Socceroos defender Nathaniel Atkinson is in doubt for Melbourne City's A-League Men semi-final first leg against Western United. The hard-running and creative right-back pulled up with a calf strain in City's final regular-season game against Sydney FC. While City had the first week of finals off, Atkinson is still dealing with the issue and will have to prove his fitness first before meeting United at AAMI Park on Friday night. "He's 50-50 to be honest," coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "If it's not this week he should be fine for the following week. "(It's a) little strain which was strange because he wasn't in the motion of sprinting. He was actually just standing and then he said he just felt a cramp-like pain and he had a very light strain. "But he's recovered pretty well from it. So we'll just see how he goes today." Callum Talbot will likely replace Atkinson at right-back, but central defender Samuel Souprayen remains sidelined with a lingering calf injury. Socceroos veteran Mathew Leckie is fit and will likely come off the bench after an injury-interrupted season. "His experience, his ability to read the game, his ability to pick the right moment with the ball and without the ball, and his ability to lead by example on the pitch, which drags everyone else with him, that's invaluable," Vidmar said. "He's going to get time for sure on the pitch at some stage. Let's see where it goes. "Hopefully, touch wood nothing happens and he's able to survive the next three weeks. Because with him we're a much better team." City beat United 1-0 and 2-0 in clashes earlier in the season, keeping star striker Noah Botic goalless, but Vidmar insisted those results meant nothing across the two-game semi-final. "Their mobility now around the park is excellent and they've got multiple goalscorers, so we certainly have to be on our toes to stop that," Vidmar said. "But we also believe that we've got some really, really good momentum. "The spirit in our group has been extremely high. We've got players in most areas of the park that can hurt the opposition. "Our efforts throughout the year have been collective. So if it's not collective, then obviously we're going to have some difficult times and suffer."