Sydney FC’s Nick Carle isn’t letting an impending Socceroos return distract his focus from a potentially season-defining A-League match against Wellington on Saturday.

Carle, 30, is set to end more than two years of exile from the national team in next week’s World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne.

The hard-working midfielder is relishing a chance to impress Socceroos coach Holger Osieck but insists his immediate focus is only on the Phoenix, as Sydney FC look to take a giant leap towards the A-League finals at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Sydney can draw level with the fourth-placed Phoenix should they register their third successive win on Saturday, putting them in a strong position to secure a finals berth with four rounds remaining.

“At the moment all I’ve got my head focused on is this Wellington game, I know how big it is in this season for us,” Carle said.

“Once that’s done, I’ll switch to going into (Socceroos) camp.

“The last few weeks have been like grand finals every week and we have to look at this one the same.

“We could really cement a spot in the six but it could also put us in a spot where we’re battling again because if we lose and Newcastle win, we’re out of the six again, so it’s a massive game for us.”

Sydney have put their season back on course with wins over Perth and Adelaide after a dismal 5-2 loss at home to Newcastle.

And Carle believes it may have been the performance against the Jets that sparked a late-season revival.

“I think the team has shown this year when our back’s against the wall, you get the best out of us,” Carle said.

“After the Newcastle game I think it felt like we had our backs up against the wall, we dropped out of the six and knew we had to get the results.”

Sydney received a further confidence boost with young gun Terry Antonis closing in on making his return from a hamstring injury, though Karol Kisel (groin) is likely to miss out again.

The Phoenix are facing a third straight loss after defeats to heavyweights Brisbane Roar and Central Coast but welcome back Tim Brown and Andrew Durante after both missed last week’s 2-0 loss to the Mariners due to suspension.

“They (Durante and Brown) are so important to the team with their leadership qualities and we definitely missed them against the Mariners,” Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert said.

“It is good to have them back and I’m sure you will see a much improved performance against Sydney.”