Asafa Powell of Jamaica competes in Athens (Photo by Matt Lyon/Allsports)

However, Stephen Francis, Powell’s coach, says Australia's fastest man, Patrick Johnson, is the one to watch for Monday night's deciding race.

Johnson, who raced to an Australian and Oceanic 100m record time of 9.93 in Japan in 2003, trained alongside Powell at Olympic Park on Thursday after missing the Melbourne clash with the Jamaican earlier this month with a virus and Francis was impressed, especially after the Australian’s winning run win in wet conditions in Brisbane.

"I think Patrick Johnson looks like he is a potential finalist but it is a very loaded field," Francis said. "It is going to be difficult to make the final, but Patrick Johnson has shown he can (run fast).

"He has not really produced it a lot of the time in competition so let's see if it can make a difference being here."

Powell, who set a stunning 9.77 seconds world record mark at an IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Athens last July arrived in Melbourne last month full of confidence, and after cruising to a modest 10.29sec in his opening dash a week ago, the world's 'fastest man' predicts a fast time in Melbourne on Monday.

However, coach Francis said Powell will produce a sub-10 seconds timing at the MCG if it was required to win the gold medal, but said a run near to his world record is highly unlikely.

"He can run sub-10 now but a lot of it will depend on how close the other guys are," Francis said.

"While you don't want to do 100 per cent effort, sometimes in sprinting you have to pick (your moments) because every time you go into a race there is a possibility of disaster.

"So, you just try to do what is needed to do, particularly in this early part of the season. With him not racing a lot you have to do whatever you have to do to win, that is the objective here."

A groin injury sustained at the Jamaican trials resulted in a premature end to Powell's season last year, but Francis is confident that his man is back and is where he needs to be in his preparation for the rest of the season.

"The important thing was that he felt OK and did what I expected from him," he said. "I think he is where he should be in his preparation for the rest of the season.

"Right now he is good enough to be better than the guys who are here if they have not improved a lot."

Francis, one of the top sprint coaches in Jamaica, also coaches world 100m silver medallist Michael Frater, world bronze medallist in the 100m hurdles Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Sherone Simpson, who is an Olympic finallist and the world-leader in the 100m this season, at 11.22.