert Riera to the All Stars, while tonight's game will be played at the smaller Marden Sports Complex rather than Adelaide's normal home ground of Coopers Stadium.
Victory tonight would give the Phoenix a round of 16 game to peak for in September and would break the monotony of playing against local club sides during their long off-season before the A-League begins in mid-October.
"At this stage we've got to build on the style of football we are playing," Merrick said. "But we are not going to Adelaide to use it purely as a training run. This is a competition we want to win."
With Muscat and Riera out, Merrick may use a younger player in his starting XI, while the newly-signed Tom Doyle would seem a logical choice to hold his spot at left back after strong games against West Ham and Newcastle last month.
Veteran midfielder Vince Lia will sit out tonight's game with a leg injury but given how many midfielders have joined the squad during the past year, one may draw the conclusion that the Australian doesn't fit in to Merrick's starting side for the upcoming campaign.
"We want competition all over the ground and to have more midfielders is ideal," Merrick said of his recruitment. "I don't intend, at this moment, to sign any players for the next four, five or six weeks. I want to see how it develops."
None of Merrick's strikers have booked a starting spot for this season and those positions remain up for grabs.
Phoenix frontman Jeremy Brockie, who struggled at times last year to fit in to Merrick's gameplan as he only scored five goals in 24 games compared to 16 in the 2012-2013 campaign, wanted to get his name back on the score sheet with greater regularity this season.
"I've proved before that I can score goals and I want to be that striker and I want to be the No 1 striker at this club."
