The Melbourne Victory will enter Wednesday night's A-League pre-season cup final without their fearless leader, Kevin Muscat.
Muscat, who has been suffering a strained hamstring for almost a month, has ruled himself out of the clash against Wellington in a bid to be fit for the club's A-League season opener against Sydney FC.
"I'm going to give it a miss," Muscat told News Limited.
"I'm pretty good and the hamstring's coming good, but with the travel factor it just didn't make sense to try to get up and play.
"The focus has always been Round 1 against Sydney and that's what I'm aiming for.
"It is tempting to play because it is a cup and we want to win it, but this gives me a few extra days to get treatment and get maximum strength under my belt for the first game.
"I can stay at home and get three quality training sessions and treatment.
"At this stage, there's just no point taking any chances."
Victory will enter the series final in Wellington fielding the same squad which downed Newcastle Jets 1-0 on Saturday.
