It will be no easy feat for the club, which relinquished top spot to the Vics following a shock loss to Mt Xavier last week.

Ballarat skipper Mark Fothergill said there would be no better way to bounce back than to beat the top side.

"It will be a good battle for us, but it's one we want to have," he said.

"Last week was a kick in the guts because those are games we can't lose. But everyone in the premier division is a good side, as Mt Xavier showed us last week."

Ballarat will enter the match without the services of experienced skippers Wes Lennecke and Zac Stewart. Despite the absences, Fothergill expressed confidence in the players remaining.

"The players coming up are just as capable as the ones up here," he said.

"It's on our home turf, which should be an advantage for us."

Last week marked the first loss in a number of weeks for Ballarat, which had sat at the top of the table for the majority of the season.

Victoria skipper Barry Clark said he expected a desperate effort from a Ballarat side, eager to make amends for the week prior.

"They'll be ready to fire, and keen to get back on top of the ladder as much as we'll be trying to stay on top of the ladder," he said.

Victoria will enter Saturday's contest unchanged and in good form following a hot start to the new year.

Clark said a good start on Saturday would go a long way to achieving success.

"We've been a bit slow to get going a couple of times and we cant afford to do that against them," he said.

Victoria has recorded only three losses this season, all of which came before Christmas.

Clark said the team had worked hard to put themselves in a good spot for the tail-end.

"The championship season doesn't really start until after Christmas when the greens get a a bit quicker and everyone starts vying for top position," he said.