Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold says both his club and Melbourne Victory share similarities, including being top dog in their respective cities.
“Of course there is [respect],” Arnold conceded at Saturday’s official pre-match press conference when asked about his opponent in Sunday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final.
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“Our goal is to get to the top like Melbourne Victory.
“They’ve got wonderful fans, they’ve got great backing, great infrastructure.
“And we’re the same.
“And it’s a great rivalry [the Big Blue] between the two states.”
Sydney FC and Victory both have “noisy neighbours” in their respective cities – Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City – with clubs that came into the league in recent years and have won trophies in their time.
But it’s Victory and Sydney FC – the runaway premiers and arguably the greatest ever A-League side – who’ll contest the season’s showpiece event at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
“They [Victory] claim, and they are, the biggest club in Melbourne,” Arnold declared.
“We’re the biggest club in Sydney,” he added.
