Melbourne Victory are planning to take it right up to Sydney FC from kick-off in tonight's top of the table clash.

The reigning champions take on the current league leaders at Etihad Stadium on Friday night football and Victory skipper Kevin Muscat knows his team will have to be on their game as soon as the whistle blows.

"(The game) is first and foremost about what we do,'' Muscat said.

"They're coming to Melbourne and will play in front of their biggest crowd of the season and we want to put them to the sword nice and early.

"We want to get after them, create a few chances and hopefully take a few more opportunities than we've taken in the past few weeks. From the little bit I have seen (Sydney is) more compact and the onus is on them not to shirk their defensive responsibilities.

"It's up to us to put them to the sword and test them.''

Muscat was clear in stating Melbourne's aim to go back to the summit of the A-League table and was hoping to do it tonight.

"This game is a great opportunity for us," he added.

"We went top of the league last week, albeit for a day or two, and that's where we want to be.

"Our form suggests, with the momentum we've created, that we've got a great opportunity and that's what we're going to try to achieve.

"Obviously, there's no love lost between the two sides, but we (the teams) have produced some very good games.

"It's an opportunity to go top, so we're looking forward to it.''