Soccer: Knights promise easybeat days over

The Knights are determined their days as A-League easybeats are gone.

Last season, they were the team the other seven earmarked for a routine three points and the 3-0 loss to the Melbourne Victory on Sunday revived grim memories.

But captain Darren Bazeley, one of the few who survived the carnage of 2005-06, insists Melbourne won't be a prelude to more bad days ahead.

"There's no easy game in this league, and we've set ourselves up to not be that game to the other teams," he said ahead of tonight's game against the second-placed Queensland Roar in Brisbane.

Bazeley said the Knights were stung by their ineptitude in the rain against Melbourne.

Keeping them scoreless in the second spell after leaking three first-half goals smacked of a belated closing of the stable door.

"It was a nightmare really," the right back said. "It's been a kick for us. I don't think we were ready for the battle that Melbourne were going to give us. They had a game plan and stuck to it and achieved what they set out to do."

The Knights, lying fifth but in a share of third spot, on four points, will face the Roar for the third time this season, after drawing 1-1, then losing 2-1 in their poorest pre-season game.

There's no Jonas Salley to anchor the midfield, and left back Greg Duruz is sidelined by injury as well.

But coach Paul Nevin took 16 players to Brisbane yesterday to give him plenty of options, and will omit one before kickoff tonight.

Striker Dani Rodrigues and utility Noah Hickey trained this week, having recovered from injuries, and Nevin will be tempted to use both to add some offensive muscle.

The Roar are expected to give a first start to German playmaker Marcus Wedau tonight. Wedau has battled injury and immigration issues and has started only two games since arriving in Brisbane.

And the player that coach Miron Bleiburg dubbed the "David Beckham of Chinese football" (make what you will of that), striker Yuning Zhang, is over a knee injury and likely to get some game time.

Bazeley's smart enough to know the Knights will be beaten again this season. That's reality, but his hope is that they have got their real stinker out of the way early.

Tonight they move from low-figure crowds to a decent five-figure crowd at Suncorp Stadium, in Bazeley's view the best stadium in the competition.

"It's going to be awesome."