Returning skipper Robbie Cornthwaite says he’s seen enough desperation on the training pitch from his Western Sydney Wanderers teammates this week to suggest they’ll rip-in in Saturday night’s Sydney Derby.
The Wanderers head into the clash with bitter rivals Sydney FC winless in their last seven Hyundai A-League games but Cornthwaite says form is irrelevant ahead of the clash at ANZ Stadium.
Cornthwaite is back in the side after missing a match through suspension and will have a clear message for his players ahead of kick-off.
“Win the battle,” the Wanderers skipper said.
“This week’s been an intense week at training and the boys have really been getting stuck in.
“[Thursday] we played some small sided games and the competitiveness was through the roof. If you can bring that to training you need to bring it on match day. If you can’t bring it on match day there’s something wrong.
“The [derby] games are always finely balanced. I’ve spoken how tense the games are and on a knife’s edge,” Cornthwaite added.
“The team that wins the 50-50’s, not the 50-50 tackles but any 50-50 ball in the air, on the deck, decisions from the referee, anything that’s a 50-50, usually can get the upper-hand in the game.”
While the Sky Blues have been easily the most dominant team in the Hyundai A-League over the last 18 months, the Wanderers are unbeaten in their last three Harbour City clashes.
It’s a stat that fills the Red and Blacks with confidence in front of what should be a massive home crowd support.
The match is also the first Sydney Derby for new Wanderers boss Josep Gombau, who would love his first win to come against Graham Arnold’s all-conquering side.
“A derby is a derby, every game is totally different. If I am not confident, who can be confident? Me and the players are confident we can get the result with the support of our fans,” the Spaniard said.
“It’s an important game. It’s three points which is very important for us.
“We play in front of our fans, a big game and we need to get a result.”
